“A joyous spirit is like good land that grows life well, with good fruit,” Pope Francis said in his Vatican meeting with the children being treated by the Pediatric Dispensary of Santa Marta. | Courtesy: (CNA/EWTN News)
Joy at Christmas: Even in the face of this unspeakable tragedy of losing 8 family member during the Texas church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Joe Holcombe says there will still be joy at Christmas this year. | Image courtesy: (Eric Gay - AP/REX/Shutterstock)
More than 6,000 people and members of the U.K. parliament have signed an online petition calling for leading American evangelist Franklin Graham to be refused entry into the country ahead of his scheduled trip to Blackpool in September 2018. | Image courtesy: Facebook/Franklin Graham
Reta Watkins breaks new ground with That Christmas Feeling, which was released by Suite 28 Records in November 2017.
On this album, she revisited timeless holiday music that have become the Christmas soundtrack for generations of Americans. | Image courtesy: retawatkins.com
See on Scoop.it - Elevate Christian Network News | Christian Ministry Stories Stressed at Christmas: Cut back on your schedule. You don’t have to attend every party or accept every invitation. Sit down with your December calendar and reserve some evenings for peace and quiet. (The secret words are: “I’m sorry; my schedule won’t allow it.”)
Cee Harmon’s insight:
You can also set a spending cap for yourself, and covenant not to spend more than a certain amount for any one gift, no matter who it’s for.
Reduce your gift list. Even one less person can be a significant savings of time, money, and energy. See also:Inspirational Stories and Quotes
To kick off his more general investigation of religion
in Brazil’s prisons, Andrew Johnson spent two weeks living inside two different
lockdown facilities. He slept in crowded cells with the inmates. He
ate, played soccer, and conducted interviews, while observing and
attending religious activities.
Pentecostalism Is Flourishing In Brazil's Prisons
And he quickly narrowed his study to the
primary faith expression that was pouring into the grim prisons from
the outside community: Pentecostalism. It is flourishing within the
hardest gang-populated units.
For the next several years, Johnson tracked the shape,
history, and power of Pentecostalism as “the faith of the killable
people.” In Rio, these are the urban poor, those with black and brown
skin, those living in the swelling, improvised slum mazes known as favelas,
where the narco-gangs have been an ongoing counter-state presence among
a people long excluded from the benefits of official society.
Disaster Relief: All 47 Salvation Army units – from Pensacola to south Florida – are on standby and eager to assist residents in need. The Salvation Army is currently working on establishing five strategic staging areas which include Miami, Fort Myers, Palm Beach County, Vero Beach and Fort Lauderdale.
Cee Harmon’s insight:
Along with the 32 canteens (mobile kitchens), The Salvation Army also has a fleet of equipment which includes two bunkhouses, two shower trailers, one generator and a Ford utility truck, which will be deployed as needed to the Hurricane Irma impacted areas.
The Salvation Army has more than 3,000 trained volunteers and staff in Florida, ready to offer a warm meal, bottled water, coffee or offer emotional and spiritual care.
The Mia Moo Fund is dedicated to raising awareness and funds towards research, treatments and causes of cleft lip & palate.
Cee Harmon’s insight:
The organization began in 2014 after Mia Robertson, daughter of Jase and Missy Robertson (Duck Dynasty), completed surgery for her cleft palate. As Mia entered surgery, thousands of supportive fans tweeted, blogged and talked about how strong and beautiful she was.
It was both empowering and inspiring. It has since become our mission to bring this type of support and love to each and every child that suffers from cleft lip and palate.
Five refugee athletes are heading to London from Kenya to compete in
the World Athletics Championships opening this week, the first time in
the competition’s 34-year history that refugees will be taking part.
Athletes from Kenya
The athletes are pleased to have the opportunity to compete
internationally after months of training in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Ahmed Bashir Farah, Anjelina Lohalith, Dominic Lobalu, Rose Lokonyen
and Kadar Omar will be participating as members of the Athlete Refugee
Team.
The Athlete Refugee Team were selected for the London championships
after trials organized by the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation.
Long-distance runner Tegla Loroupe is the world record holder for 20, 25
and 30 kilometres and has been coaching the five athletes and other
refugees.
Part of the foundation’s mission is to promote the socio-economic
development of poor and marginalized individuals and communities in
northern Kenya and the Horn of Africa. It has organized annual Peace
Races across East Africa. Continue reading...unhcr.org
Samaritan’s Purse (BGEA): Three schoolchildren from Tanzania who were injured in a horrific bus crash that killed 29 of their classmates, two teachers and a bus driver arrived Monday afternoon in Sioux City, Iowa, where a heartland Christian ministry volunteered to finance their treatment and recovery.
Cee Harmon’s insight:
Franklin Graham’s humanitarian Christian group Samaritan’s Purse responded after STEMM, the Siouxland Tanzania Educational Medical Ministries, promised to help the three children, who were suffering from a wide range of broken bones and other injuries.
Miles Cooley, orphaned at 5, is a high-end lawyer. Now with his friend lobbyist Duncan McFetridge he comes to Sacramento to advocate for foster kids.
Cee Harmon’s insight:
Miles Cooley’s mother had him when she was 17 in 1969, and fell in with a tough crowd, bikers. She’d leave for days at a time. One day he came home, and “she was lying on the floor dead.” She had overdosed. He was 5.
In 2010, he lobbied for a bill backed by his friend John Burton, the former Senate president pro tem who created a foundation to help foster children, that requires the state to care for foster kids until they turn 21. That was a major advance.
Olympic gold medalist Carly Patterson is thanking God for answering her prayers after years of struggling to conceive a child with her husband Mark Caldwell.
Cee Harmon’s insight:
Carly Patterson said, “Thankfully, God has answered our prayers and Baby Caldwell is due October 2017! Mark and I could not be more overjoyed for our little miracle and we cannot wait to start this journey of parenthood!”
http://ift.tt/2pQsC0M — Because we’re imperfect people that live in an imperfect world, we all experience failure in life…
Cee Harmon’s insight:
Pastor Rick Warren discusses how God’s mercy helps us overcome and move through our failures. In this message, you will also discover the answer to three key questions: What causes personal failure? What should I do when I fail? And what does Jesus do when I fail?
According to Kristi Watts, “Whatever God has equipped us with whether it’s the gift of talking, the gift of singing, the gift of giving, the gift of cooking, the gift of just being kind, the gift of being an encourager, use what God has given you and use it to serve others”.
She references Holy Bible scriptures Matthew 25: 14-30, which is “The Parable of the Talents”.
Check out the EXCLUSIVE inside look at TTF serving in the Philippines with Tim Tebow. Tim Tebow embarked on a trip to the Philippines that included stops …“
Cee Harmon’s insight:
TTF Mission: To bring Faith, Hope and Love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need. The Foundation utilizes the public platform that God has blessed Tim Tebow with to inspire and make a difference in peoples lives throughout the world.
Tim Tebow’s outreach ministry initiatives included his first visit to the Tebow CURE Hospital since its official grand opening in May, 2015.
