St. Louis Rams’ Stedman Bailey Credits God for Saving His Life After Being Shot in the Head

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St. Louis Rams’ Stedman Bailey Credits God for Saving His Life After Being Shot in the Head

Christian Post Report – St. Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey (12) rushes with the football as Green Bay Packers safety Micah Hyde (33) defends during the second quarter at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin, on October 11, 2015.

St. Louis Rams wideout Stedman Bailey and his cousin, Antwan Reeves, say they have witnessed several miracles after surviving a near fatal shooting.

Bailey survived being shot in the head and Reeves recovered from being hit with 11 gunshots while riding in a car on Nov. 24, 2015. Although Reeves’ 10-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son were also in the car, Reeves shielded their bodies and they miraculously left the scene unscathed.

The life-changing event that took place in Miami Gardens, Florida, reinforced their spiritual beliefs.

“It’s very incredible, so for people who don’t believe, they need to start believing, ’cause I’m a firm believer,” Reeves told south Florida local news station WSVN.

Bailey, who grew up in the rough section of Miami, spoke about how prevalent gun violence is in the area, telling WSVN that his and his cousin’s survival was nothing short of a miracle.

“I do really think about how that split second, for me and my cousin both, how our life has changed,” he said. “It’s something we will remember for the rest of the time we will live.”

During his first interview since being shot, the 25-year-old recalled when he first realized that he had been hit by a bullet. According to Bailey, his cousin told him he was shot in the head, but he didn’t feel the effects of pain until much later.

“For a while, I couldn’t really feel any pain or anything, so I was just like, ‘Oh, man.’ When I looked down at my shirt and saw that blood was dripping off my face, I felt at that point that things were pretty real,” Bailey revealed.

Just weeks after sustaining a bullet wound to his head, Bailey has been using social media to communicate his thoughts and feelings about God.

“One day at a time. God is so good,” Bailey tweeted last month. “I’ll be back in no time.”

“There’s no better feeling than waking up each day. It reminds you how much God loves you and how his plans for your life is greater than anyone can ever imagine,” Bailey wrote on Instagram. “Feeling so blessed this morning. All smiles #Mood #Blessed #livingtestimoney.”

After being shot in the head twice, undergoing six hours of surgery and being placed in a medically induced coma, Bailey believes Jesus Christ gave him the gift life. He wrote a heartfelt message to fans back in December:

“To my entire Rams family, especially my teammates, fans and peers, I thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. My recovery has been nothing short of a miracle (a work of GOD) and I can only give GOD the praise, glory and honor for which he is doing in my life at this time. Christmas is a holiday in which Jesus was born as a gift to the world. But in all honesty, He has given me and my family a gift which is far greater than what any man can give, a restoration of my life and health. I will continue to get better day by day until I’m able to get back on the field and I ask for your continued prayers.”

Source : Christian Post

Blake Shelton Shocked Tim Tebow’s Christian Faith Might Be Keeping Him Out of NFL

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Blake Shelton Shocked Tim Tebow’s Christian Faith Might Be Keeping Him Out of NFL

Christian Post Report – Tim Tebow arrives at the 48th Country Music Association Awards in Nashville, Tennessee, November 5, 2014.

If Tim Tebow’s NFL career has been put on hold because of his Christian faith, country singer Blake Shelton has something to say about it.

Shelton took to his Twitter to engage with fans in a conversation about why no NFL team has signed the 28-year-old devout Christian athlete.

“Just saw the 2011 playoff game with Steelers vs. Broncos. Can someone please give me a good reason [why] Tim Tebow isn’t playing in the NFL,” Shelton asked. “I mean are you telling me that there’s NOT a team that needs him out there? Look at the problems so many teams have at quarterback!”

After one follower told Shelton that Tebow’s religious beliefs might have something to do with Tebow’s inability to get picked up by a team in the league, Shelton expressed his shock.

“Is that seriously the reason?! That’s pretty sad …,” Shelton responded. “Glad they don’t hold country singers to that standard.”

Last year, Tebow was passed over for an open quarterback position on the Philadelphia Eagles. Still, he handled what many would view as an upset with grace.

“Thanks @Eagles and Coach Kelly for giving me the opportunity to play the game I love! Romans 8:28 #Blessed,” Tebow tweeted in September 2015.

Former Eagles-turned-San Francisco 49ers coach Chip Kelly opened up about some of the improvements needed by Tebow that prevented him from being signed as the third string QB in Philadelphia.

“Tim’s really progressed but we didn’t feel like he was good enough to be the three right now,” Kelly said when Tebow was cut from the Eagles last year, according to a CBS Sports. “He just needs to get out there and get more reps.”

Before he was cut from the team, Tebow said he was trying to improve but knew he didn’t control whether he made the Eagles team or not.

“That’s not up to me. I just try to go out there and do what I’m coached and try to improve every day and compete. I’ve said this a lot of times to you guys and I really genuinely mean it: I’m not going to worry about what I can’t control. It’s a blessing being able to come out here and play the game I love,” Tebow said.

Tebow led the University of Florida Gators to a national championship as the team’s starting quarterback in 2008. He was also on the team when it won a championship in 2006 and was the first college sophomore to win a Heisman Trophy in 2007 which honors the best football player of a season.

Although he has struggled to find his place in the NFL after being drafted to the Denver Broncos in 2010, Tebow signed to the New York Jets in 2012, before getting picked up by the New England Patriots in 2013, followed by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015.

The Christian athlete previously spoke about being defined by more than just football.

“In the end, football is just a silly game. Greatness comes from serving,” Tebow told a crowd of students at a Liberty University convocation in 2013. “You want to be great? Be a servant. You want to be great? Humble yourself.”

Source : Christian Post

Vatican Condemns ISIS’ Destruction of Iraq’s Oldest Christian Monastery Where US Troops Would Pray

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Vatican Condemns ISIS’ Destruction of Iraq’s Oldest Christian Monastery Where US Troops Would Pray

Christian Post Report – Militant Islamist fighters on a tank take part in a military parade along the streets of northern Raqqa province June 30, 2014. Militant Islamist fighters held a parade in Syria’s northern Raqqa province to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic “caliphate” after the group captured territory in neighbouring Iraq, a monitoring service said. The Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot previously known as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, posted pictures online on Sunday of people waving black flags from cars and holding guns in the air, the SITE monitoring service said.

The Islamic State terror group has razed to the ground Iraq’s oldest Christian monastery where U.S. troops would worship until recently, in an apparent attempt to erase the region’s history, receiving strong condemnation from around the world, including from the Obama administration and the Vatican.

Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, destroyed the 1,400-year-old St. Elijah’s monastery in Mosul just months after taking over the Iraqi city in June 2014, The Associated Press reported with satellite images Wednesday, saying the terrorists demolished the structure in late September.

“Bulldozers, heavy equipment, sledgehammers, possibly explosives turned those stone walls into this field of gray-white dust. They destroyed it completely,” Stephen Wood, CEO of Allsource Analysis, was quoted as saying.

The monastery was locally known as Dair Mar Elia, the name of Assyrian Christian monk St. Elijah who built it.

ISIS, an offshoot of al-Qaeda which seeks to establish a caliphate in the Levant region and now controls large parts of Syria and Iraq, has destroyed more than 100 religious and historic sites in the two countries.

The Rev. Paul Thabit Habib, the leader of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Mosul until he fled the city, was quoted as saying that he “can’t describe my sadness.”

“Our Christian history in Mosul is being barbarically leveled. We see it as an attempt to expel us from Iraq, eliminating and finishing our existence in this land,” he said.

“We see these historical sites destroyed on daily basis,” he added, according to CNN. “This is a big loss. This will never be replaced … it goes back to the sixth century. We are talking about history of civilization being wiped out.”

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Wednesday the Obama administration condemned the destruction. “They continue to carry out these kinds of depraved acts, and it really symbolizes or exemplifies their bankrupt ideology,” he said.

Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi called the destruction “sad and dramatic.”

“Unfortunately, there is this systemic destruction of precious sites, not only cultural, but also religious and spiritual. It’s very sad and dramatic,” Lombardi was quoted as saying.

UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova also condemned the demolition. “Despite their relentless crimes, extremists will never be able to erase history,” he said. “It also reminds us how terrified by history the extremists are, because understanding the past undermines the pretexts they use to justify these crimes and exposes them as expressions of pure hatred and ignorance.”

Christians are among the main civilian targets of IS.

Source : Christian Post

ISIS Cuts Fighters’ Pay by Half After US-Led Airstrikes Hit Cash Stockpile

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ISIS Cuts Fighters’ Pay by Half After US-Led Airstrikes Hit Cash Stockpile
Christian Post Report – A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter holds a a rocket-propelled grenade launcher as he takes up position in an area overlooking Baretle village (background), which is controlled by the Islamic State, in Khazir, on the edge of Mosul, Sept. 8, 2014. The Kurdish fighters are firing from an area they had retaken from the Islamic State, on Bashiqah mountain.

ISIS’ leadership has reportedly sent an official letter to militants stating that salaries would be halved due to financial losses associated with U.S.-led coalition airstrikes.

A letter issued to Islamic State fighters from the terrorist group’s treasury branch, based in Raqqa, Syria, cites that “exceptional circumstances” have forced leaders of the terrorist organization to cut fighters’ salaries by half, according to the the Independent.

“So on account of the exceptional circumstances the Islamic State is facing, it has been decided to reduce the salaries that are paid to all mujahideen by half, and it is not allowed for anyone to be exempted from this decision, whatever his position,” the letter, written by IS Treasury Minister Bayt al-Mal reads, adding, “Let it be known that work will continue to distribute provisions twice every month as usual.”

Bayt al-Mal goes on to argue that the terrorist group’s actions are justified, citing the Quran’s reference to “jihad of soul” over “jihad of wealth.”

“Jihad of wealth has been mentioned with jihad of soul in the Quran in 10 cases, and in nine of those cases jihad of wealth has been presented beforehand over jihad of the soul, and only in one case has jihad of the soul been presented beforehand over jihad of wealth,” the letter states. “And on the authority of Omar bin al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him): ‘The Messenger of God (SAWS) ordered us to give charity and that coincided with the time I had some wealth.'”

According to CNN Money, the militants typically receive $400-$1,200 per month, as well as a stipend for their wives and children.

Several media outlets have also reported that IS was forced to cut back on wages following a series of coalition airstrikes that targeted the terrorist group’s revenue stream, including oil sales and areas where money is stored.

A U.S. military spokesperson confirmed in November 2015 that the Obama administration stepped up its attacks on the terrorist group’s profit base, targeting over 100 tanks used to transport oil, which IS then sells for profit that numbers in the millions, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Footage released Saturday by the U.S. Department of Defense shows a fighter jet bombing a large building in Mosul. After the bombing, pieces of paper can be seen flying through the air. The Pentagon has maintained that the paper is cash and the U.S. had successfully targeted one of the terrorist group’s major cash storage units in Iraq, the Telegraph reports.

The terrorist group’s recent announcement differs from an end-of-the-year analysis in 2015, in which it claimed to have exceeded a budget of $2 billion in one year alone.

IS claimed at the time that it was also able to offer stipends to orphans and families affected by U.S.-led airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, The Christian Post reported in January 2015.

Source : Christian Post

11-Y-O Iraqi Christian Girl Who Fled ISIS Wows ‘The Voice’ Judges

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11-Y-O Iraqi Christian Girl Who Fled ISIS Wows ‘The Voice’ Judges

Christian Post Report – A displaced Iraqi child, who fled from Islamic State violence in Mosul, sits with her family outside their tent at Baherka refugee camp in Erbil, September 14, 2014.

An 11-year-old Christian girl from Iraq has become an Internet sensation after fleeing the Islamic State terror group and performing on “The Voice Kids” singing competition TV show.

Mirna Hana wowed judges during her auditions in Beirut, Lebanon, when she performed the Iraqi tune “Yesterday in a Dream” and “Let It Go” from the popular Disney movie “Frozen.”

Along with impressing judges with her voice, Hana gained international media attention after she revealed the struggles she and her family faced in Iraq before they fled the country eight months ago.

Hana’s emotional story of perseverance and her family’s escape from IS militants who threatened to kidnap her was frist revealed on the the children’s competition program, according to The Daily Mail.

“After we got to Lebanon, my dad told me that Daesh [IS] wanted to kidnap and kill me. From then I felt very scared at night, and I couldn’t sleep alone, or be by myself,” Hana explains in the video.

The 11-year-old went on to say that she hopes to use her performance on “The Voice Kids” to educate the world about Iraqi culture.

“‘Voice’ is a chance to sing for the world and to show that Iraq isn’t just about war and things like that — there are beautiful sounds too,” she adds.

Hana’s father also speaks in the video, expressing his desire to see his daughter succeed after their struggle in Iraq.

“Everybody knows the difficulties of Iraq, from ISIS and how they slaughter the people and how they take their houses,’ he says, adding, “They threatened us with the kidnapping our little girl, so we came here. We left everything behind us, even my job with the government.”

While all three judges on the show attempted to recruit Hana to their team, judge Kazem Saher was ultimately successful. Like Hana, he is of Iraqi descent.

A video of Hana performing the hit Disney classic from “Frozen” and the Iraqi love song has already received 11.8 million views on YouTube.

There have been numerous inspirational stories about children escaping IS-controlled areas in Iraq and Syria.

Del Shad, a teenage member of the Yazidi minority population, previously fled IS, hiding with his family members and hundreds of Yazidis in the mountains of Sinjar, Iraq, in August 2014.

“When ISIS came, we fled to the mountains near Sinjar,” Del Shad, a Yazidi refugee, previously told RT of his family’s plight. “They tried to follow, but a group of Kurds from the PKK pushed them back. They gave us food and water.”

Del Shad went on to tell the Russian-government media outlet that while he began his massive exodus from the Rambusi Village to the SInjar mountains with 25 relatives, he is now alone, living as a refugee in Nowrooz.

Along with losing his family, the teen witnessed massive destruction and death, with the IS killing at least 5,000 of the 50,000 Yazidi refugees who sought shelter in the Yazidi mountains after their villages were attacked.

Source : Christian Post

Khloé Kardashian Says Lamar Odom’s ‘Demons’ Overshadow His Great ‘Soul’

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Khloé Kardashian Says Lamar Odom’s ‘Demons’ Overshadow His Great ‘Soul’

Christian Post Report – Khloe Kardashian arrives at the 42nd American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California, November 23, 2014.

Despite enduring her estranged husband’s repeated affairs and drug abuse, reality TV star Khloé Kardashian says former NBA player Lamar Odom has a great soul.

“His demons are overshadowing what a great heart he has, and I know his soul is still great and he’s a beautiful person,” she said in an interview with Andy Cohen on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live” late night show.

Odom, 36, was found unconscious in a Las Vegas brothel due to a drug overdose, E! News reported back in October 2015.

For months, Odom could not walk or talk before what Kardashian, 31, called a miraculous recovery.

“He’s walking and talking … it’s literally a miracle,” she told Cohen. “This person was in a coma, I was told he had four hours to live. … He could not speak or walk up until three weeks ago.”

Although the “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” star admitted she didn’t know the extent of what would take place, she understood that her estranged husband’s issues with addiction would have dangerous results.

“I didn’t know that particular situation was going to happen but I always feared that the end result was going to happen, that was obviously a reason I left the marriage,” she said on the show. “I never imagined it would be at a brothel or that whole dramatic situation.”

Still, Kardashian is praying for the former NBA player.

“He’s fighting for his life and I really pray that this is a wakeup call for him,” she said. “Everyone loves a good comeback story.”

After publicly overcoming her marital struggles, Kardashian revealed that prayer and a close relationship with God has helped her.

“I just always try to look at the glass half full. We’re all human beings, and we all have the same problems. I do remember how blessed I am, and no matter how bad things are, they can always get worse,” the Strong Looks Better Naked author said on her personal website, according to Us Weekly. “Counting my blessings, I pray a lot. I have a really close relationship with God.”

“I have more conversations with God, and it’s very therapeutic to me. It helps me through a lot of trials and tribulations,” Kardashian added. “I also still make a point to thank God for the trials. As long as you never question or doubt why you’re going through something, you’ll always get through it and rise above.”

Source : Christian Post

Pope Francis to Be First-Ever Catholic Leader to Visit Rome’s Great Mosque, Islamic Leaders Say

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Pope Francis to Be First-Ever Catholic Leader to Visit Rome’s Great Mosque, Islamic Leaders Say

Christian Post Report – Pope Francis (C) waves to faithful as he leaves after a meeting with the Kenyan youth at the Kasarani stadium in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, November 27, 2015.

Pope Francis is scheduled to visit the Great Mosque in Rome at the end of the month, Muslim leaders confirmed this week.

Leaders from one of the largest mosques in the western world told local news outlets that they requested a special visit from the pontiff several months ago.

Although the Vatican has yet to confirm its visit, Omar Camilletti, a member of the mosque’s governing council, told CBS News that the meeting is “certain” to take place, but hasn’t been confirmed due to security reasons.

CBS News reports that Imam Izzedin Elzir, president of the Union of Islamic Communities in Italy, has confirmed that the meeting will take place on Jan. 27.

Vatican spokesperson Father Federico Lombardi told Vatican Radio that a delegation of Islamic leaders visited the pope this week to extend an invitation to the Great Mosque.

The delegation included members of the Islamic Community of Italy and the Islamic Cultural Center of Italy.

Lombardi said the pontiff will “study the invitation and come to a decision,” adding that the Catholic leader “would be cautious about a date.”

Th Vatican spokesperson added that any dates that have been revealed to media outlets are “without foundation.”

According to Rome Reports, the Islamic delegation, which was filmed visiting the pope earlier this week, told the Catholic leader that it is their “honor to meet you and recognize your moral and spiritual leadership. We are honored to invite you to the Islamic Cultural Center.”

The pope replied by telling the delegation that it would be “a great pleasure to visit you also, because it would be a great sign of our brotherhood.”

The pope’s invitation to visit the Great Mosque comes days after he visited Rome’s Great Synagogue on Sunday.

Francis embraced Jewish leaders at the synagogue and delivered a speech denouncing anti-Semitic violence and promising “maximum vigilance” against religious-inspired attacks.

The pope also described the Jewish religion as the “elder brothers” of the Christian religion.

Francis has previously visited four mosques, including a November 2014 visit to the 17th century Sultan Ahmet mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, where the pontiff focused his speech on the importance of religious freedom and acceptance.

The pontiff has also visited mosques in the Central African Republic and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, considered to be a highly important religious site for the Muslim religion.

If the pope does accept the invite to visit Rome’s Great Mosque, he will be the first pope to do so.

The pontiff has repeatedly spoken on the importance of unity between Christians and Muslims, emphasizing this theme during a speech in the Central African Republic in November 2015.

“Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters,” he told the audience.

“Those who claim to believe in God must also be men and women of peace,” the pope added, subtly criticizing religions that use violence to communicate their beliefs.

Source : Christian Post

Murder of Devout Christian Father in Pakistan Investigated as ‘Small-Scale Terror Attack’

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Murder of Devout Christian Father in Pakistan Investigated as ‘Small-Scale Terror Attack’
Christian Post Report – Members of the Pakistani Christian community hold crosses in front of a fire during a protest rally to condemn Sunday’s suicide attack in Peshawar on a church, with others in Lahore September 23, 2013. A pair of suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the 130-year-old Anglican church in Pakistan after Sunday mass, killing at least 78 people in the deadliest attack on Christians in the predominantly Muslim country.

Pakistani Christians in the town of Sialkot Tehsil in Punjab province took to the streets over the weekend to protest the killing of a devout Christian father of five who was shot to death last week while at work.

Nazir Masih, who worked as a janitor at the municipal government council building in Sialkot Tehsil, was busy cleaning the street outside of the office around 7 a.m. last Thursday when unknown gunmen shot him dead.

Nazir Masih(Photo: British Pakistani Christian Association)Nazir Masih

The British Pakistani Christian Association, a U.K.-based watchdog group for Pakistani Christian persecution, reports that the culprits who struck Masih with four bullets were able to escape unidentified and remain at-large.

“I received a call from Mohammad Shafiq, a sanitary supervisor at my brother’s place of work. He advised me that my brother had been shot dead. I just cried and cried. I had to tell his wife and children and the rest of my family. It tore my heart to shreds, I loved my brother Nazir so much,” BPCA quoted Masih’s brother as saying. “After letting the family know, I rushed to the place where my brother had been shot and found his dead body surrounded by many people in the street. There was blood all around him. He was such a humble gentleman and had no enemies. I cannot understand why anyone would want to shoot him.”

According to BPCA, many Christians in the area gathered outside the town center on Saturday to protest and call on the local police to undergo a thorough investigation and uphold justice by prosecuting Masih’s killers.

BPCA President Wilson Chowdhry told The Christian Post on Wednesday that as many 100 residents gathered in the town center and called on the local government council to compensate Masih’s family since he was on duty at the time he was killed and the family’s main source of income.

Despite public pleas for the local government to compensate the family, the council declined to provide financial assistance, according to BPCA.

Following the protest, local police officials said they have now launched an investigation and believe Masih’s death could have been the result of a “small-scale terrorist attack.”

“We are saddened by this murder case and have registered a First Investigation Report,” investigating officer Mohammed Masood told BPCA officer Shamim Masih. “An investigation is under process and will be extremely vigorous. So far the motive of the killer is unknown, this may even have been a small scale terrorist attack. The police authority is committed to find the killer and we hope to have success as it happened in broad daylight.”

Another police officer, Rai Ijaz, told Masih that it is possible the victim was killed because he witnessed a crime that someone did not want him to see.

“We can only guess the motive of the killers and our hunch is that Nazir may have witnessed a crime or seen some sought after criminals,” Ijaz explained. “He simply was at the wrong place at the wrong time and was killed so he could not provide evidence.”

BPCA reports that since Masih has been killed, his family is now unable to pay their rent and school fees for the four youngest children, the youngest of which is 11 years old. To help relieve the family’s burden, the organization has launched a donation campaign that will support the Masih family.

“This crime is not one of our usual persecution stories. Nevertheless, through no fault of their own, a Christian family now finds themselves in serious financial problems due to the loss of a main breadwinner,” Chowdhry said in a statement. “This family have little hope of justice and stand no chance of any compensation. We believe it is our Christian duty to help these victims and we will do whatever we can to help them adjust to their new deplorable situation.”

Follow Samuel Smith on Twitter: @IamSamSmith

Source : Christian Post

Justin Bieber Sings About Faith and Prayer in Unreleased Preview

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Justin Bieber Sings About Faith and Prayer in Unreleased Preview
Christian Post Report – Singer Justin Bieber arrives at the 2015 American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California November 22, 2015.

Justin Bieber has released his fair share of songs about love and heartbreak, and now the Canadian crooner is giving fans a preview of something that explores elements of his faith.

The 21-year-old “Purpose” singer took to Instagram to preview 45 seconds of an unreleased track in a series of posts. In his first post, the singer reflects about not giving up on things because life is too short.

“Open your mind / Wider than the ocean / Life is but a moment / And every single time you want to give up / Hold on tight to what you love and don’t let go,” Bieber sings in the first clip.

In another preview post, Bieber’s voice can be heard singing about prayer.

“And every single time you want to pray / Pray for your trouble / Take a breath / Every step / Let it wash away / Oh wash away,” he sings.

The last clip seems to be reflective of Bieber’s life struggles, his faith and lessons he has learned.

“21-years-ago / It’s never ever been the same / I know in life I never wanted to play the game,” he continues. “I’m not the same as Michael even though he hall of fame / I’m all hall of faith / put me on the wall of change. Got a couple of things I learned along the way / figured out how to mean what I say / I just got to be me.”

According to Inquistr, sources close to the singer say that the song is not an official release, but an unfinished track from one year ago. Although Bieber’s Purpose album has more to do with love, he has been vocal in interviews about his faith.

In the January 2016 issue of GQ magazine, Pastor Carl Lentz of Hillsong NYC reveals how Bieber sobbed and told him, “I want to know Jesus … baptize me.”

“I just wanna honestly live like Jesus. Not be Jesus. … I don’t want that to come across weird. He created a pretty awesome template of how to love people and how to be gracious and kind,” Bieber said in a Complex magazine interview last year. “If you believe it, He died for our sins. Sometimes when I don’t feel like doing something, but I know it’s right, I remember, I’m pretty sure Jesus didn’t feel like going to the cross and dying so that we don’t have to feel what we should have to feel.”

Source : Christian Post

ISIS Destroys Oldest Christian Monastery in Iraq That United Christians Before Catholic-Orthodox Split

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ISIS Destroys Oldest Christian Monastery in Iraq That United Christians Before Catholic-Orthodox Split

Christian Post Report – Iraqi Christians volunteers, who have joined Hashid Shaabi, allied with Iraqi forces against the Islamic State, rest during training in a military camp in Baghdad, July 1, 2015. Iraqi Christians volunteers, who have joined Hashid Shaabi, allied with Iraqi forces against the Islamic State, rest during training in a military camp in Baghdad, July 1, 2015.

The Islamic State terror group has destroyed the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq, satellite photos have confirmed, reducing to rubble the 1,400 year-old St. Elijah’s Monastery that stood as a place of worship before the Catholic-Orthodox split.

The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that it obtained satellite photos from imagery firm DigitalGlobe, which revealed that the site where St. Elijah’s Monastery once stood has been reduced to a field of rubble.

Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi pointed out that the monastery was a special place for many, because it dated back to a time before the split between the Catholic and the Orthodox traditions.

“Unfortunately, there is this systemic destruction of precious sites, not only cultural, but also religious and spiritual. It’s very sad and dramatic,” Lombardi said.

AP noted that the monastery has been used as a place of worship for millennia, with generations of monks praying at its chapel.

IS has been carrying out a pointed campaign aimed at destroying Christian churches and all other buildings it deems heretical.

The Syrian Orthodox Church of St. Ephraim in Mosul, which the militants destroyed, later reopened as a “mosque of the mujahideen” or jihad fighters.

The 27,000-square-foot stone and mortar St. Elijah’s Monastery reportedly had 26 distinctive rooms, including a sanctuary and chapel, and stood at a hill above Mosul, resembling a fortress.

Stephen Wood, CEO of Allsource Analysis, said that the destruction must have occurred somewhere between August and September 2014.

“Bulldozers, heavy equipment, sledgehammers, possibly explosives turned those stone walls into this field of gray-white dust. They destroyed it completely,” Wood said.

Father Paul Thabit Habib, a Catholic priest from Mosul who now lives in Irbil, warned that Christian history is “being barbarically levelled” at the hands of IS.

“We see it as an attempt to expel us from Iraq, eliminating and finishing our existence in this land,” Habib said.

BBC News Iraq correspondent Ahmed Maher pointed out that without the satellite images, the fate of the monastery might have never been known.

“This is because journalists and archaeologists cannot go to IS-controlled areas for security reasons. But more importantly, IS did not release any video on its propaganda outlets showing the demolition of this particular ancient site,” he wrote.

“The jihadists have released footage showing themselves destroying shrines, churches and antiquities with sledgehammers and dynamite. More than 100 churches and monasteries have been razed to the ground in Mosul and the predominantly Christian villages surrounding it, like Bashiqa and Qaraqosh, since they took control of the area in 2014.”

The monastery was originally built in 590, and has suffered several tragedies throughout the years. In 1743, close to 150 monks were massacred by a Persian general after they refused to convert to Islam, while in 2003, one of its walls was smashed in by a tank turret during the war with the U.S.

Source : Christian Post

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