Olympian-Turned-Actor Paralyzed in Freak Accident Reveals Incredible Comeback Story

Jamie Nieto, a two-time Olympic high jumper-turned-actor, has accomplished quite a bit in his life. But he faced his biggest challenge in 2016 when confronted with a life-changing injury that threatened to leave him paralyzed.

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(Photo: REUTERS/Steve Dipaola)Jamie Nieto competes in the men’s high jump at the U.S. Olympic athletics trials in Eugene, Oregon June 25, 2012.

Luckily, with faith, prayer and determination, he has persevered and continues to heal.

Read Also: 7 Reasons Why ‘Hilton Head Island’ is the Best Soap You’ll Watch

Nieto, one of the stars in the PureFlix.com’s original “hope” opera “Hilton Head Island” (which just kicked off its second season exclusively on PureFlix.com), recently appeared on PureFlix.com’s “Pure Talk,” where he discussed playing doctor Nick Eliot and revealed details about his devastating injury.

He sustained a tragic neck and back injury just a few years after competing in the Athens Olympics in 2004 and the London Olympics in 2012.

The unfortunate incident took place during a training session.

“I was coaching some athletes and we were doing some training drills,” Nieto said, noting that he typically does a backflip after practicing his jumps. “We were doing backflips and my foot slipped and I basically went from my feet to my head and the disk in my neck slipped and bruised my spinal cord, and that left me paralyzed from my chest down. I couldn’t move.”

Watch Nieto share his harrowing story below:

He recalled laying on the ground, gasping for breath. As Nieto waited for an ambulance, he asked another athlete to pray for him, as pain and…

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Man from Beth Moore’s Worship Band Apologizes to Women on Behalf of All Men

Man from Beth Moore’s Worship Band Apologizes to Women on Behalf of All Men



One of the male members from Beth Moore’s worship band got on his knees and apologized to the women in attendance at a conference for Native American women for any pain they have received because of men. Moore shared her reflections on the moment, which took place at a Living Proof Live event in Chinle, Arizona, on Twitter Monday morning.


Moore shared a picture of her drummer, Kevin Jones, on his knees speaking to the assembled audience. She said he asked “their forgiveness for all hurts & harms they’ve ever received at the hands of men. 


She went on to praise Jones, whom she said created the most powerful moment of the weekend, saying that “I don’t know a man who’s more of a gentleman than Kevin Jones.” Then she added, “But he humbly & gladly stood before those women and on behalf of all men who had hurt them, voiced words like these: ‘I am so sorry. Would you forgive us?’” Then she said he “told them of their worth and prayed on his knees for them.”

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New Mariners Church Leader Stresses Importance of Accountability to Prevent Pastor Scandals

(Photo: Mariners Church)The Irvine, California campus of Mariners Church.

The new senior pastor for the California-based megachurch Mariners Church has stressed the importance of accountability, in light of recent scandals elsewhere in the evangelical world.

During the summer it was announced that Eric Geiger, senior vice president of LifeWay Christian Resources, was going to become the new senior pastor of Mariners Church of Irvine, California.

Geiger took the helm of the megachurch, which averages between 9,000 – 10,000 worship attendees every weekend, in September, replacing the retiring Kenton Beshore, who had led the congregation for nearly 35 years.

Geiger is becoming senior pastor at Mariners at a time when many institutions, secular and religious, are seeing abuse scandals make national headlines.

For example, recently allegations of sexual misconduct have surfaced against Willow Creek Community Church founder and newly retired senior pastor Bill Hybels.

In an interview with The Christian Post on Thursday, Geiger explained that Mariners has a group of elders that he is accountable to, who he meets with on a monthly basis. It is a system that was in place while his predecessor was heading the congregation.

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(Photo: Mariners Church)Eric Geiger,…

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Christian Aid concerned about UK overseas aid

The charity which works with some of the world’s poorest communities was responding to a speech this morning by the International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt.

According to a leak of her speech in The Sun newspaper, the government wants to enforce a major change to international rules so private money can be included in meeting the aid target of 0.7% of the UK’s annual income.

Christine Allen, director of policy and public affairs at Christian Aid, said:

“Public development aid has a vital role to play when it comes to eradicating poverty and meeting the world’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) in a way that leaves no one behind. Publicly funded support for the most vulnerable is a hallmark of a civilised society.
 
“Private investment is also needed but is much less likely to reach the most vulnerable communities in the poorest countries. Suggesting that private sector investments, which have to make a return for investors, could replace rather than supplement public aid and still be effective at addressing poverty is wrong.”

The charity said any attempts to play politics with the aid budget will raise questions about how aid policy is being developed and in whose interests.

Premier has contacted the Department for International Development for a response.

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2018 Nobel Peace Prize Goes to Christian Congolese Doctor Who Helps Rape Victims

2018 Nobel Peace Prize Goes to Christian Congolese Doctor Who Helps Rape Victims



The Norwegian Nobel Committee has selected two recipients for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, including Christian gynecologist Denis Mukwege, who has dedicated his life to caring for victims of rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 


Mukwege, nicknamed “Dr. Miracle” for his specialized procedures, received the award alongside Nadia Murad, a young Yazidi activist who survived being kidnapped and raped by ISIS members in Iraq. 


The Nobel committee selected these two recipients saying that both winners modeled “efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.”


The Nobel Peace Prize winner said that his Christian faith was a massive influence on his decision to pursue medicine and his strategy for patient care. The son of a Pentecostal minister, Mukwege told NPR that he was inspired to become a doctor after traveling with his father to pray for the sick. Mukwege attended the University of Angers in France to study gynecology and obstetrics.


Over the past 20 years, Mukwege has treated tens of thousands of women in his Panzi Hospital in Bukavu which he founded in 1999 with the help of the Pentecostal Churches in Central Africa (CEPAC).


The hospital provides care for women, many of whom have been gang raped by militants.


Mukwege told NPR that he works “not only to treat women—their body, [but] also to fight for their own…

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Churches take on challenge to make Manchester Britain’s first ‘cycling city’

The Church of England in Greater Manchester is encouraging its churches to welcome cycling by offering bike racks, cycling cafes and safety courses.

It’s part of supporting the new Beelines project, a plan by cyclist Chris Boardman and Transport for Greater Manchester to transform Greater Manchester into Britain’s first ‘cycling city’, aiming to persuade two-thirds of those who currenlty sue their car as their main mode of transport to walk or cycle.

Chris Boardman said: “Churches are a fantastic hub that can bring people together. By supporting cycling they can help people get around in a more ecologically friendly, healthy and pleasant way.”

It also coincides with the church’s aim for Manchester to become an Eco Diocese.

The diocese has produced an interactive map on its website to help churches find where they will sit on the Beeline ‘network’ of walking and cycling routes.

The Diocese of Manchester commissioned Church Times artist Dave Walker to create a cartoon encouraging churches to welcome people who cycle.

The Bishop of Manchester, Dr David Walker, said “Beelines is all about making it easier to get about the city, on foot and by bike. We’re really excited about it because it will improve people’s health and it will help to people to get about. Our churches are ideally placed in every community to offer a welcome for cycling. It fits well with our desire to…

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Israel Detains U.S. Graduate Student for Alleged Boycott Support

Israel Detains U.S. Graduate Student for Alleged Boycott Support



Israel is holding an American graduate student at its international airport, accusing the 22-year-old of supporting a boycott on Israel.


Lara Alqasem landed last week at Ben-Gurion Airport. She had a student visa and was traveling with her Palestinian grandparents.


An Israeli court orders that she remain in custody during an appeal. According to ABCNews, it’s the longest anyone has been held in a boycott-related case.


Alqasem is a former president of the University of Florida chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. The student group supports the boycott.


The boycott campaign, known as BDS, includes Israeli businesses, universities and institutions. Meanwhile, Israel says the campaign is meant to hurt the country.


“Lara served as president of a chapter of one of the most extreme and hate-filled anti-Israel BDS groups in the U.S.,” said Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan. “Israel will not allow entry to those who work to harm he country, whatever their excuse.”


Last week, Erdan also said that he would not expel her if Alqasem apologizes and renounces her BDS support.


Alqasem, however, said she never actively participated in the boycott, saying she also wouldn’t promote a boycott.


“We’re talking about someone who simply wants to study in Israel, who is not boycotting anything,” said her lawyer, Yotam Ben-Hillel. “She’s not even part of the…

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‘I Am Good at It’

(Photo: The Christian Post)Attendees lift their hands in prayer during televangelist Joel Osteen’s “Night of Hope” event at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 6, 2018.

WASHINGTON — Popular and often criticized Pastor Joel Osteen told thousands gathered at the Capital One Arena on Saturday that they need not waste energy worrying about what critics think as they “rise higher” in what God is calling them to be.

Osteen, pastor of the 45,000-member Lakewood Church in Houston whose television sermons are seen by millions worldwide each week, held his 189th “Night of Hope,” a two-and-a-half hour stadium event featuring worship music and messages from Osteen, his wife, Victoria, and other members of the Osteen family.

Osteen, the son of preacher and Lakewood founder John Osteen, told the crowd a little bit about how he used to be a “behind the scenes” person when he helped run the Lakewood television ministry while his father preached.

But after his father got ill and died in January 1999, Osteen took over as Lakewood’s pastor without having a theology degree.

As Osteen was pushed more into the national spotlight with the growth of his television ministry, he started gaining more supporters. However, he also had to “come to terms with” the fact that he was also…

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‘Something needs to be done or the church will be destroyed’ says Nigerian Christian

Violence between Christian farming communities and Muslim Fulani herdsmen in the middle belt areas of Nigeria has increased in recent years, although the land-based rivalry is ongoing.

Many Christians fled the more Muslim Northern states because of lack of opportunities and discrimination and settled in areas such as Plateau state and Benue state. However, these areas now face violence and the increasing targetting of church communities.

Sulieman, a Christian from Nigeria, told Premier that Plateau state had experienced some of the worst violence: “This year alone we counted more than 56 villages that have been attacked” he said, “even last week, there has been at least three attacks…these attacks target these communities; burning houses, killing people and basically displacing people from their homes, from their farmlands and from their sources of income”

When asked why this was happening, he explained that it was a battle over land – as Christians move from the north to avoid discrimination they clash with those in the states they move to.

“The attacks from 2009-2014 have mostly been through Boko Haram in the north east, where several Christians were uprooted from their communities and many of those people ran from those communities to places like Jos and Plateau state to find a place of refuge, but now we struggle with communities being attacked by Muslim…

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Hurricane Michael Predicted to Reach Category 3, Heads toward Florida

Hurricane Michael Predicted to Reach Category 3, Heads toward Florida



Hurricane Michael is expected to make landfall along the Florida Panhandle Gulf Coast on Wednesday. 


According to the Weather Channel, Michael has strengthened to a Category 2 and is expected to strengthen further to a Category 3 before making landfall. The storm is expected to cause significant damage including felled trees, structural damage, power outages and flooding. 


The Weather Channel reports that Michael will also likely bring heavy rain and strong winds to other parts of the southeastern United States after it moves inland.


Currently Michael is about 395 miles south of Panama City, Florida, and is moving north-northwest. 


Hurricane warnings have been is issued for the Florida Gulf coast from the Alabama-Florida border to the Suwanee River and to southwestern Georgia. Other areas such as Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia are preparing for tropical storm conditions.


Storm surge watches have also been issued for areas near the Anclote River in Florida, to Anna Maria Island, Florida. This includes Tampa Bay, and is from the Alabama/Florida border to the Okaloosa/Walton County line in Florida. 


The National Hurricane Center says water levels on the Florida Gulf coast could reach up to 12 feet in some areas if the surge arrives during high tide.  Indian Pass to Cedar Key is predicted to have the greatest storm surge at eight to 12…

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