ISIS Maybe Be Bigger Threat than the Taliban in Afghanistan, Report Says

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ISIS Maybe Be Bigger Threat than the Taliban in Afghanistan, Report Says


ISIS Maybe Be Bigger Threat than the Taliban in Afghanistan, Report Says


The Islamic State may have lost its strongholds in Syria and Iraq, but reports say the group is growing in parts of northeastern Afghanistan.


U.S. and Afghan security officials say the Islamic State may even be a bigger threat than the Taliban.


A U.S. intelligence official in Afghanistan told The Associated Press that attacks in Kabul are “practice runs” for larger scale attacks in Europe and the U.S.


“This group is the most near-term threat to our homelands from Afghanistan,” the official said on condition of anonymity. “The IS core mandate is: You will conduct external attacks” in the U.S. and Europe. “That is their goal. It’s just a matter of time. It is very scary.”


Afghanistan could also become a new home base for the Islamic State, said Bruce Hoffman, director for Security Studies at Georgetown University.


“ISIS has invested a disproportionate amount of attention and resources in Afghanistan,” he said, pointing to “huge arms stockpiling” in the east.


In a surprising turn, the U.S. could potentially partner with the Taliban in some way to try to crush the ISIS threat.


According to ABC News, the Taliban have not shown any efforts to monopolize control in Afghanistan, and the Taliban is larger than ISIS forces.


U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has had discussions with Taliban leaders in recent months about a possible agreement.


“One of the hopes…

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Medieval family plaque discovered in Norfolk church

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Medieval family plaque discovered in Norfolk church

It references the Paston family, a well-known family in Medieval England, who lived in Norfolk.

A brass plaque, in memory of Anna Paston was discovered in Oxnead church in Norfolk last month, by archaeologist, Matt Champion.

 

 

Anna Paston’s brass was tucked away between two large tombs, obscured by the communion rail.

Mr Champion said the greatest surprise was that she was a member of the “most researched family” of medieval England, yet was unknown to historians.

The Paston family are infamous for their rise from peasantry to aristocracy in just two generations.

Many of the properties they lived in still survive, as do the institutions of which they became benefactors.

 

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Chris Pratt feels ‘blessed’ after marrying Katherine Schwarzenegger

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Chris Pratt feels ‘blessed’ after marrying Katherine Schwarzenegger

The Hollywood star and author Schwarzenegger, the daughter of politician and actor Arnold, got married at the weekend.

Sharing the first image from their nuptials on Instagram, Pratt wrote: “Yesterday was the best day of our lives!

 

“We became husband and wife in front of God, our families and those we love.

“It was intimate, moving and emotional.”

He continued: “We feel so blessed to begin this new chapter of our lives.

“We are so thankful to our families and our friends who stood with us and grateful to Mr Giorgio Armani who created a once in a lifetime dress for Katherine to wear and for me, the perfect suit.

“This morning we feel nothing but blessed.”

 

The couple – who are both Christians, announced their engagement in January.

Guardians Of The Galaxy star Pratt was previously married to actress Anna Faris. They have a six-year-old son, Jack.

Pratt has regularly shared his faith on social media and in interviews.

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Joel and Victoria Osteen’s Devotional 10 June 2019 – How to Start the Day

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The post Joel and Victoria Osteen’s Devotional 10 June 2019 – How to Start the Day appeared first on Flatimes.

The Southern Baptist abuse crisis: Two steps God is calling all Christians to take today

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The Southern Baptist abuse crisis: Two steps God is calling all Christians to take today

“We want our churches to be as safe as possible as soon as possible.” This is the goal of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), according to its president, J. D. Greear.

Ahead of the SBC’s annual meeting that begins tomorrow in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. Greear and other Southern Baptist leaders are responding to an unprecedented sexual abuse crisis facing their denomination. They are seeking ways to hold churches more accountable for allowing such abuse and to keep people in their churches safe.

One sexual abuse victim is too many

This crisis was catalyzed by a report last February presenting information on 380 credibly accused Southern Baptist leaders, including pastors, deacons, Sunday school teachers, and volunteer leaders.

Reporters discovered that at least thirty-five church pastors, employees, and volunteers who exhibited predatory behavior were nonetheless able to find jobs at churches over the last two decades. In some cases, church leaders apparently failed to alert law enforcement or warn other congregations.

The stories are horrific. Victims as young as three were reportedly molested inside pastors’ studies and Sunday school classrooms. Adults seeking pastoral guidance say they were seduced or sexually assaulted.

As I wrote at the time, these tragedies occurred in a very small number of the 47,000 Baptist churches in the US. The vast majority of Southern Baptist leaders are committed to personal integrity. The vast majority of Southern Baptist churches are safe places for children and their families.

But as SBC leaders would agree, one sexual abuse victim is too many.

“Be holy in all your conduct.”

As the SBC begins its meetings, I’d like to consider the crisis they are confronting as a larger issue for Christians in America.

One of the lies of our culture is that religion, if we practice it at all, must be a personal hobby. What you do on Sunday must not affect your public life on…

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Attacks on Nigeria’s Christians growing in ‘ferocity and frequency’

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Attacks on Nigeria’s Christians growing in ‘ferocity and frequency’

Fr John Bakeni, who coordinates aid for internally displaced people (IDPs) in the Maiduguri Diocese in northern Nigeria, told ACN his concerns.

“The attacks on Christians are growing more flagrant and more aggressive.

 

“The ongoing conflict with Boko Haram and the attacks by predominantly Islamist Fulani shepherds have instilled a feeling of great uncertainty and fear in us Nigerians.

“We consider each day we live in safety a blessing, because we do not know what will happen the next day.”

Fr Bakeni added that it was “difficult to be a Christian in this part of the world, but our faith encourages us to bravely bear witness to the Gospel”.

He also criticised the Nigerian government’s efforts to stop the attacks by extremist groups.

 

“The state is not putting forth much effort when it comes to the protection and safety of the lives and property of Christians,” he said.

“We citizens, no matter whether we are Christians or Muslims, expect the state to protect us and ensure our safety.”

Boko Haram, the ISIS-aligned terrorist militia, has been waging a campaign in the West African region, murdering Christians, kidnapping young girls, and burning villages to the ground for more than a decade.

The number of its victims now stands in the tens of thousands since 2009.

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First phase of Bath Abbey restoration completed

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First phase of Bath Abbey restoration completed

Work has finished on the first phase of Bath Abbey’s Footprint project and the east end of the church, which has been hidden behind hoardings for the last year, has been reopened.

The £19.3 million Footprint project started in May 2018 and involved closing off the east end of the Abbey so that the collapsing floor could be stabilised, eco-friendly underfloor heating could be installed and ledgerstones on the abbey floor could be restored.

 

 

A huge amount of work has been carried out over the last year, including structural work to secure the collapsing floor, the installation of the new heating system that will use hot water from the Roman Baths and substantial archaeological excavations.

There has been a wealth of discoveries during archaeological digs that have taken place, including a medieval tiled floor that was in the Norman cathedral that once stood on the site of the current abbey.

Work is now beginning on phase two of the project, which involves closing off the north side of the abbey to carry out the same work to stabilise the floor, install new heating and restore the ancient ledgerstones.

  

Photo: Ben Birchall/PA Wire

Photo: Ben Birchall/PA Wire

  

Phase two will take about a year to complete and will be followed by the third and final phase, which will take place in the south side of the abbey.

Alix Gilmer,…

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Joyce Meyer Devotional 10 June 2019 — God Can Fix It

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Ten Major Changes in Ten Years

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In the blink of an eye, ten years will pass. The pace of change is staggering, and there is no reason to believe the pace will slow down. In the comments on my blog post last week on growth rates among churches the previous ten years, a prescient reader asked me to look forward. “What do you think a healthy church will look like in 2029,” he asked.

I am grateful for his question. And though I can’t know with precision the shape of our churches in ten years, I do see some outliers and trends pointing us toward some key directions. Let me take those signposts and fast forward ten years.

Keep in mind, these changes are representative of the healthy churches in 2029. I may deal with the unhealthy churches in another post.

 

  1. There will be a high intentionality of evangelism and gospel presence. We passed through the phase of programmatic evangelism without much impact. We are presently in the stage of non-intentionality, and our low-conversion churches reflect that reality. Healthy churches will be highly intentional about evangelism without it being program-driven.
  2. These churches will be favored in the community. Someone recently asked me if most churches had a negative reputation in their communities. I told her no, that most churches have no reputation in their communities. The healthy church in 2029 will seek see the community as a place to serve and minister, rather than a pool of prospects to increase attendance. Look also for neighborhood churches to increase their impact in…

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Marriage Is Still Cool by Pastor Sam Adeyemi

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The post Marriage Is Still Cool by Pastor Sam Adeyemi appeared first on Flatimes.

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