Why a successful author is asking people not to read her old books anymore.
Dorreen Virtue found fame and fortune as the author of self-help and New Age books. Her publisher treated her as a rock star. She lived on a 50-acre ranch in Hawaii. Yet, despite all of this …
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Some of us will have been unsettled by the unquestioning support of the Russian Orthodox Church for Putin’s war.
James Emery White writes an excellent blog about “Church and Culture” and offers a condensed summary of the history and the present reality:
How can we pray?
Our mission partner BRF has an excellent article on how we respond to the war in Ukraine as followers of Jesus.
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have joined other church leaders in condemning the Russian attack on Ukraine as “an act of great evil”.
In a joint statement, Most Rev Justin Welby and Most Rev Stephen Cottrell said: “The horrific and unprovoked attack on Ukraine is an act of great evil. Placing our trust in Jesus Christ, the author of peace, we pray for an urgent ceasefire and a withdrawal of Russian forces. We call for a public decision to choose the way of peace and an international conference to secure long term agreements for stability and lasting peace. We invite Christians to make this Sunday a day for prayer for Ukraine, Russia and for peace. We also give our support to the call from Pope Francis for a global day of prayer and fasting for peace on Ash Wednesday, March 2.”
In an unscheduled Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday morning, Archbishop Welby said: “To wake up to news of war is terrible. To wake up to its reality is orders of magnitude worse.”
Archbishop Welby said that “peace and justice” can “often seem to contrast, and yet they are opposite sides of the same coin. We seek peace and justice, and that must end with those involved in conflict not having solutions imposed on them, but finding for themselves the way forward towards reconciliation and peace.
“Right at the end of this life, Jesus Christ, on the eve of his crucifixion, spoke to his disciples, and he said something very memorable: ‘In the world you will have trouble, but do not be afraid: I have overcome the world.’ For me and for many of faith the great certainty in the world, the only certainty, is that we know that God does not change.”
Quoting William Shakespeare, Archbishop Welby continued: “Let us find our resolution, our peace, our certainty, not by ‘screwing up our courage’ but in the knowledge of the eternal arms that hold us. May God be with those who suffer today.”
Earlier on Thursday morning, the Bishop in Europe, Dr Robert Innes, wrote on Twitter: “We wake this morning to the sickening sights and sounds of war. Praying for all in Ukraine, for all who are fearful of what lies ahead and for the minimum possible bloodshed.
“At a time of international crisis, please join me in praying fervently for peace in Ukraine and especially for the wellbeing of our little Anglican community of Christ Church, Kyiv (which meets in the German Evangelical Church of St. Catherine’s).”
In a blog post J John suggests four duties for Christians:
Be aware
The naive philosophy of the world is that there is nothing seriously wrong with human beings that science and prosperity will not cure. The invasion of Ukraine shows once more that human beings are inclined to evil and that only the grace of God in Christ can truly bring peace.
Pray*
We believe that God reigns over this world. Let’s pray for those who are frightened and for evil not to prevail.Let’s pray for wisdom among leaders responding to Russia’s invasion.
Care
Pray for those who are caught up in this conflict. Pray for Ukrainian and Russian citizens in our communities here. Look for opportunities for practical care and giving in the coming days.
Share
This darkness is another opportunity to share the light of Christ and the only lasting hope of peace in this world.
Read the whole blog entry here…
* A Prayer for the Ukraine Crisis
Father, today we pray for the escalating situation on the borders of Ukraine and Russia.
We confess that in times of such rapid change and on issues of such complexity, it can be difficult to know how to pray.
So we start with our praise and thanks to you, who remains steadfast and faithful, all-seeing and all-knowing.
We re-orientate ourselves in you, your timescales, your ways and your purposes.
We remind ourselves of your love for this earth you formed and those you created in your image.
We struggle to see clearly through confusion and misinformation, yet recognise an age-old lust for power, control and violence.
We pray for those already fleeing homes and livelihoods, for those who are fearful and vulnerable.
We pray for peacekeepers on the ground and those seeking to defend life and liberty.
We remember how Jesus resisted being co-opted into the religious and political uprisings of competing empires. We remember how Jesus spoke to heal the sick, calm the storm and raise the dead. We too pray for powerful words and miraculous actions – for de-escalation, peace and justice, repentance and restoration.
On earth as it is in heaven, and for our faithful witness until then,
Amen.
Prayer by David Smyth, Head of Northern Ireland Evangelical Alliance.
Read the complete article here…
Sarah Mullally, The Bishop of London, has thanked front line workers, parishes, and all who have made sacrifices to help protect one another from Covid-19, as England prepares to move away from ‘plan B’ restrictions on Thursday.
Bishop Sarah, who chairs the Church of England’s Covid Recovery Group, was speaking as new advice was published by the Church of England ahead of Thursday’s change of national rules.
She said: “When the first measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 were introduced in March 2020, few would have imagined that we would still be making adaptations to the way we live our lives – including our worship – almost two years on.
“It has been a very challenging time.
“People have made huge sacrifices to protect one another – not only those they know and love but strangers they might never meet. We’ve learnt again as society something of what it means to love our neighbour, as Jesus taught.
“And it has certainly not been without cost.
“The loneliness and isolation many have experienced; the impact on people’s mental health; the lost jobs and failed businesses and strained relationships must not be overlooked.
“Yet, terrible as the toll from this virus has been, and continues to be, the actions people have taken have saved lives and prevented countless infections, with all the potential long-term consequences that could go with them.
“We may never know what good has been done.
“So as we can begin to look forward with cautious hope, we once again thank those who have done so much to protect us all – particularly our NHS, carers and other front line workers.
“I want to thank everyone who has made sacrifices for others. I think particularly of younger people who, though often least at risk, have sometimes given up the most.
“And I want especially to thank our clergy, parish volunteers and congregations for all you are doing – not simply to keep worship going, but to innovate with bold and remarkable new ways of doing so; reaching new people and, of course, serving your communities.
“As ‘plan B’ restrictions come to an end the future remains uncertain and we must continue to be cautious. In our churches government rules have been eased but I would still encourage congregations to consider what mitigation can best protect others.
“As we look now towards spring and the vivid demonstration of new life it offers us, my prayer is that we won’t forget what we’ve learnt; that we take this opportunity to thank others and that we look with hope to the future.”
Winter can be a difficult season for many of us – especially once Christmas is over.
Click on the link above to read the magazine. The article also contains information about organisations that can help.
Here is an excerpt from Ben Palpant’s new book “Letters from the Mountain” (Rabbit Room Press):
EVERYTHING IS GOING MY WAY
An excerpt from Letters from the Mountain.
I’ve heard that we’re born with only two fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. If true, this reinforces the very real fact that we accumulate fears over time. We undoubtedly manufacture some, but life experiences saddle us with the others. From worry to severe anxiety disorders, from run-of- the-mill fears to irrational phobias, we all live somewhere on anxiety’s broad spectrum. We fear heights, spiders, bats, public speaking, rejection letters, financial collapse, negative judgments, loneliness, memory loss—the list is endless. And these fears bang incessantly on the tin roofing of our hearts.
And if anxiety were not paralyzing enough, it brings discouragement along for company. We listen to fear’s lies, fully knowing they are lies. We look in the mirror each morning and wonder when fear will finally stop being an unwanted house guest.
History offers a long list of faithful God-followers who fought anxiety or depression, some for much of their lives—Moses, Gideon, Jeremiah, Job, Elijah, Jonah, Hannah. Even King David struggled, as evidenced by his psalms, though he had tasted remarkable courage many times, even defeating a lion, a bear, and Goliath. Charles Spurgeon, William Cowper, G. K. Chesterton, and Mother Teresa likewise struggled. Some suffocated so badly beneath the weight that they entertained suicidal thoughts not once, but many times.
Anxiety does not discriminate. It takes the strong and the weak, the cheerful and the melancholy, the spiritual juggernaut and the spiritual lightweight. And addressing the topic is complicated by ambiguity. The line between anxiety and worry, for example, is not as clear as we would like. When is the brain working improperly and when are we simply fretting? When is panic a biological reflex and when is it self-induced?
Those who have fallen down the rabbit hole of depression know the seriousness of anxiety. They also have learned the hard way that the world is uncomfortably silent or unhelpfully trite on the subject. Even Christians squirm around it. Some people are downright flippant in their judgments, shaming vulnerable people into silence rather than serving them.
In a classic Bob Newhart sketch, a young woman seeks counsel for her claustrophobia. She is terribly afraid of being buried alive in a box. He says that his psychotherapy sessions last only five minutes, and they come with two important words which she is to incorporate into her life: “Stop it!” That’s it. To Newhart’s character, recovery is as simple as that.
Those who have never stood on the edge of a mental breakdown and those who have never suffocated beneath depression’s heavy hand find the skit funnier than those who have. If “Stop it!” were all we needed to conquer the giant, Anxiety, then it would not have so many carcass trophies hang- ing on its wall. And for some strange reason, we still think that anxiety can only be defeated by sheer willpower. Our mortal vantage point is woefully insufficient for helping us deal with our repeated failure to defeat it.
God’s promises provide a new vantage point, a divine perspective that we all need. He says, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isa. 41:10, NKJV). 1 Peter 5:7 says we can cast the whole weight of our anxieties upon God because we’re his personal concern. Romans 8:28 confirms that promise: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose” (MEV).
These are not Pollyanna promises. Nor are they mere talismans against dark forces. In a seismic spiritual earthquake, they are the firm, unshake- able ground on which we stand.
Belief in these promises changes how God’s children hear the every- day question, “How are you doing?” If God is faithful to keep his promises, then in an ultimate sense we can truthfully answer, “Everything is going my way.” He intimately uses my circumstances, even the scary ones, for my benefit. All the time. Guaranteed.
Anyone who answers that way risks sounding pompous, or at the very least presumptuous. But what if we answered that way in our minds? Would we start seeing differently? Would we see opportunity where others see limitation? Would we see abundance where others see scarcity? Would our thankfulness, gladness, and peace grow? No matter the circumstances? Perhaps.
We shouldn’t be taken aback that Christ is being airbrished out of Christmas, says James Mildred. But the future of Christianity is God’s business. Ours is to share the good news and show the love of Jesus.
Here is a short excerpt from the article. Read the full article here…
A few years ago, a survey showed that less than one per cent of Christmas cards had religious themes. While stores displayed hundreds of different options, only a handful featured the traditional Christian nativity. Morrisons was the worst offender. Second worst was Tesco.
This year, Marks and Spencer have caused anger with their Percy Pig-themed charity Christmas cards and money wallets, which replaced the world ‘Christmas’ with ‘Pigmas’. Author Laura Jansson took to Twitter to complain, asking whether M&S would replace the name of another religion’s prophet with ‘pig’ for a laugh.
If you were to ask me whether I think Christmas is being airbrushed of any actual Christian content, I’d say yes! But why should we be surprised by that? It’s simply a reflection of where we are as a society. We’re now swimming in very dark waters. God’s word tells us that when a society gives up on God, as an act of judgement, God gives it over “to do what should not be done” (Romans 1:28).
Thankfully, the future of Christianity does not rest on inaccurate portrayals of ‘traditional’ nativity scenes on Christmas cards that are often more the product of human imagination than fact. The future of Christianity is, ultimately, God’s business. It is far better that we get on with proclaiming the good news, being salt and light and demonstrating the love of Christ in a whole variety of ways – and do so with profound thankfulness that for all the pressures, we are still remarkably free to preach Christ.
Young people in the UK are twice as likely as older people to pray regularly, a new survey has found.
Some 51% of 18 to 34-year-olds polled by Savanta ComRes said they pray at least once a month, compared with 24% of those aged 55 and over.
It also found 49% of the younger age group attend a place of worship every month, compared with 16% of over-55s.
The associate director of Savanta said the numbers could reflect the move to online worship during the pandemic.
Chris Hopkins added that there were “a few theories” as to why young people made up such a large proportion of the religious landscape.
“Firstly, as the demography of the UK changes, minority faiths do tend to have a larger proportion of practising young people, and therefore as the population of these groups increases within the UK, so will the prayer habits of the population at large,” he said.
He explained it was important to “factor in the impact the pandemic has had on the ability to engage with one’s faith” with virtual prayers and services being held online.
“It is possible that the pandemic opened up more avenues to prayer to young people, and this is reflected in the findings,” he said.
