In my years of knowing the Lord, it has always amazed me how much God loves us. It’s something that, as humans, we can have a hard time understanding. No matter a person’s lifestyle, beliefs, or faults, we are all loved by God equally. So much so, that He gave the whole world His only Son in order to give us all a chance at eternal life! (John 3:16)
But for those who don’t understand God’s ability to love, I always find that one of the best examples of His love for us in dogs. To me, they are truly God’s Little Helpers. I believe when He created these wonderful creatures, He did so with the purpose of reflecting His eternal love for us within each and every one. Continue reading →
Rev. Robert H. Schuller, the founder of the television ministry “Hour of Power” that reached millions around the world, died Thursday at the age of 88.
Schuller had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer in August 2013.
“My father-in-law passed away peacefully early this morning. He was a great Dad and a great man of God,” said Schuller’s daughter-in-law, Donna Schuller, in a Twitter message.
Schuller and his wife Arvella started a ministry in 1955 with $500. He would preach from the roof of a concession stand at a drive-in theater near Los Angeles. The church had a motto of “come as you are in the family car.” They had their own building by 1961 and began the “Hour of Power” broadcast in 1970.
In 1980, Schuller built the iconic ‘Crystal Cathedral” that was seen in the “Hour of Power” broadcasts.
Schuller is remembered as a missionary who was called to reach people who had distanced themselves from church. His mission of “find a need and fill it, find a hurt and heal it” has brought millions help and healing.
A former Olympic gymnast who had doctors telling her to abort two of her unborn children to make sure the third baby was healthy has given birth to healthy triplets.
As previously reported, Jaime Halsey was told by doctors last fall to abort their children.
“We had our first scan in Northampton at 12 weeks and were immediately referred to specialists at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford,” she told the Northampton Chronicle in January. “They told us one of the twins is 25 percent smaller than the other and there’s a massive risk of further growth restrictions.”
Halsey flat out rejected the calls of their doctors and said that she would give life to her babies no matter what it would cost her.
On February 24th, Halsey gave birth through Cesarean section.
Triplet girls Eden Rose, Amber Joy and Erin Aila are all doing fine. They will remain hospitalized until they gain more weight as they were born premature.
“We both know that the triplets have a long way to go, and many hurdles to get over before we can bring them home; but we know that we have given them the best chance possible and the wonderful medical staff at the JR have and will continue to give them the best chance possible too,” her husband added.
A British teacher who was plotting to join ISIS in Syria has been sentenced to six years in prison for his efforts.
Jamshed Javeed came to the attention of local officials after he was turned in by his family. His sister recorded arguments between Jamshed and his family on her iPad and provided those recordings to officials.
“It was clear from the evidence in this case that the family were absolutely set against him joining this terrorist group in Syria,” Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Mole said. “They took (what) I consider to be some brave steps in terms of hiding his equipment … And absolutely without doubt they confronted him on his desire to go out and expressed their desire that he does not travel and join this group.”
Police say the family hid Jamshed’s passport so when he attempted to gain a second one authorities were able to arrest him for attempting to join ISIS.
Jamshed claims he was just “trying to help the people of Syria.”
The judge dismissed Jamshed’s claims noting that he wanted to leave even after finding out his wife was pregnant.
Traditionally, people have considered Valentine’s Day a time to celebrate romance but I prefer to think of it more as “Love Day”. Did you know that the word” love” or “loved” is mentioned in the Bible over 400 times! It seems to me that every positive emotion we could ever have is tied directly to this all-encompassing love. Without it, everything we do has no meaning.
There is no doubt that God wants us to love each other! In 1 Corinthians 13, He tells us very clearly how important love is and exactly what that one little word means. Anyone who has ever been to a church wedding will have heard this, but have you taken the time recently to REALLY hear what He is telling us? Continue reading →
Two Kenyan teenage girls are in hiding after being beaten and starved by their uncle for accepting Christ.
Namwase Aisha, 16 and her sister Nabagabana Fatuma, 14, are being given trauma counseling and medical care after being rescued from their Muslim uncle. The uncle had taken custody of the girls five years ago after the death of their father and tried to force them to become Muslims.
“My uncle became so furious because we had embraced Jesus,” Aisha told a Morning Star News source. “He locked us inside the house and began beating us with a wooden stick, and then we were left for three days without food. At the third day, we felt as if we were going to die, and we began crying for help.”
The girls say that while being taught about Islamic jinn, or evil supernatural creatures, they were troubled and could not sleep. They said they were being harassed by these evil spirits and sought out the Christians because they wanted to be set free.
“Before leaving he church, we told the pastor of our problems, who first prayed for us to be followers of Jesus and later prayed that the evil spirits will not torment us again,” Aisha said. “After the prayers, we felt as if a big burden had been rolled away.”
The girls, fearful they will be killed for their profession of Christ, will be kept in hiding until they can flee to a western nation.
The family of Redeemer Episcopal Church in Houston were still reeling from the news their pastor and his family had been murdered when they suffered a second blow.
The son of Pastor Israel Ahimbisbwe has been arrested in the murder of his father, mother and brother.
Houston police say that 19-year-old Isaac Tiharihondi has been charged with two counts of capital murder and was being held in custody in Mississippi where he fled after the killings. He covered the bodies with blankets and towels in the back bathroom of the apartment where the victims were found Monday.
A member of the church told a local TV station that she had lunch with the accused killer after police say he committed the crime.
“It’s devastating. It’s sad. It’s unexplainable,” Nancy Taylor, who attends Church of the Redeemer, told KHOU. “We had lunch, we sat, we chatted, we talked, we laughed. It was just a real enjoyable experience and time together. … Good kid, polite, nice, respectful, grateful.”
“While I am relieved authorities have found Isaac, I am heartbroken that he has been charged with capital murder. This only adds to the tragedy of their deaths and raises more questions than it answers,” Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle, Episcopal Bishop of Texas said in a statement.
A Christian family in Hot Springs, Arkansas had their home invaded by police and their children taken from them because of a “miracle supplement.”
State police and Garland County officers were looking for MMS, or Miracle Mineral Solution. The product is completely illegal and can be legally purchased online but the FDA believes there could be health concerns related to the product.
The officers were claiming that the children were being placed at risk because of the MMS in drinking water.
Hal Stanley said that he is the only member of the family that takes MMS and that it’s mostly used as a water purifier for his garden.
The couple, who homeschools their children, were kept away from their children while they were questioned by officers. Michelle Stanley told KARZ-TV that an officer said the kids looked great and the situation would be ending soon.
Then fully armed sheriffs came into the home and took the children away from their parents.
The family considers themselves “self-reliant” and avoids contact with the government. Sources close to the family say this is the motivation behind the police harassment. A court hearing is being held on January 21st to determine if the state can continue to hold the family’s children.
The Garland County Sheriff’s Department issued a statement after the media heard of their actions, claiming that the MMS story is “false.” They claim two residents close to the family who are unnamed made claims of child abuse.
A New York woman has announced that she is going to marry her biological father after two years of dating according to New York Magazine.
The 18 year old woman says that her father, who had left her life when she was a toddler, reconnected with her when she was 17 and still in high school.
“We didn’t know what was going on, but admitted that we had strong feelings for each other,” the woman told New York Magazine. “We discussed whether it was wrong and then we kissed. And then we made out, and then we made love for the first time. That was when I lost my virginity.”
“I didn’t regret it at all. I was happy for once in my life,” she stated. “We fell deeply in love.”
The couple plans to move from New York to New Jersey where adult incest is not illegal. They say that while the father’s side of the family knows about the incestuous relationship, the girl’s mother and her side of the family do not know about it. They plan to tell them after they move to New Jersey.
New Jersey enacted a new criminal code in 1979 that left the section planned for incest blank. Before that passage, incest was a crime with a maximum of 15 years in prison. Legal marriage between adult relatives is still illegal, so the “wedding” will have no legal standing.
“I just don’t understand why I’m judged for being happy. We are two adults who brought each other out of dark places. People need to research incest and GSA because they don’t get it and I don’t think they understand how often it happens,” the woman said to the magazine.
Several media watchdogs say the story could be a hoax because the woman is not identified by name.
A 13-year-old girl who escaped the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram says her father sold her into slavery with the group.
The girl, whose identity is being withheld by authorities, said that she was being ordered to become a suicide bomber. The information from the girl coincides with a rise in terrorist attacks by young girls and women wearing bomb vests. Officials are concerned that the terrorists are forcing captive women to commit attacks.
The girl said her captors told her the only way to get into paradise would be to let them use her as a homicide bomber.
“When I was told I would have to die to enter paradise, that I would have to explode a bomb and die, I said I cannot do it,” she said. She eventually allowed them to strap a bomb vest on her after she noticed they were burying alive members of the group and girls who would not follow through with terror attacks.
“I was afraid to be buried alive,” she told reporters.
The girl was initially arrested at a hospital after she arrived with a leg wound. She told a taxi driver to take her a hospital and she left the bomb vest in the back seat of the taxi. Officials say they will keep her in protective custody while the investigation continues.
She says her father is now a full member of Boko Haram.
