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It is part of a renovation project on the cathedral spire and its 250 tons (226 tonnes) of lead.
The project will cost six million euro (£5 million).
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Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks retired from the NBA Wednesday night.
I don’t normally write on Dallas-centric sports news, recognizing that we have more than 170,000 Daily Article readers in 203 countries and most of them probably care less about my local sports teams than I do.
But Dirk’s story transcends Dallas and the NBA.
In fact, it makes a point worth considering for everyone who follows Jesus.
Praise for “Uncle Dirk”
Nowitzki was undoubtedly one of the greatest players in NBA history: a league champion and Finals MVP, league MVP, fourteen-time all-star, and the sixth-leading scorer of all time. He played twenty-one years with the same franchise, which is a record as well.
The Washington Postcelebrated his loyalty to his team and city. A writer in Washington, DC, praised him for his humility. At his retirement ceremony in Dallas, Charles Barkley called him “the nicest man ever.”
It was Dirk Nowitzki’s humility and service off the court, even more than his athletic achievements on it, that endeared him to sports fans across the country.
As he reminds us, who we are is more important than what we do.
Rugby Australia has been facing pressure to terminate the 30-year-old’s central contract after he was accused of posting homophobic comments on social media.
In a statement released on Friday, it said: “Rugby Australia and the NSW Rugby Union have met with Israel Folau in Sydney today.
“As the meeting was held in confidence between the player and his employers, Rugby Australia and the NSW Rugby Union will not comment on the discussions at the meeting.
“Following today’s meeting, the two organisations will update their respective Boards on the matter to consider next steps. Our joint position regarding Israel Folau is unchanged.”
Publishing on Instagram, Folau said “hell awaits” homosexuals “unless they repent”. He also referred to “drunks, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolaters”.
Meanwhile, England World Cup winner Will Greenwood said the sport must take a strong stand against hate.
He said: “He’s allowed to think those thoughts; they are his religious beliefs.
So, Qantas is the main sponsor of Rugby Australia. They have a commercial code-share deal with Emirates (the UAE’s state-owned carrier). The same government that owns Emirates makes homosexuality illegal on their turf and yet Israel Folau is the bad guy… go figure. Hypocricy?
Performers have been visiting 48 schools across the region; holding RE lesions and assemblies, and inviting students to attend evangelistic events at larger venues.
The Higher Tour: Yorkshire was arranged by The Message Trust, which has organised similar initiatives in Manchester, south Wales and the Midlands.
Chief Executive Officer Andy Hawthorne told Premier: “We’ve seen 1,300 young people who made a commitment to Christ.
“They went into a response room, they were given a bible, they prayed with a response team member, they were encouraged to go to local church fellow-up groups…
“We’re hoping, praying and believing that the 1,300 can become many more.”
The charity estimates 95 per cent of the youngsters they come into contact with at schools have “no connection” to a church.
Mr Hawthorne continued: “About an hour ago, I got an email about one of these kids who gave their lives to Christ.
Topic: Invest in Someone [Joyce Meyer Devotional 12 April 2019]
The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives — Psalm 37:21
Take chances today and invest in someone else’s life, especially if God tells you to do so. You may give them something of value only to learn they waste it as they have always done in the past. But remember that God made an investment in you, and He wants you to be willing to make an investment in somebody else.
Jesus died to give everybody a chance. Not everyone takes advantage of His provision, but we all have an equal opportunity to enjoy the abundant life. If you help someone, and they end up not doing what is right with it, that is between them and God. Give thanks that you are able to give, and then do whatever God tells you to do.
Prayer Starter: Father, show me someone I can invest in today. Help me to be a support and encouragement to someone in need. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Jeremiah 30:19 And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
So God is saying that as He multiplies us, He will glorify us. Smallness therefore, is not godliness. To be small does not make you look like God at all. God wants you big. Not all winners in life sweat to win. Covenant abundance means you do not sweat to succeed. There is a difference between hard work and hard life.
Adam never lived in lack until he fell. Jesus, the second Adam, never knew any lack all through His life here on earth. In times of challenges and lack, He knew what to do as He did in the incident of the feeding of the 5,000 in John 6. What Adam lost to satan, Jesus recovered to us. However, enjoying it is conditional. Jesus said,
John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
If you do not know the truth, hardship continues! Ignorance therefore is the reason why many are still in lack. Because the Bible says;
Proverbs 13:15 Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.
The Amplified Bible renders it this way; “But the way of the ignorant is hard.” So hardship is a function of ignorance. If you are passing through any kind of hardship, the reason is because you are ignorant.
Isaiah 5:13 Therefore, my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.
Lack of knowledge is the reason why many Christians are passing through hardship; not because of the economy of the country. If it so, why are others prospering? I want you to know that hardship is not strange. Our covenant fathers saw famine in their days but in the midst of it, they prospered (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph). If you know what to do in the midst of any hardship, you will come out on top. You can disappoint disappointments with knowledge. That is, when you know what to do, you can walk out of every disappointment.
For you to enjoy covenant abundance on your way to the top, sitting down to think is very important. Not just mere thinking, but productive thinking. Most times when Christians are facing a challenge, people are quick to ask them, “have you prayed?” rarely does anyone ask, “have you spent time to think about this issue?” Analytical thinking will bring you out of any hardship. There is a time to pray and a time to sit down and think.
Isaiah 30:7 For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.
That is, stop running to unbelievers; that is not where the answer is. Your strength is in you sitting down to think. When people have financial challenge, their minds always run first to man, “maybe that my uncle can help me.” But I am challenging you to an approach that never ceases to work. Sit down and think! Handle issues productively. Sit down and use your brain to get the gain you desire.
Isaiah 30:15 For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
Luke 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
There is a great treasure inside of you but God will not give you all the answer until you sit down. You have put in all manner of prayer request everywhere, yet nothing has happened.
Isaiah 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
Every time you come to a cross-road, know that there is an answer somewhere and the answer is inside you not in your running around. I am not saying that prayer is not important; the church need to move on to productive thinking.
The prodigal son did not pray any prayer; he sat down to think and then he found the way out. Then he arose and moved out of abject poverty without prayers and no devil could stop him (Luke 15:17-20).
This is not just mere intellectual exercise but rubbing your mind with the Creator’s mind for divine inspiration that will bring you out of the situation you are in. That is not learnt in school. It is time to start reasoning. Begin now to engage the mind of Christ which you received at new birth.
Say to yourself, “I will start thinking.”
I command your mind to be open now in the precious name of Jesus! You will never be stranded again in life!
God bless you
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Lord Jesus, come into my life. I accept You as my Lord and Personal Saviour. I believe in my heart You died and rose from the dead to save me. Thank You Lord for saving me, in Jesus name Amen.
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I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence. – Psalm 9:1-3
Never underestimate the importance of praise. It’s one of the most powerful spiritual weapons you have.
Praise is more than a pleasant song or a few uplifting words about God. It does something. It releases the very presence of God Himself. And, when the presence of God comes on the scene, your enemies are turned back. Sickness and disease can’t stay on your body. Poverty can’t stay in your house.
Even physical weariness has to flee when it’s faced with real joy-filled praise. I know that from experience. Years ago, when I first began conducting “Healing School,” I had a real battle with fatigue. I’d minister and lay my hands on the sick for so many hours at a time that by the time the meeting had ended, I was sometimes too physically weak even to close the service.
Then, in one particular meeting, I discovered the power of praise. I had just finished praying for those in the prayer line and, as usual, I was exhausted. But instead of rest, the Spirit of the Lord impressed on me that what I needed was to rejoice in the Lord. So, I did. I began to praise the Lord with my whole heart, mind and body. Do you know what happened? The tiredness left me. And I was energized with the presence of God!
The next time the devil tries to stifle your effectiveness, to drain you of the strength and wealth and victory that’s yours in Jesus, turn him back with that powerful weapon. Lift your hands and your voice and whole heart to God. Praise!
Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 20:1-22
This message was written by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, the leader of the Kenneth Copeland Ministries (www.KCM.org) that specializes in teaching principles of bible faith – prayer, healing, salvation and other biblical topics.
The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men (Psalm 115:16).
If you owned a house and leased it to someone, it would remain yours; nonetheless, for the period of the lease, you can’t manage or run the house. The lessee exercises authority over the property and runs it according to the terms of the lease agreement.
In the same way, God has given man this world to run, and for the time being, He can’t run the world. The time will come for Him to run the world but until then, you and I have the divine responsibility to run the world for Jesus Christ, and He’ll hold us accountable for how we ran our world.
Many, including some Christians, analyze the events and happenings in the world and wonder why God isn’t “doing” anything to right the wrongs. Well, if you’re waiting on God to do something, you’re making a mistake. He needs you. He doesn’t, and wouldn’t do anything without you, until the lease runs out, and a new earth takes its place. However, until then, the responsibility is ours to dominate and rule this world in the Name of Jesus Christ.
Look at it this way: God wants the whole world saved, and sent Jesus to give His life for man’s salvation, yet He tells us to pray and intercede for the lost. Why does He want us to pray for them? Why doesn’t He just make their already legal salvation a vital experience? It’s because He needs the right to take action on man’s behalf; so, He charged us to pray.
Take your place as a joint-heir with Christ and fulfil your purpose here on earth. Romans 8:19-21 puts it in perspective; it says, “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
The Father looks to us to deliver His creation from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.
PRAYER Dear Father, I’m your seed, prolonging your days in the earth. Thank you for your power at work in me, and your glory revealed through me. By the power of the Holy Spirit, I fulfil my divine responsibility of bringing men and women into their inheritance in Christ, through the Gospel, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY: Isaiah 53:10; Philippians 2:13; Psalm 115:15-16
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Luke 13:1-21 & Judges 12-13
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Mark 1:29-39 & Leviticus 12
Rhapsody of Realities 12th April 2019 Devotional was written by Pastor Pastor Chris Oyakhilome (D.Sc., D.D.). President of Loveworld Inc. aka Christ Embassy Int’l.
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