How prayer is transforming nations
John Robb, chairman of the International Prayer Council, can testify to the power of transformational prayer in some of the most difficult places in the world. After a personal encounter with God that stopped him in his tracks, he started taking teams of prayer leaders into war zones. ‘We prayed for the healing and transformation of war-torn nations and saw some amazing wonders happen,’ says Robb. The youtube video link herewith gives just a few of the most impacting stories from Cambodia, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and Mexico. Prayer is awesome and we have been given the authority to make the invisible kingdom visible.
Celebrity role models causing rise in ‘sexting’
Celebrities are the cause of a sharp rise in the number of children sending sexually explicit text messages, a child protection expert has warned. Dr Zoe Hilton told MPs that schoolchildren are copying the ‘sexting’ trend which is endorsed by adult celebrities. Speaking to the Commons Education Committee, she warned that children may be unaware of the dangerous repercussions of sharing explicit pictures. Hilton, who is the Head of Safeguarding and Child Protection at the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command (CEOP), said, ‘children and particularly older children are looking at celebrities and are looking at what the adult population are doing. I think we’ve got to the point with older teenagers where sexting is actually a normative behaviour’, she added. Last year, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children warned that sexting is now common amongst teenagers.
Obesity does more damage to Britain than war or terrorism, study finds
Obesity costs Britain’s economy £47bn a year; more than war, terrorism or armed violence, a new study has found. The research, commissioned by consultants McKinsey and Company, recommended a series of 44 interventions to fight the epidemic. Measures include introducing a safe network of cycle lanes, portion control in fast-food packaged goods, and more PE lessons in schools. The report’s authors at the McKinsey Global Institute said the measures could bring 20% of overweight or obese people in UK back to a healthy weight within a decade. Success would save £16 billion a year, including an annual saving of about £766 million in the NHS, according to the study. The report found that only smoking does more damage to the UK economy than obesity.
London churches open HIV testing centres
HIV testing clinics have been opened in churches across London in the hope of combating high rates of infection as well as social stigma among the African population. Four African churches in Southwark, New Cross, Dagenham and Wood Green are involved in the project, which is coinciding with National HIV Testing Week from 22 to 30 November. Behind the campaign is Rev Fred Annin, the founder and CEO of Actionplus Foundation, which is working to support those with the virus. He wants the church to lead the movement. Actionplus was the first organisation to set up an HIV testing clinic in a Church in London and launched its Take Action Now campaign last year. ‘The Bible does not condemn people with HIV as cursed. It shouldn't be taboo to discuss it in churches. It's a medical condition and people need medical help.’ Annin said.
