Chinese President Xi Jinping gave Mr Trump and first lady Melania Trump the two most expensive presents in 2017: an ornate calligraphy display and presentation box worth 14,400 dollars (£10,931) and a porcelain dinnerware set that includes plates imprinted with the pink house at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort worth 16,250 dollars (£12,336).
Like all of the other gifts to Mr Trump, his wife, daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, those were turned over to the National Archives.
The Saudis and Gulf Arab states gave at least 24,120 dollars (£18,310) in gifts to the Trumps.
Those included a 6,400 dollar (£4,858) ruby and emerald pendant necklace from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, a gold-plated fighter jet model worth 4,850 dollars (£3,681) from Bahrain’s crown prince, a 3,700 dollar (£2,808) bronze statue of three oryx from the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, a set of gold-plated Kuwaiti coins worth 1,610 dollars (£1,222) from Kuwait’s emir and “royal” perfume in a reptile skin carrying case worth 1,260 dollars (£956) from the deputy prime minister of Oman.
Others in the Middle East did not stint when it came to presents for the first family, according to the 64-page list compiled by the State Department’s Office of Protocol, which is to be published in the Federal Register on Thursday.
The Trumps received a personalised hardcover book of Psalms worth 4,500…
As some point, successful revitalization turns into church growth when the turnaround is complete. Today we discuss markers you may see along your revitalization path.
Some highlights from today’s episode:
Knowing the health of your church when you “start” a revitalization is important to be able to measure progress.
Would your community miss your church if the church closed tomorrow?
Highly evangelistic churches are typically healthy churches.
Churches that are actually being revitalized will show signs of success in revitalization.
The seven signs that we discuss are:
When the DNA and attitude of the church has a definite and positive change
When the community embraces the church
When attendance declines have reversed or slowed
When the church begins to get new and positive members to replace malcontents who left the church
When at least one of ten of your active adults shares his or her faith on a regular basis
When prayer becomes a priority in the church
When there are fewer meetings for more ministry
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Biblical Worship is the foundation for church revitalization. Biblical worship leads us to listen to Jesus and in listening to Him he will reveal His plan is for his church. The North American mission board is pleased to present a revitalization worship summit August 26 and 27 at the North American Mission Board in Alpharetta Georgia. Leading the Summit will be…
In a surprise decision on Thursday, the Lyon court handed Barbarin a six-month suspended prison sentence for not reporting the facts in the period between July 2014 and June 2015.
Rev Bernard Preynat’s alleged victims said Barbarin and other church officials covered up for him for years, but the statute of limitations had expired on some charges and even the victims had expected that the cardinal would be acquitted.
The prosecutor had also argued against convicting, saying there were no grounds to prove legal wrongdoing.
Preynat is accused of abusing Boy Scouts in the 1970s and 80s and will be tried separately.
Following the verdict, Barbarin said he would soon offer his resignation to the Pope.
Barbarin was not in court for the decision, but in a brief statement afterwards he said: “I have decided to go and see the Holy Father to offer him my resignation.”
He spoke of his “compassion” for the alleged victims and said they are in his prayers.
His lawyer Jean-Felix Luciani said he will appeal against the verdict, which he said was “not fair at the juridical level”.
Speaking of his “disappointment” at the sentence, Mr Luciani added: “We hope that at the next step, justice will be done” – suggesting he is hopeful of acquittal in the appeal.
Five other defendants were acquitted.
Alleged victims of Preynat said Barbarin’s conviction is a victory for child protection.
The model and actress (formerly Hailey Baldwin) and her husband, singer Justin Bieber, both attend Hillsong church and have been open about their faith and their decision to not have sex before getting married.
In an interview on the programme Now with Natalie on the Hillsong online TV channel, Hailey Bieber spoke about her insecurities and how she combines her Christian faith with her work.
When asked how she feels when she sees herself on billboards she said she still finds it surreal: “The feeling doesn’t ever get different. I’m still just like this is crazy, I can’t believe this is my life and this is happening.
“I obviously believe in modesty but a big part of my job is body and face and vanity and, like, that is the whole kind of premise of what I do. So, it’s actually really difficult to try to be like, ok, well this is what I do for my job but on Sunday I’m in church and that’s, like, a real thing for me and that’s a real lifestyle for me and Jesus is a real thing for me, without it looking like I’m compromising everything.
Bieber told interviewer, Natalie Manuel Lee, she compares herself to people a lot and often doesn’t feel good enough.
“There’s so many other people doing this and at the end of the day people don’t care who you are – they don’t care who your family is, they don’t care where you came from because there’s always gonna be someone else that’s…
However, administrators rejected the proposal because of the company’s perceived “opposition to the LGBTQ+ community.” Cynthia Newman, the dean of the College of Business, “felt like I had been punched in the stomach when I read that statement.”
As a “very committed Christian,” she notes that Chick-fil-A’s corporate purpose “mirrors my personal beliefs perfectly.” She asked university officials privately if they would issue an apology. They doubled down on their ban instead, even sending out another campus-wide email emphasizing inclusion.
So Dean Newman felt she had to resign. She has received great support from faculty and staff agreeing that “we should be able to respectfully disagree” with other values.
A former Marine’s experience at Yale
Hers is not the only story of discrimination against Christians in today’s news.
The Trussell Trust, Church Action on Poverty and leaders from 13 other charities have written to Theresa May calling for the creation of a “hardship fund” for those who could be worst hit by Britain leaving the EU without a deal.
The letter adds: “The UN has estimated that 8.4 million people in the UK (half of them children) experience household food insecurity – missing meals or unable to afford adequate food.
“Food price inflation caused by a no-deal Brexit is likely to affect these people, and the services providing food to support them, disproportionately.”
Bank of England governor Mark Carney (below) warned MPs in December that food prices could surge by up to ten per cent if the UK crashes out of the EU.
Its feared services that feed millions of people every day, such as meals on wheels and free school dinners, as well as supplies to food banks, homeless hostels and refuges, could all be hit by the predicted spikes in food prices.
The charities are calling for Mrs May to come up with “detailed plans” to help the people most vulnerable to food disruption, and to work with local authorities and frontline charities to mitigate the potential risks to food supply and prices.
Twenty-three people were killed and dozens more were injured when the powerful tornado ripped through Lee County. The youngest of those killed was six and the oldest was 89.
Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said the list of the missing had shrunk from dozens to just seven or eight.
“We’ve got piles of rubble that we are searching just to make sure,” said Opelika Fire Chief Byron Prather Jr. “We don’t think we’ll find nobody there, but we don’t want to leave any stone unturned.”
At the Vatican, Pope Francis said he was praying for those affected by the Alabama tornado, saying he is spiritually close to all those who are suffering and grieving.
Francis sent a telegram of condolences to the bishop of Mobile, Alabama, the Most Reverend Thomas Rodi, saying he was saddened to learn of the “tragic loss of life and injuries” caused by the twister.
Francis prayed for peace and strength for the survivors, and that God “may grant eternal rest to the dead, especially the children, and healing and consolation to the injured and those who grieve”.
The tornado was an EF4 with winds estimated at 170mph and carved a path of destruction up to nine-tenths of a mile wide in Alabama, scraping up the earth in a phenomenon known as “ground rowing”, the National Weather Service said.
A source told the Daily Mail: “Everyone is very worried. She won her appeal and was supposed to be out of Pakistan by now.
“Even though the government says she can leave, the army has all the power in this case”.
It has been claimed officials fear Ms Bibi will cast a negative light on Pakistan if she gives media interviews about her lengthy court case and spell in jail.
But authorities have insisted the mother-of-five is a free woman and has been living under guard for her own protection.
Behind the scenes, foreign diplomats have been trying to pave the way for her departure from Pakistan.
It is believed Ms Bibi may intend to travel to Canada – where members of her family have already been offered asylum.
Ms Bibi was accused of insulting the Islamic prophet Mohammad after a row involving a group of Muslim women over the use of a water cup. She always denied any wrongdoing.
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Multiplication For Impact by Pastor David Ibiyeomie
Topic: Multiplication For Impact
Matthew 5:13-14 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, meaning you are to be a person of impact is to be a trailblazer, a pacesetter, a pathfinder, a light bearer for others to see, a problem solver. To be a person of impact is to be a blessing to others with God-given resources, gift, talent and grace. Until you are a positive contributor to the course of humanity, you are merely existing and not living. Life has no meaning without contribution. Your usefulness to God and humanity is determined by the way you impact your world. Jesus’ impact to the world is unparalleled.
Acts 13:36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption.
David impacted his generation and is still being celebrated in Israel as their greatest king that ever lived. Living without impact is living without meaning because everyone was created and empowered for impact.
Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
God created man and blessed man. The primary purpose of being blessed is to bless others. That is to impact others with the blessing of God in us.
God is called ‘omnipotent’. ‘Omni’ means multi-dimensional and ‘potent’ is where potential is derived. When God created you, He deposited all His potentials in you, you were made in His image; exactly as God is. What is in you is not less than what is in another person. There is nobody that is not gifted. God gave everyone potentials and the impact you make depends on how you utilize your potentials.
God created you to be a blessing which means that the primary purpose of being blessed is for you to impact the world with the blessing He has given to you. This is the purpose of multiplication. If you are not impacting your world, you will be frustrating the purpose of your existence. Every time you keep what God gave to you without multiplying it, God gets angry. There is something in you waiting for expression. To impact the world with your potential, you need to engage the force of multiplication.
Multiplication is an act of reproduction. It means to increase in number. God wants us to keep reproducing the effects of our talent so as to fill the entire world with it to His own glory. God blessed man for impact and for you to successfully impact your world, you must go beyond being fruitful into multiplying the results of your fruits. God did not just say, be fruitful, He then went on to say be fruitful and multiply.
Genesis 1:28a And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply.
God wants you to keep reproducing with the talents He has placed in you to fill the earth with His own glory. You must therefore go beyond your current level of success to the level God wants you to be. It is not enough to be fruitful, you must multiply. Many are fruitful but have problems knowing how to multiply the fruits.
Multiplication is the bridge between fruitfulness and impact. When you throw a stone into a river it produces a current of waves, similarly when you apply force into your life, you create waves of multiplication.
Zechariah 9:10 And his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from river even to the ends of the earth.
God wants your dominion to be spread from one nation to the other. Therefore, refuse to be a local champion. Without multiplication, impact will be limited. Every living thing, including human beings, we’re created with the ability to multiply. Until you keep multiplying your God-given ability, you cannot fill the world with it.
Isaiah 11:9b For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
Just as God desires that the earth should be filled with knowledge, so does He desire that you should fill the world with the blessing you received at creation.
Flatimes Notice Board: Until you are born again, God ever abiding presence will never be with you. You must be born again to enjoy continuous victory. Please say the displayed prayer below in faith:
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.
If you just prayed the prayer of salvation online please send your testimonies and prayer request to [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.
Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heaven 7 March 2019 – Paid In Full
1.Thank You, Jesus, for fulfilling all the righteous requirements of the Father, for the salvation and redemption of mankind from eternal destruction, in hell fire. (Click HERE for Open Heaven 7 March 2019)
2.Thank You, Jesus, for paying in full, the price for the debt of sin that I could not pay, with Your own precious blood.
3.Thank You, Jesus, for enduring all the shame, humiliation, pain and sorrow, that preceded the final offering of Your life, at the cross.
4.Father, in anyway I have fallen short of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me, in Jesus name.
5.Father, make me a brand new creature in Christ Jesus; let every semblance of the old man of sin, be completely destroyed, in my life, in Jesus name.
6.Father, as a new creature in Christ Jesus, please, let me walk in divine health and complete freedom from satanic yokes and bondages, in Jesus name.
7.Father, let all my rights and privileges, as a born again child of God, in Your kingdom, be accorded me, at all times, in Jesus name.
8.Father, give me the grace, to obey and do Your perfect Will; and let nothing be too precious or too costly for me to surrender, for Your use, in Jesus name.
9.Father, please, help me to live through today, without committing a single sin, in Jesus name.
10.Father, fulfill all Your promises and covenants, in the life and ministry of Your son, Pastor E.A. Adeboye, in Jesus name.
11.Father, bless Your son, that You have been using to prepare these prayer points, beyond measures, and all those who have been rebroadcasting them, in Jesus name.
12.Father, let every challenge, hindrance and obstacle of getting these prayer points across to Your children, timely, and on daily basis be removed, in Jesus name.
13.Your Personal petitions. (Philippians 4:6)
14.In Jesus name I pray. (John 14:13-14; 15:16)
15.Thank you Father for answered prayers. (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
These prayers have no expiry date! Please, pray them, irrespective of the time they get to you. Remain blessed, in Jesus name.
Kindly, purchase your own hard copy or online version of the Open Heavens devotional & buy for your friends too, as a potent evangelism tool. God bless you, as you sow, into Pastor E.A. Adeboye’s book Ministry, in Jesus name.
Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heaven 7 March 2019 – Paid In Full
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