The post Joyce Meyer Devotional 1 August 2019 — Hunger and Thirst for Peace appeared first on Flatimes.
Bishop warns of propaganda as Gov announces £2bn spending for no deal Brexit
Despite Boris Johnson claiming he doesn’t want to leave the EU without a deal, Chancellor Sajid Javid announced the spending which will cover the stockpiling of medicines, the hiring of more border officials and the funding of a publicity campaign.
Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said Boris Johnson would not be “browbeaten” by Brussels and the European Union must realise the UK was not “frightened” of leaving.
Dr Graham Kings, an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Southwark expressed his disappointment on the News Hour.
“I’m appalled by this huge waste of resources, when it’s clear that no deal cannot happen,” he said. “These resources could be spent much better on the NHS and on education.”
The Prime Minister chaired his first meeting of the Brexit war cabinet – comprising the Chancellor, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove, Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox – on Thursday.
Explaining the reason for the spending Sajid Javid said: “With 92 days until the UK leaves the European Union it’s vital that we intensify our planning to ensure we are ready.
“We want to get a good deal that abolishes the anti-democratic backstop. But if we can’t get a good deal, we’ll have to leave without one.
“This additional £2.1 billion will ensure we are ready to…
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Mario Lopez Apologizes after Backlash over His Remarks about Letting Children Choose Their Gender
Actor and TV host Mario Lopez apologized Wednesday after a firestorm erupted online over his remarks about letting small children choose their gender surfaced this week.
Lopez made the comments during an interview on “The Candace Owens Show.” The conservative commentator asked Lopez about “This new trend where celebrities are coming out… and saying that their child is picking their gender,” referencing actress Charlize Theron as a recent example. Theron told The Daily Mail that her 7-year old does not identify as a boy. Theron said, “I thought she was a boy, too. Until she looked at me when she was 3 years old and said, ‘I am not a boy!’”
Evidently it’s now *scandalous* to say that a child probably shouldn’t be making their own life-altering decisions at 3 years old.
🤦♂️
Mario Lopez and Candace Owens discuss.@MarioLopezExtra @RealCandaceO pic.twitter.com/2Wdc79SrjW
— PragerU (@prageru) July 31, 2019
Lopez, who was recently named as the new host of Access Hollywood, responded, “I’m kind of blown away too. I’m never one to tell anyone how to parent their kids, obviously, and I think if you come from a place of love, you really can’t go wrong. But at the same time, if you’re 3-years-old and you’re saying that you feel a certain way or you think you’re a boy or a girl or whatever the case…
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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.
Churches bringing hope to Goma as Ebola virus spreads
Officials confirmed the second death in the city of Goma yesterday, which has a population of two million people.
Approximately 1,700 people were killed in the region over the last year, making this the second-deadliest outbreak of the disease in history.
Tearfund DRC Programmes Director, Hebdavi Muhindo told Premier’s New Hour the people of Goma are in shock.
He said: “The situation in Goma as of today is that there is fear, there is panic, there is devastation and people are worried about what will happen now that the virus has reached Goma.
“People just cannot believe that it’s been one year and the virus has not yet been contained,” he said.
Mr Muhindo went on to say how the Church has been responding to the crisis.
“In the middle of that fear and all the problems that are happening the good news is that there is hope as well that we are seeing, and the hope is coming like a light in the darkness, through the work that the churches are doing to intervene in this situation.”
Christian charity Tearfund have been working with local communities there to help prevent the infection spreading.
482 faith leaders have been trained in Ebola prevention and vital water, sanitation and hygiene facilities have been installed at vulnerable sites.
Mr Muhindo said: “It will take the whole community working together to bring this to an end. As well as faith leaders we have been…
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.
The Average Chick-fil-A Generates Double the Sales of McDonald’s, Despite Closing Sundays
The average Chick-fil-A restaurant generates more than double the revenue of the average McDonald’s restaurant, according to a new Goldman Sachs analysis that also predicted Chick-fil-A has an even brighter future.
Chick-fil-A does this despite being closed Sundays.
“Our brand survey shows that Chick-fil-A has had the most brand momentum across [fast-food restaurants] – supporting the most increase in total revenue (in dollar terms) in the US,” the analysis said.
Business Insider was the first to report the new data, which showed Chick-fil-A franchises generate double the average revenue of a McDonald’s restaurant. Goldman Sachs cited Technomic data.
The Goldman Sachs analysis also said the company has experienced a “rapid rise.”
“Steer clear from those in the fray of Chick-fil-A,” it said. “Our 2,000-consumer brand survey suggests they will continue to take share and grow.”
Earlier this year, Chick-fil-A became the third-largest fast-food chain in the United States, according to data cited by the Nation’s Restaurant News. Its $10.46 billion in total sales in 2018 trailed only No. 1 McDonald’s ($38.52 billion) and No. 2 Starbucks ($20.49 billion).
The company’s official corporate purpose is “to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on…
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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.
Vicarage flooded as army called to help in north of England
Rev Caroline Hewlett has made to leave her vicarage in Swaledale in Yorkshire where the army has been called to help.
“A lot of rain fell very suddenly and the water came in a great big deluge, and it covered a vast area,” she explained on Premier’s News Hour. “Lots of houses have been washed out and farms have been devastated.
“I had four foot the water straight through the vicarage in about 45 minutes. It was up to the windowsills and we had furniture and things floating around outside – my garden shed is now two fields away down on a farmer’s field.”
Evacuations have been taking place in several areas in the north of England.
The Environment Agency issued a severe flood warning for an area of Derbyshire on Thursday, suggesting a danger to life.
Encouraging people to pray for all those affected by flooding, Rev Hewlett said: “People are just absolutely shocked. The news media all here at the moment, but they’ll all disappear within a few weeks so keep us in your prayers longer term, because this is going to be a very long term recovery.
“Pray for me and my colleague, Allison in our work and being out and about and seeing where we can help, and also just as I get back on my feet and try to keep running the parish and being available to people, even as I’m trying to sort out a big mess myself.”
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Biden Pledges Taxpayer Funding for Abortion at Democratic Debate
Former Vice President Joe Biden told a Democratic presidential debate audience Wednesday night that he would work to ensure taxpayer funding for abortion if elected.
For decades, Biden supported the Hyde Amendment, a legislation provision renewed annually that prohibits federal funding for abortion. The current version includes exceptions for rape, incest and to save the mother’s life. It dates back to 1977.
Biden – under pressure from pro-choice groups – flipped on the issue in June.
U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.) criticized Biden on the issue during Wednesday’s debate in Detroit.
“You made a decision, for years, to withhold resources to poor women to have access to reproductive health care – and including women who were the victims of rape and incest,” she told him. “Do you now say that you have evolved and you regret that?”
Harris noted he has opposed Hyde “only since you’ve been running for president.”
“This directly impacted so many women in our country,” she said.
Biden said he changed his position on Hyde while writing his health care plan.
“Everybody on the stage has been in the Congress, and the Senate and House [and] has voted for the Hyde Amendment at some point,” Biden said, adding he supported it in the past because there “was other access for those kinds of services provided privately.”
But because his…
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Concerns raised after Christians banned from meeting in China
The Christians are all former members of Living Stone Church – an unregistered house church in southwest China, which according to reports from Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has faced increasing levels of religious persecution.
In 2015, the church was accused of illegally using a commercial building for its services and several church members were detained or fined in connection with the case.
Many more of its 700 members have since been pressurised not to attend services and several of its pastors have faced prison sentences.
Living Stone Church pastors, Yang Hua and Su Tianfu was were arrested for ‘illegally possessing state secrets’, Pastor Yang spent nearly three years in prison before being released in 2018 whilst Pastor Su Tianfu remains detained under a suspended sentence.
After authorities effectively closed down the church, the members have continued to meet in small groups, despite ongoing harassment from the authorities.
CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said: “Once again the Chinese authorities have used the Regulations on Religious Affairs to violate the right freedom of religion or belief, in contravention of international provisions protecting this fundamental human right.
“Members of Living Stone Church have faced years of unjust hostility at the hands of the government, and CSW condemns the authorities’ order to prevent the Christians from…
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.
125-Year-Old Texas Church Mysteriously Catches Fire, Burns to the Ground
Investigators are still trying to determine why a historic Texas church caught fire on Monday. The 125-year-old Church of the Visitation in Westphalia was all but destroyed after igniting on the morning of July 29. Tragically, the incident occurred just as congregants were planning a celebration to mark the church’s anniversary.
A heart-thumping video showed the beautiful building engulfed in uncontrollable flames — residents reported spotting smoke rising from the building some despite being some five miles away from the site.
“(It’s) extremely difficult and painful to be here,” Joe Vasquez, bishop of the Austin Diocese, explained to KWTXon Monday as the fire ripped through the sanctuary. “I’m very deeply affected by this and I know the people here are also heartbroken.”
The church has announced that it will be taking donations in a bid to rebuild the stunning structure. “This architectural beauty is now a loss,” Vasquez told the outlet, “and that’s what saddens all of us here.”
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the incident. At this time, they are unsure of how the fire began.
The church was first constructed in 1894 after a storm destroyed two previous buildings. In December 1978, the church received the crucial “Texas Historical Marker,” in a…
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Lebanon band banned from festival performance for upsetting Christians
Mashrou’ Leila, were set to perform at Byblos music festival on August 9th. But the set has been cancelled “to prevent bloodshed and preserve security” according to the organisers, after Christian critics of the band on social media threatened to attack the concert, over lyrics they labelled as “blasphemous”.
The office of the town’s archbishop had published a statement that said the group “undermine religious and human values [and] attack sacred symbols of Christianity”, while the country’s Catholic Information Centre called them a “danger to society”.
Human rights organisations have condemned the decision, and the wider campaign against the group. Lama Fakih, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said: “The cancellation of Mashrou’ Leila’s concert reflects the government’s increased reliance on overbroad and abusive laws to stifle and censor activists, journalists, and artists.”
In a statement on Tuesday, the band, whose frontman is openly gay, said their lyrics were “misinterpreted” saying: “We are not on some sort of mission to arbitrarily blaspheme and disrespect people’s religious symbols”.
— Mashrou’ Leila (@mashrou3leila) July 22, 2019
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