Christian MSP praises ‘hope’ at SNP conference amid Brexit ‘gloom’

MSP Kate Forbes said the theme of “hope” at the summit in Glasgow contrasted the “despair” emanating from talks between Westminster and Brussels.

The representative for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch told Premier it has been felt by pro-EU voters and EU-sceptics alike.

She said: “I think it’s hard to escape the gloom that these Brexit negotiations have created.

“Irrespective of how you voted, there is a sense of chaos, despite and uncertainty.”

Challenging the suggestion some people consider the SNP to be a one-party issue, Kate Forbes added: “Independence will always be a focus but it’s far bigger than that.

“We’re obviously the government of Scotland as well and we’ve got a lot of positive messages about how we’re building a fairer and more prosperous Scotland.

“Meanwhile, the leader of the SNP at Westminster is due to tell delegates that Scotland is “sick” of being told what to do by the Tories.

Ian Blackford is expected to say the “democratic outrage” of Brexit has cemented the case for Scotland to achieve independence.

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Lauren Daigle Worships with Inmates in Maximum Security Prison

Lauren Daigle Worships with Inmates in Maximum Security Prison



On Friday, Christian artist Lauren Daigle visited the Statesville Correctional Prison in Crest Hill, Illinois and had an unexpected experience. 


The award-winning recording artist took to Facebook this weekend to share her experience which she said was beyond what she could articulate.


Daigle wrote, “Yesterday was one so unexpected. It was a day that was more than I can articulate. It was a day my eyes had never seen and will never be able to unsee.”


She continued, “We sang songs with inmates whose voices carried deeper into our hearts than the echo of a microphone will ever release. I saw hope in the face of the hopeless, joy in the wake of sorrow, wealth in the gap of depravity, and life in the midst of death.”


“These people have stories, and they also have souls. I watched heaven befriend those who are often forgotten. With each day that passes, may I never take for granted what it is to walk around as a free man. I held a bottle of cold coffee upon pulling out of Statesville Correctional Prison. My hand had never remembered that bottle being so cold,” the singer added.


Daigle had the opportunity to minister to and worship with the inmates at the Illinois prison and she documented the experience in a moving video which she also posted on Facebook. 


One Facebook user named David Gomez responded to the video which was attached to the above message saying,…

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Powerful Aftershock Hits Haiti Following Deadly 5.9 Earthquake

Powerful Aftershock Hits Haiti Following Deadly 5.9 Earthquake



On Saturday night, a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti near Port-de-Paix. 


According to the U.S. Geological Survey the quake was centered 12 miles northwest of Port-de-Paix, which is about 136 miles from the capital of Port-au-Prince.


After the quake struck, the nation was hit by a powerful 5.2 aftershock on Sunday. 


The U.S.G.S. said the epicenter of the aftershock was located 9.8 miles at a depth of 10 kilometers.


CBN reports that the earthquake toppled cinderblock buildings and homes, claiming the lives of 12 people and injuring 188.  


The civil protection agency in Haiti has reported that at least seven people died in the city of Port-de-Paix and three people have died in the community of Gros-Morne in Artibonite province. 


The quake and aftershock caused panic and fear across many cities causing some citizens to not feel safe. 


“I feel like my life is not safe here,” said the director of the San Gabriel National School in Gros-Morne nun Maryse Alsaint. Several classrooms at her school were severely damaged.


The quake also caused major damage to a prison and police station in Port-de-Paix. The prison sustained enough damaged that prisoners tried to escape, CBN reported. Police officers had to use tear gas to contain prisoners inside of the facility. So far, there is no word if any inmates escaped during the frenzy.


The quake was also reported…

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Vatican Calls Pope Francis Sex Abuse Cover-Up Accusations by Archbishop ‘Monstrous, Blasphemous’

(Photo: REUTERS/Max Rossi)Pope Francis has lunch with the poor following a special mass to mark the new World Day of the Poor in Paul VI’s hall at the Vatican, November 19, 2017.

After months of silence, the Vatican has issued an official response to the accusations from a former top official that Pope Francis covered-up sex abuse in the church.

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, published on Sunday an open letter on behalf of the Holy See, where he refuted Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s allegations in August that Francis knew of abuse but covered it up.

“First of all, allow me to say to you with complete sincerity, by virtue of the good collaborative relationship that existed between us when you were the Nuncio in Washington, that your current position appears incomprehensible and extremely deplorable to me, not only because of the confusion that it sows in the People of God, but also because your public accusations seriously damage the reputation of the Successors of the Apostles,” Ouellet declared at the outset.

Later on, he accused Viganò of “mocking and casting doubt” on Francis’ faith, which he said seems to him to be “blasphemous.”

“Such a thing cannot come from God’s Spirit,” he insisted.

In August, Viganò, who previously served as…

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Ruling postponed in Asia Bibi death penalty appeal

The judicial panel listened to Asia Bibi’s defence lawyer challenge statements by those who accused her of insulting Islam’s prophet, an allegation that can incite riots in conservative Pakistan.

The charge dates back to 2009 when Bibi went to get water for her and her fellow farmworkers.

 

Two Muslim women refused to take a drink from a container used by a Christian.

A few days later, a mob accused her of blasphemy. She was convicted and sentenced to death.

 

The three-judge panel led by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar did not indicate on Monday when the court would announce its ruling.

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What do politics and UFC have in common?

Did you hear about the fight that began after it ended?

Three million people paid to view Khabib Nurmagomedov fight Conor McGregor in an Ultimate Fighting Championship title bout Saturday night. A bitter personal conflict between the two has been brewing for months. After Nurmagomedov won, he climbed out of the octagon-shaped cage in which they fought and attacked one of McGregor’s corner men. Two men from Nurmagomedov’s camp jumped into the cage and attacked McGregor.

Did the verdict settle the hostilities? McGregor: “I always say you should aim for peace, but if you can’t get peace, you should aim between the eyes. This will never be over.”

The heart of the issue

The UFC fight feels like a parable for America’s political culture this morning. After the Senate voted 50-48 to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh, USA Today headlined: “Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation didn’t settle this fight. It ignited it.”

A petition to impeach Kavanaugh has now gathered over 125,000 signatures. Republicans are hoping the fight galvanizes support ahead of the midterm elections in November.

The conflict over Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation was not just another example of the divisive rhetoric that has split America into “red” and “blue” states for years. Nor is the animosity solely due to the fact that a five-to-four conservative majority now sits on the Court.

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, explained the issue succinctly yesterday: if the conservative justices do not overturn Roe v. Wade, “they will nullify it, pretty much.” She expects the new Court to allow more state restrictions on abortion.

And this is the heart of the issue.

When the system fails

American democracy, while exceedingly complex, can be reduced to this rather simple formula: Citizens elect leaders to represent them in the White House and Congress. Congress makes laws that the courts interpret and enforce.

If citizens are unhappy with their laws, they can…

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Church leaders dismayed by first Outer Hebrides gay pride march

The procession in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis went ahead at the weekend one day after concerns were raised at a prayer meeting.

Rev Greg MacDonald from the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) told the Scottish Sun: “It genuinely grieves me that this is happening.

 

“Scotland used to be known as the land of the book.”

According to the newspaper, Rev Graeme Craig from Stornoway Free Church said the event was “sad and shameful.”

The pro-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender festival drew approximately 500 people – some holding balloons and banners – to the streets on Saturday.

A dozen or so people opposed to the demonstration held placards along the route.

 

One quoted Mark 10:6 which said: “But, at the beginning of creation, God ‘made them male and female'”.

An estimated 150 people prayed together on Friday that the event would not go ahead.

But local businesswoman Sarah Gussing Venus was among those who supported the march.

“Generally, this is a very supportive community.

“It’s not at all about passive-aggressive homophobic behaviour.

“I’m flying the [rainbow] flag because there are times when you just have to say everyone is welcome.”

Stay up…

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One of the Most Destructive Statements a Church Member Can Make

If you have served in church leadership for several years, you have likely heard this statement:

“You know who pays the bills at the church.”

The statement is one of the most insidious, destructive, and ungodly statements a member can make. It says much about the attitude of the member and the group he or she represents. There is nothing good that can come from this statement. Just look at some of the implications of this attitude:

  1. It is an attitude of selfishness. The giver with this attitude looks at his or her gifts to the church with a closed fist instead of an open hand. Money is given conditionally, not sacrificially or unconditionally: “It’s my money, not God’s money.”
  2. It is an attitude of entitlement. Gifts to the church are more like country club dues. “Since I pay my money, I get my perks and benefits. I get things my way. And if I don’t get things my way, you just watch me stop paying my dues.”
  3. It is an attitude of divisiveness. Those who express such statements are already creating schisms in the church. The big givers are in one group, and the lesser givers are in another. It’s us versus them. “Those other people don’t deserve an opinion, because we pay more than they do.”
  4. It is an attitude of bullying. The statement is always a threat. It is usually directed at the pastor or some other leader in the church. “You do things my way or just watch what I’ll do to you.” It’s intimidation and bullying at its worst.
  5. It is an attitude of superiority. The…

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Banksy Artwork Sold for $1.4 Million Was Built to Destruct if ‘Put Up for Auction’ – Urban Christian News

Art prankster Banksy has struck again.

A work by the elusive street artist apparently self-destructed in front of startled auction-goers on Friday, moments after being sold for 1.04 million pounds ($1.4 million).

A day later, Banksy revealed on his official Instagram account Saturday that he “secretly built a shredder into a painting” years ago “in case it was ever put up for auction.”

In the social media video, the spray-painted canvas “Girl With Balloon” went under the hammer at Sotheby’s in London. The artwork fetched more than three times its pre-sale estimate and equaling a record price for the artist.

Then, as an alarm sounded, it ran through a shredder embedded in the frame, emerging from the bottom in strips.

Another post on Banksy’s Instagram showed the moment – and the shocked reaction of those in the room – with the words “Going, going, gone…”

Sotheby’s – which had noted before the sale that the work’s ornate gilded frame was “an integral element of the artwork chosen by Banksy himself” – expressed surprise at the incident.

“It appears we just got Banksy-ed,” said Alex Branczik, head of contemporary European art at the auction house.

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Source: USA Today

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Death Toll Rises After Magnitude 5.9 Earthquake Rocks Haiti – Urban Christian News

A massive search and rescue was underway Sunday in northern Haiti after a magnitude 5.9 earthquake rocked the region, killing at least 12 people, injuring more than 180 and damaging dozens of homes and businesses.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at 8:11 p.m. Saturday local time and was centered 12 miles northwest of Port-de-Paix on Haiti’s north coast. Heavy rains that flooded streets in the region hindered first responders.

The quake and its aftershocks set off panic in some neighborhoods, but President Jovenel Moïse  and other leaders called for calm.

“I am in constant contact with the PM Jean-Henry Ceant, who is coordinating the relief operations,” Moïse said on Twitter. “I asked him to mobilize all the resources of the republic to help the people.”

The global humanitarian aid organization Mercy Corps said it was deploying team members to evaluate the impact on the region and attempt to meet the most immediate needs of residents.

Jessica Pearl, Mercy Corps country director in Haiti, said the area is mountainous, remote and contains some of the island’s greatest poverty.

“Which means there is less concrete construction,” Pearl said. “Homes and buildings made of stone or mud brick are at greater risk of being damaged by a seismic event. It is also a very difficult area to access.”

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Source: USA Today

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