Family breakdown 'damages exam results'
A survey was carried out by the family lawyers’ association, Resolution. Its chair, Jo Edwards commented on the scale of the problem, saying: ‘Each year around 100,000 children under 16 see their parents divorce. Almost half of all break-ups (48%) occur when there is at least one child in the relationship, and with 230,000 people in England and Wales going through a divorce each year (and many more separating), this is an issue that affects hundreds of thousands of families in Britain every year.’ She went on to say that it was clear that ‘children are suffering as a result of parental separation and that in some cases it’s exacerbated when parents place additional stresses on their children during their break-up.’ According to the survey, 32% said that one parent ‘tried to turn them against the other’ whilst more than a quarter (27%) said their parents ‘tried to involve them in their dispute’.
West Midlands Police warned over threat to kill officer
A threat to kidnap and murder a serving West Midlands police officer led to a security alert being issued to staff, the BBC understands. The force has confirmed counter-terror officers are investigating an ‘anonymous but credible’ tip-off. Staff were first told on Monday night after the force received the call. Assistant Chief Constable Garry Forsyth said the force was taking the threat ‘extremely seriously’, but there was no increased risk to the public. Officers have been urged to take extra precautions, including not wearing uniform during journeys to and from work. West Midlands Police said it had ‘implemented additional security measures’ after obtaining the information but the force declined to confirm the exact nature of the threat. A spokeswoman said counter-terror officers were continuing to assess the anonymous information the force had received. Officers were held on duty while they were given the security reminder as they started their shifts.
Champagne wars in the Lords
On the same day that a parliamentary report on hunger revealed that the number of people using food banks has risen to unprecedented levels, the House of Lords refused to share catering expenses with the Commons because they were worried about the quality of champagne! Apparently the peers rejected a plan to merge contracts over fears about the quality of their bubbly. While the Lords and MPs share IT, cleaning and archive services, reaching agreement on champagne purchasing was seen as a step too far. The House of Lords has a £1.3m annual catering budget and has bought in more than 17,000 bottles of champagne since 2010 the last election (that’s 5 bottles per peer at a cost of £265,770). Meanwhile thousands of working families are forced to depend on charity hand-outs this Christmas and organisers of festive hampers for low-income households say the numbers receiving help are higher than ever.
Christian rape survivor: Give jury more guidance
A Christian rape survivor is calling for jurors in sexual assault trials to be given more guidance about what constitutes rape. Jill Saward, who was attacked in 1986 at Ealing Vicarage, has started a petition urging the government to change the law so that a judge can outline that rape can happen to anyone and be committed by anyone. She said this should happen before a trial actually begins so that the jury is able to make an 'informed decision'. ‘Many people believe that they actually understand what rape is but a lot of that understanding comes from assumptions,’ she said. The petition, to the Justice Secretary, says: ‘Several recent high profile cases have evidenced how the general public has fixed preconceived ideas of what constitutes rape, a victim and a perpetrator of sexual violence. Given that juries are constituted of members of the public, these views are highly prejudicial.’
High street failing disabled
One in five high street stores has no disabled access, according to a government-backed audit of more than 30,000 businesses. A study by DisabledGo has shown that a third of department stores did not have an accessible toilet and only 15% of retailers had hearing loops for the partially deaf. Researchers visited and assessed 27,000 high street shops and 3,716 restaurants in an audit backed by the Department for Work and Pensions. Among other findings were that two in five food outlets had no accessible toilet, only 23% had menus in large print for the visually impaired and only 9% hearing loops. Just 57 eateries, 14% of the total, listed information on accessibility on their website. Lack of training for staff to help cater for disabled people was another shortcoming. Chairman Barry Stevenson said: ‘It's entirely unacceptable for disabled people, their family, friends and carers not to be able to access all high street shops and facilities.’
Church version of John Lewis advert says Jesus is ‘real love’
An alternative version of the popular ‘Monty the penguin’ advert by John Lewis has gone viral. St Thomas’ church in Norwich filmed their own version of the Monty story, which involves a penguin searching for ‘real love’. In the church production, a little boy dreams of real friendship with his toy tiger but his longing is only satisfied in the shadow of the cross. The video has already received over 20,000 views on YouTube and featured on the ITV news website. Beej Harris, who produced the church’s video, said its inspiration came from the misplaced Christmas message in the John Lewis advert. He said: ‘There was a lot of satisfaction in presents and toys, but we actually wanted to kind of take it back and say that Christmas is about so much more than that, the real meaning is about Christ’. Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK9GsOGVXBI#t=35
Grand Theft Auto 5 banned by retailer over graphic violence against women
One of Australia's largest retailers has banned controversial video game Grand Theft Auto 5 from its stores because of its graphic scenes of violence against women. GTA5, which was released a year ago and is the latest title in the smash-hit series, will no longer be sold in Target Australia's shops following customer anger over the levels of violence in the game. Players are given options to kill women by punching them unconscious, for killing with a machete, bat or guns. The game, which has been released on Playstation 3 and 4, and Xbox 360 and One, allows players to control a criminal in a fictional US city. Players can beat up or kill any other character they encounter in a variety of ways. Carrying an ‘18’ certificate in the UK, the game has come under fire for its depictions of torture and portrayal of strippers and prostitutes.
"In 2000 the Millennium Declaration was a moment when the world made clear promises to the poor. Fifteen years later, global leaders gather to evaluate those promises, with current world crises in mind. In the heart of Manhattan, The Micah Summit opens up a unique space for visionary Christian faith to embrace our calling to the public square. We think effective Christian witness can find a road-map between fear and faith in our post 2015 world.
As the world reflects on the promises of the Millennium Development Goals and anticipates the
future beyond 2015, Christians - as people of faith - have an immense opportunity to engage. The Micah Summit will provide an opportunity for crucial reflection and strategic debate. By the end of the Summit we hope delegates will have a greater awareness and appraisal of progress and gaps in our promises to the poor. And that you will gain a better understanding of the processes of engaging with civil society and institutions such as the UN. There will also be renewed commitment to the post-2015 agenda as embodied in a new 'Micah'."
Please pray for the Micah Summit to accomplish all its goals effectively during this important gathering of those from various development and ministry organizations as they meet at the United Nations. Pray that the participants "will leave inspired to be even better and more effective servants of God who calls everyone to act justly, love mercy and walk with humility into a future filled with promises and possibilities."
"Darkness covers the earth and gross darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you," says God to Isaiah (see Isaiah 60.2). At this season of the year followers of Christ around the world remember his birth. He came as the Light of the world to begin to dispel the darkness. His coming was in a blaze of heavenly light - at night - when "the glory of the Lord shone around" the shepherds. His coming was accompanied by a "bright star in the East".Thank God for Jesus. Thank God that His coming has made a difference.
And yet - the darkness has not been entirely dispersed. In fact, it seems that spiritual darkness has intensified.
As we look at the world we see the acceleration of the kingdom of God in certain places, but we also see the increase of evil and the acceleration of opposition to the Gospel. When we consider the terror and trauma being meted out on millions of innocent people in the conflicts at present occurring, or we look at the political alliances and their use of power, or the subtle ways in which ungodly policies are being imposed on nations by governments, or the corruption endemic in various economies and economic practices, or the new alliances being created as power shifts take place, we are left in no doubt that the world is going through traumatic changes.
How alert are we to these changes and the challenges they bring?
If we look at the progress of the church since its beginning, we perceive that every advance has been fiercely contested by our enemy, Satan, and all his demonic powers. Paul, writing to the Corinthian church, shared that he had been in prison frequently, been flogged severely, faced death again and again, had been beaten and stoned, and had been shipwrecked. He had been in constant danger, often going without sleep and food, and faced many deprivations (see 2 Corinthians 11.23-29).
Today it is no different. There are many situations on this planet where, in the past year, believers have been driven from their homes and churches, beheaded or shot, narrowly escaped death, have had to move home frequently to avoid detection, have been imprisoned for their faith, and live in constant danger. Consider Iraq, where ancient forms of Christianity are in danger of being wiped out, and thousands of Christians have fled for their lives. Consider Syria, where the civil war has severely affected the church. Consider Nigeria, where despite the growth of the church in the south, the activities of Boko Haram predominantly against the Christian population, has brought kidnappings, burning of churches and the slaughter of hundreds of followers of Christ. Consider North Korea, where the church that experienced widespread revival a century ago is now a beleaguered minority with many thousands of Christians have lost their lives or been confined permanently to harsh concentration camps.
Whilst the gospel undoubtedly has spread (there are now more believers in Christ on the planet than ever before in history), it is true to say that collectively the body of Christ is more at risk than it has probably ever been.
However the prevailing darkness is expressed in many other ways. Millions are being brought into or left in modern forms of enslavement. The grip on power globally that strong secret societies have is also a severe threat to religious liberty. It seems that there are dangerous spiritual factors at work. The powers behind false religions, religious fundamentalism, global terrorism, political and financial alliances and the primary sources of manipulation need to be understood and counteracted by well-targeted prayer.
In the past year or more, the IPC has begun to bring into being a global task force to focus on the dark places and dark powers. There have been consultations with a few leaders in North America and in Europe. The working group for Europe has met three times in the past year, and has explored some of both the historical and contemporary influences that have been at work in the Continent, that God first chose for the Gospel to spread, but which is in urgent need of re-evangelising. A gathering in June in Macedonia sought to address some of the issues raised by the two 20th Century world wars (recalled and commemorated Continent-wide during the past year), which made Europe the most blood-stained Continent in the world. Over 100 million people were estimated to have died in these two wars! The Europe group, who met last month in Greece, wants to tackle in on-site prayer and through teaching some of the factors that we have been up against, and to release a spirit of hope in the Continent that things can change and that revival can again be experienced.
A day conference in South East Asia last September will, it is hoped, be followed by a consultation in South Asia in the first half of 2015. Those we have brought together globally have experience of spiritual warfare and knowledge of principalities and powers on each of the Continents. We are together seeking to understand better what we are up against, how the enemy has been at work throughout history, and where his power, time and attention is focussed today, and how modern forms of communication are aiding his work.
A book, examining in more detail how our enemy Satan works in individuals, communities, nations and through Governments and other institutions of power, and how we can combat him, is being written. The church, particularly in the West, needs to be reminded of what we are up against and how we can take our stand against the devil and his schemes. Interestingly, leaders in Africa are well aware of the demonic powers they face. Many have written books on the subject. But in Westernised nations there is religious debate even about whether Satan actually exists! Fortunately Scripture is not silent about this. Satan is mentioned over 50 times in the New Testament. Jesus Himself knew that his calling was to preach, heal the sick and cast out demons (see Matthew 4. 23-24). He commissioned his disciples to do the same (see Matthew 10. 7-8).
We are looking for connections with practitioners, researchers, those with knowledge of how Satan has worked in different cultures, with a view to seeing more regional consultations taking place. We are wanting to connect with people who are active in the seven pillars of society and have understanding as to what agencies Satan is using today, and has used in history. If you are such a person, or know anyone who is, please get in touch with us, with a short bio concerning what you have been involved with, and in which country you are based. We have a name for the group, but do not wish to release it in an open context such as this!
So, at this season of the year, our call is for more intentional prayer for more of the light of God and less of the darkness of the evil one in society around us, and in the rest of the world.
Brian Mills
IPC Senior Advisor
Email contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Please have a look at the video on the front page of this website. It is a report on the work of Poncho Murguia and others in his network in the former "murder capital of the world" that is now being transformed through united prayer. You will be encouraged by the Lord to believe Him for His breakthrough in your own city no matter how difficult the situation may be!
Website link:
www.transformourworld.org/en/blogs/14940-transformation-now-cuidad-juarez-mexico