Did MI5 know about child abuse but fail to act?

http://www.channel4.com/news/mi5-kincora-richard-kerr-brian-gemmell-child-abuseer army intelligence officer says he alerted MI5 to abuse at Kincora boys' home, but was told to stop digging. It is not the first time MI5 has been accused of covering up child abuseChannel 4 News brought Kincora victim Richard Kerr face to face with Brian Gemmell, who worked as an army intelligence officer in Belfast in the 1970s. Mr Gemmell said he put in an official report about Kincora to a senior MI5 officer, but to his astonishment he claims he was ordered to stop digging and forget about it.

Speaking to Mr Kerr, he said: "That's the thing that hits me - that if I really pushed the thing through in 75-76, you could have been rescued. I'm sorry." Channel 4 News has contacted MI5 via the Home Office and is awaiting a response to Mr Gemmell's claims.

Mr Gemmell said he believed what happened at Kincora decades ago should be brought within the scope of the over-arching, judge-led inquiry Home Secretary Theresa May set up "to consider the extent to which state and non-state institutions have failed in their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation".

The inquiry was established following claims that children had been abused by politicians, public officials and celebrities over many decades. In July 2014, Mrs May indicated that it would be able to study files held by MI5.

Former Liberal MP Cyril Smith, who died in 2010, was said to have abused children during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In 2012, the Crown Prosecution Service said he should have been charged, while Greater Manchester Police said although he could not be convicted posthumously, "from the overwhelming evidence we have, it is right and proper we should publicly recognise that young boys were sexually and physically abused".

His Labour successor alleges MI5 was involved in suppressing the allegations at the time. So what evidence is there that MI5 was involved in a cover-up, as alleged?
October 2012 - 'powerful paedophile network'

In the Commons, Labour MP Tom Watson called on the police to examine allegations of a "powerful paedophile network linked to parliament and Number 10". He did not name any individuals, but his comments sparked a wider examination about whether political figures were involved in abuse - and whether they used their connections to cover this up.
September 2013 - MI5 'held on to' Smith evidence

Channel 4 Dispatches reported that the security services had held on to evidence of Smith's abuse in Lancashire in the 1960s. Former Lancashire Special Branch detective Tony Robinson told Dispatches he was contacted by MI5, who requested he send them the file by special courier. Smith's Liberals propped up the Labour government in the late 1970s - the so-called Lib-Lab pact.
April 2014 - MI5 'put pressure on police'

Labour's Simon Danczuk, a successor to Smith as MP for Rochdale, published a book, Smile for the Camera: The Double Life of Cyril Smith, saying MI5 and Special Branch put pressure on the police to drop their investigation into Smith's activities. Mr Danczuk first raised the Smith case in the Commons in 2012 after alleged victims contacted him.
July 2014 - abuse inquiry will see MI5 files

Mrs May implied that the judge-led inquiry she set up into historic child abuse would be able to see MI5 files. In response to a question from Tom Watson, she said: "My intention is that the fullest possible access should be made to government papers in relation to these matters. Where there are files where there are certain issues around who can have access to those files we will need to ensure that we have an appropriate means of ensuring that the information is available to the inquiry panel."
November 2014 - MI5 searches files

The Wanless report into whether there had been a cover-up of the Home Office's handling of abuse allegations in the 1980s concluded that there was no evidence 114 missing official files had been "deliberately or systematically removed or destroyed to cover up organised child abuse".

At the request of the Wanless inquiry, MI5 carried out a search of its own files, but said it had not come across anything relevant to the review. Mrs May told MPs: "I cannot stand here and say the Home Office was not involved in a cover-up in the 1980s and that is why I am determined to get to the truth of this."




The inquiry was prompted by the hunt for a "dossier" handed to Leon Brittain in 1984, when he was home secretary, about alleged paedophile abuse in Westminster in the 1980s. Lord Brittan, who died in January, was himself accused of being involved in the abuse of children in the 1980s. He always strongly denied the allegations.
February 2015 - MI5 'knew about Kincora abuse'

Gary Hoy, who was abused at the Kincora children's home in Belfast in the 1970s, was granted permission to launch a legal challenge against the government's decision to exclude Kincora from its judge-led abuse inquiry.

He said MI5 knew about the abuse he and others suffered, but failed to do anything about it. The allegation is that by allowing the abuse to go on, the security services would be able to blackmail powerful paedophiles. In 1981, three members of staff at the home were jailed for sexually abusing 11 boys.
March 2015 - agent 'caught on camera'

BBC Newsnight said it had been told that a police operation into alleged abuse by Smith was scrapped shortly after he was arrested in the 1980s. According to an unnamed source, officers gathered evidence, including video footage, from a flat in south London. Smith was allegedly one of those caught on camera, along with a senior member of the intelligence agencies.
March 2015 - victims 'threatened' by MI5

Investigative journalist Don Hale told Channel 4 News he had given the police evidence from interviews he had carried out with Smith and Brittan.
He said some victims and whisteblowers who had approached him had been "threatened" by police officers and MI5, "who've warned them not to talk to me or any other journalist and warned also that they might lose their pensions and about the officials secrets act and this is happening even up to the last few weeks".
March 2015 - 'intimidated' by police

Speaking from the US, Kincora victim Richard Kerr, who says he was trafficked from Belfast to be abused in London, told Channel 4 News police had "intimidated" him because they did not want him to give evidence at the 1981 trial.
April 2015 - 'MI5 told about abuse'

Former army intelligence officer, Brian Gemmell, who worked in Northern Ireland in the 1970s, toldChannel 4 News he put in an official report about Kincora to a senior MI5 officer, but to his astonishment he claims he was ordered to stop digging and forget about it. Speaking to Kincora victim Richard Kerr, he said: "That's the thing that hits me - that if I really pushed the thing through in 75-76, you could have been rescued. I'm sorry."

Mr Gemmell told Channel 4 News he believed what happened at Kincora decades ago should be brought within the scope of the major child abuse inquiry announced by Theresa May.

Asked why, he said: "I think two words - Richard Kerr. I think Richard's transporting over to the United Kingdom mainland to be abused, rather than just being abused in Northern Ireland, speaks volumes. It ties the two together." Asked if he believed claims that efforts were still being made to cover up what happened, he said: "I do."

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Using Cash and Charm, Putin Targets Europe’s Weakest Links

By Andrew Higgins, NY Times, April 6, 2015

NICOSIA, Cyprus–When Cyprus seized hundreds of millions of dollars from bank depositors, many of them Russians, as part of an internationally brokered deal two years ago to rescue its collapsing financial system, the Russian leader, Vladimir V. Putin, denounced the move as “dangerous” and “unfair,” warning of a sharp chill in relations.

But Mr. Putin was all smiles recently when he received Cyprus’s president, Nicos Anastasiades, in Moscow, hailing relations with the Mediterranean nation as “always being truly friendly and mutually beneficial” and agreeing to extend–on greatly improved terms for Cyprus–a $2.5 billion Russian loan.

The shift from fury to declarations of eternal friendship displayed Mr. Putin’s well-known flair for tactical back flips. But it also showed his unbending determination to break out of sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and the European Union for Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and support for armed rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Mr. Putin has methodically targeted, through charm and cash and by fanning historical and ideological embers, the European Union’s weakest links in a campaign to assert influence in some of Europe’s most troubled corners. One clear goal is to break fragile Western unity over the conflict in Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Greece’s new left-wing prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, is the next to visit Moscow. Ahead of the trip, Mr. Tsipras declared himself opposed to sanctions on Russia, describing them as a “dead-end policy.”

On Sunday, Mr. Putin’s efforts to peel away supporters from the European Union opened a new rift, after the United States ambassador in Prague criticized a decision by the Czech president, Milos Zeman, to attend a military parade in Moscow on May 9. And in February, Mr. Putin visited Hungary, the European Union’s autocratic backslider, peddling economic deals.

Russia has so far been unable to turn such hand-holding into something more concrete against sanctions that require the approval of all 28 European Union members. But pressure for a rupture is building.

Speaking in an interview last week here in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, Mr. Anastasiades said Cyprus had grave doubts about Europe’s policy toward Russia and was part of a “group of member states who have the same reservations.”

He ruled out breaking ranks with what for the moment remains a consensus in favor of keeping up economic pressure on Russia. But he said he expected a unanimous vote in favor of lifting sanctions when they come up for review this summer.

He said he was convinced that Mr. Putin “realizes the consequences of further military involvement” in Ukraine and “means business” in putting in place a cease-fire agreement reached in February.

The cracks opening up in Europe’s policy toward Russia have presented a difficult problem for Donald Tusk, the former prime minister of Poland who is now president of the European Council, a body in Brussels that represents the European Union’s 28 leaders.

“To keep Europe united is today the biggest challenge,” Mr. Tusk said last month, referring to “the very fragile and difficult consensus” reached by European countries after Moscow seized Crimea in March last year.

Moscow’s skill at prying open fissures in European unity has been on display in Cyprus, a tiny nation that, because of its tight historical, religious and economic ties with Russia, has taken on an oversize role as a pivotal player in the geopolitical struggle set off by the conflict in Ukraine.

Tugged in different directions by outside powers, Cyprus hosts British military bases and vast eavesdropping facilities, allows the United States Navy to use its ports and has been a member of the European Union since 2004.

Yet it still looks to Russia as a vitally important diplomatic protector, particularly in relation to Turkey’s military occupation of the north of the country, and as a crucial source of business for its financial services industry, still a pillar of the economy despite the 2013 meltdown.

An agreement sealed during Mr. Anastasiades’s visit to Moscow allows Russian warships to dock in Limassol, Cyprus’s commercial hub and heavily dependent on wealthy Russians who want to set up shell companies to shuffle their assets overseas.

Mr. Anastasiades insisted that military accords signed in Moscow merely extended a 1996 agreement and were “nothing new.” The terms of the agreements, however, are all secret, so it is impossible to know what Russia managed to gain.

Mr. Anatasiades, who traveled to Moscow after recovering from heart surgery in New York, denied tilting away from the West toward Russia. As the leader of a small country, divided since a Turkish invasion in 1974 and situated on a fault line between East and West, Mr. Anastasiades said he seeks good relations with all sides and “even with the devil.” He added, “I do not have the luxury to choose my friends.”

He said Russia might also get a role in the search for and development of gas reserves off the coast of Cyprus, a venture until now monopolized by Western companies.

Russia’s ambassador to Cyprus, Stanislav Osadchi, told a Russian-language newspaper, one of several in Limassol serving the town’s large Russian-speaking population, that the meeting with Mr. Putin, “demonstrated that, despite attempts to isolate Russia and revive the Cold War, there are countries that do not want this.”

The United States, in contrast, has struggled to get a hearing. When Russia won gushing praise on social media for restructuring its loan to Cyprus, the United States ambassador, John M. Koenig, tried to dampen the enthusiasm with messages posted on Twitter that were widely interpreted as implying a link between Mr. Anastasiades’s visit to Moscow and the killing a few days later of the Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov.

The Twitter posts set off an uproar, prompting the United States ambassador to issue a contrite statement that his comments had been “misunderstood.”

“For lots of people on this island, Russia is seen as a savior,” Harry Tzimitras, director of PRIO Cyprus Center, a Norwegian-funded research group in Nicosia. This, he added, provides fertile ground for efforts by Moscow to “infiltrate the European Union” and “show that it can disrupt certain policies” promoted by Washington and Brussels.

Vasilis Zertalis, the head of Prospectacy, a financial service company, described Cyprus as a “small piece on a big chessboard.” Europe, he said, tried to advance its own position during the 2013 banking crisis by seeking to end Cyprus’s role as a haven for Russian money.

“They wanted to scare the Russians away,” he said. “But the money that left was from Britain, from other European countries and from America.”

Ordinary Cypriots and politicians, he said, “all gave up on the European Union” because of the harsh bailout terms in 2013 and “know that the United States will never take a stand against Turkey.”

“So,” he said, “the only allies Cyprus really has are Russia and maybe China.”

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1,500 Medical Studies Declare Healing Power of Prayer Undeniable

Amanda Casanova, Religion Today, April 06, 2015

A belief in God may make people healthier and happier, according to new studies.

“Studies have shown prayer can prevent people from getting sick–and when they do get sick, prayer can help them get better faster,” Duke University’s Harold G. Koenig, M.D., tells Newsmax Health.

The analysis of more than 1,500 medical studies showed that “people who are more religious and pray more have better mental and physical health,” Koenig said. The results come from a study published in the Southern Medical Journal.

“And out of 125 studies that looked at the link between health and regular worship, 85 showed regular churchgoers live longer,” said Koenig, director of Duke’s Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health.”

Researcher and writer Tom Knox agreed with the findings. Knox was an atheist who became a Christian after studying faith and medicine.

“What I discovered astonished me,” Knox said. “Over the past 30 years a growing and largely unnoticed body of scientific work shows religious belief is medically, socially, and psychologically beneficial.”

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What is Truth? Deepak Chopra on the hotseat!

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МЕРА ВЕРЫ

http://anchor.tfionline.com/ru/post/mera-very/

Виржиния Брандт Берг

Моя подруга однажды спросила заведующего супермаркетом, удавалось ли злоумышленникам получить у него деньги по фальшивому чеку. «Ни разу, – ответил он, – потому что я никогда не смотрел на чек. Я всегда смотрю на человека. Если он заслуживает доверия, я приму его чек без вопросов». Такой вере стоит поучиться!

В десятой главе послания к Евреям мы читаем, что «верен Обещавший» (см. Евреям, 10:23). Кто этот Обещавший? Бог. Взгляните на Того, Кто дает обещания в Божьем слове, и у вас не останется сомнений в их абсолютной верности. Божье слово гласит: «Сблизься же с Ним – и будешь спокоен; чрез это придет к тебе добро» (Иов, 22:21).

Познать Бога – значит, быть уверенным в том, что Он сдержит каждое произнесенное Им слово. Авраам знал Бога и «не поколебался в обетовании Божием неверием, но пребыл тверд в вере, […] будучи вполне уверен, что Он силен исполнить обещанное» (см. Римлянам, 4:20-21).

Некоторые считают веру чем-то таинственным и совершенно недосягаемым. Есть также люди, которые полагают, что вера – это природный дар, которым одни в той или иной степени обладают, а другие – нет. И то, и другое – заблуждение.

Бог всем уделил «меру веры» (см. Римлянам, 12:3). Мера веры дана каждому, но пользуются своей верой немногие. А без употребления вера дрябнет, будто мускул, который перестал работать. Вера растет лишь от постоянных упражнений.

Получить веру путем научного анализа невозможно – Бог утаил свои глубочайшие истины от «мудрых и разумных» (см. от Матфея, 11:25). Он открыл их лишь тем, кто рискнул поверить Ему на слово. И именно они, люди с младенческой верой, способны прорваться сквозь любые споры и сомнения. Именно они повергают в стыд ученых мужей – ведь стоит им руку протянуть, и Бог исполнит Свое обещание – обещание, даже суть которого ученым познать не дано.

Вера живет в собственном мире, полностью отличном от привычного нам мира пяти органов чувств. Однако в нем применимы те же принципы. Если мы пробуем на вкус что-то сладкое, то не нуждаемся в дальнейшем доказательстве сладости: об этом нам сообщают вкусовые рецепторы. И кто бы ни старался убедить нас в обратном, мы знаем, что попробовали сладкий плод – доказательство у нас уже есть.

В духовной жизни вера предоставляет нам информацию о духовных истинах точно так же, как органы чувств предоставляют информацию о мире физическом. И коль скоро мы доверяем своим органам чувств, не стоит ставить под сомнение и голос веры! Когда мы прислушиваемся к нему, вера материализует то, о чем говорит: «Как ты веровал, да будет тебе» (от Матфея, 8:13).

Поверьте Богу на слово. Если становится туго – не поддавайтесь неприятностям. Возьмите лучше Библию, найдите подходящее обещание Божье и потребуйте его исполнения во имя Иисуса. Вот, например, обещание, которым часто пользуюсь я, хотя до конца его так и не понимаю – уж слишком оно грандиозно: «Если чего попросите у Отца во имя Мое, то сделаю, да прославится Отец в Сыне». А вот еще одно: «Воззови ко Мне – и Я отвечу тебе, покажу тебе великое и недоступное, чего ты не знаешь» (Иеремия, 33:3).

Неудивительно, что Божье слово называет эти обещания «великими» и «драгоценными», утверждая, что через них мы можем сделаться «причастниками Божеского естества» (см. 2-е Петра, 1:4). Все, что для этого необходимо – это простая вера!

***

Физический мир держится на невидимой силе тяготения. Финансовый мир держится на невидимом принципе доверия. А невидимая вера – это основная сила, на которой держится весь духовный мир.

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He's Alive with lyrics

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God Needs You

http://markmcmillion.com/god-needs-you/#comment-225115

By Mark McMillion
Posted on March 18, 2015

One morning while I was in Bulgaria, I was in a room above the little church where they were hosting me. I’d been speaking to around 70 people for the first two nights who’d braved the late winter snow to come and hear what the foreigner had to say. I’d shared my life story of how I came to believe in the God of Abraham and then in Jesus. Another night I’d shared some basic classes on the importance of Jesus, the subject of Salvation, the significance of the Holy Spirit, the need for the Bible in our lives.
But I somehow felt that the last night’s time with these folks lacked the full power that an opportunity like this requires. So the next morning I felt desperate that things go better. I’ve already written about this some in “Work? Or Prayer…in Bulgaria” There I mentioned how that I felt the Lord answered my desperate prayer by laying something on my heart which I wrote down after my prayer. Here’s an edited version of that and what has come to be one of the main things I’ve shared with these ones since then.
God Needs You

In Ezekiel there’s an obscure but extremely significant passage. God is speaking and He says, “I sought for a man among them to stand in the gap and make up the hedge, that I should not destroy the land. But I found him not.” (Ezekiel 22:30) The picture is of a broken wall. We can think of it as the city of our fellowship and heritage of the people of God. There was a gap through which the Enemy could attack and God needed a person to rally the forces of God to stand up for Him in the battles of the Lord. But the Scripture says, “He found him not.” God found no one to take up the mission of His will and service.

In another place, God is speaking in Isaiah, “Who shall I send, who shall go for us?” Then Isaiah answers “Here am I Lord, send me.” (Isaiah 6:8) That’s what is needed, but there are so very few. Jesus said the same thing. “When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion. For they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray to the Lord of the harvest that He will send laborers into His harvest.’” (Matthew 9:36-38)


Where are the victors of God? Where are the heroes? Where are the “mighty men”, like David had

And it’s certainly still the same today. God needs and wants fighters, not just believers. There is a raging war going on. Souls are dying without the Word of the Lord. In the endtime, we are destined to be winners in the battles. Where are the victors of God? Where are the heroes? Where are the “mighty men”, like David had, who knew there was a battle and that they were on the side of the God of light and love and truth?

That’s what is needed. Not spectators, but players on the field of battle. God has a destiny prepared for those who will claim it in their lives. God has victorious battles to be won, souls to be set free, lights to be lifted up, and multitudes to turn to Him. But He doesn’t want to do it alone. He wants us to work with Him; He wants to work with flesh and blood us.


The church of our times has left the arena and now sits in the grandstands.

Who can He use in your community, in your family? Who does He chose? “The foolish things to confound the wise.” (I Corinthians 1:26). “When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled and took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13) That’s really all that’s needed. Not theology school, a university degree, the right skin color and the backing of a large denomination. What’s needed is that “they had been with Jesus”. And so, so many have been with Jesus and are with Jesus. But their lights remain “under a basket” (Matthew 5:15), rather than really on a candlestick. The church of our times has left the arena and now sits in the grandstands.


Today is the day that God needs you to step out of your circle of normalcy and to go a little further.

How can we rule with Him in the Millennium if we are not working, fighting and winning with Him right now? “Now is the day of salvation“. (II Corinthians 6:2) Today is the day that souls are fainting in the land, dying and giving up hope. Today is the day that God needs you to step out of your circle of normalcy and to go a little further. It says of Jesus, “He went a little further, and fell on His face.” (Matthew 26:39) That’s what each of us should be doing each day: going a little further and falling on our face in desperate prayer that we can be all that He wants us to be and needs us to be.

May God help all of us to not be complacent, not satisfied with the normal hum-drum tediousness of our lives. May we obey what the Lord said, to “Lift up our eyes and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest.” (John 4:35) The Lord needs laborers, the Lord needs soldiers, the Lord needs simple people like you and me to take the mantel of His mighty men of old in these desperate end times, to have the vision of fighters, winners, overcomers, harvesters, soul winners, sheep-feeders, comforters of the weak, whatever the call or need is, that His people will have the vision of the service He has called us to and which is so very needed in these desperate times.

It’s just a very basic principle of God for centuries, “If you draw out our soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will rise in obscurity and your darkness will be as the noonday.” (Isiah 58:10) Even in your own life, if you “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all these things will be added to you”. (Matthew 6:33)


But that love is a compassionate, active, stirred up love

It all comes back to love, to love God and your neighbor.But that love is a compassionate, active, stirred up love, love that doesn’t get stopped by barriers, love that ends up being something that isn’t really often seen to the degree it needs to be. It was love that sent the shepherd boy David to the front lines to see and confront the enemies of God. “Is there not a cause?”, young David said. It was love that cause Philip to run to meet the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8), “The love of Christ constrains us”, Paul said. (II Corinthians 5:14)
This is what I have come to share here with these precious ones. I felt the Lord would challenge them to go further in their lives, to look outward to the circle of friends and acquaintances they come in contact with daily, to witness and share the Love of God with the unsaved, those who’ve never heard the message of salvation, so many of whom will willingly come to Him, if someone will just reach them with His love.

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My Mother Bravely Rejected Abortion After She Was Raped, God Had a Plan for Me

http://www.lifenews.com/2015/04/06/my-mother-bravely-rejected-abortion-after-she-was-raped-god-had-a-plan-for-me/

Six years ago while on a trip home to visit my parents, I had the privilege to take a four hour drive and meet a woman who I have come to know. I admire her for her selfless love, her act of courage in the middle of adversity and her strength. She is my birthmother.

Growing up, I always knew I was an adopted child. My parents did not keep it a secret and they loved me no matter if I was born into the family or adopted into the family. My parents told me growing up that when I reached the age of 18, if I wanted to search for my birthparents, they would help me do it.

For many years, I dealt with some medical issues and had a lot of questions that adoptee’s think about. In January of 2008, I decided to get the non-ID information regarding my adoption. My adoption was a closed case adoption. I received the information without any names of my birthparents being mentioned. My husband inspired me to search for her. So I called my parents and I told them that I was going to search for my birthmother.

I wrote my birthmother an outreach statement without any names and emailed it to my caseworker. Several days went by and the days felt more like years. I continued to pray that God would work the situation out because I wanted to know who she was so I could thank her for choosing life.

The day finally came that I received a phone call from my caseworker. She said I have talked with your birthmother and she wants to have contact with you. The caseworker told me that before she could give me her information; my birthmother wanted me to know the truth. My birthmother was raped. The day that I heard that I was conceived in rape, I chose not to become angry or bitter about my birthfather and I chose to love my birthfather. You may ask why I chose to love my birthfather who is a rapist. Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins and the sins of my birthfather. I chose to love him through the love of Jesus Christ. That day, God also gave to me a heart filled with so much love and compassion for my birthmother.

It was several weeks later after my birthmother was raped that she discovered that she was pregnant. When she told her mother that she was pregnant, her mother was not thrilled with the turn of events and gave my birthmother three weeks to get out of the house. Her father had passed away in 1967. She then went to live at a home for unwed mothers and it was there that my birthmother started her healing process.

The question went through her mind: what am I to do with this baby? My birthmother had to make a decision. She had no job, no permanent place to live, was not married. My birthfather, of course, was out of the picture. She didn’t even know my birthfather’s name. Her aunt though had an idea. Her aunt could arrange for her to have an illegal abortion with a doctor in Michigan since this was before Roe V Wade.

My birthmother though knew that there was life growing inside of her womb—Life given by God and a gift from God. My Birthmothers favorite verse is:

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

She did not want to disrupt the plans that God had for the tiny life that was growing inside of her. When she decided to place me for adoption, her one request to the social worker was that her baby be placed in a strong Christian home.

When I was born, my birthmother had some complications. She was in the hospital for a week and I was in the hospital for a week before going to my foster parent’s house. God blessed my birthmother with one week to love, care for and hold her baby girl, Rebecca Ann. My birthmother and I were released from the hospital on the same day and she then placed me into the hands of God.



When I got in contact with my birthmother, she told me I have always loved you and you were the beginning of my healing process and also said What a lot of people don’t realize is the baby that was conceived because of rape they can become a strong healing force in the situation. Why? Because out of something that is horrific and traumatic comes a precious human being and the Giver of Life brings healing to the one who suffered.

Yes, my biological great aunt wanted me to be aborted, but my birthmother chose life and I was protected from an illegal abortion. God was faithful to my birthmother’s prayer. I was raised in a wonderful Christian home where faith was taught and it was real.

God has been so very good to me and He has blessed me beyond measure. God has blessed me with amazing parents, a brother who also is adopted, an amazing husband who I love so very much, amazing friends and an amazing church family.

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Дающий жизнь

http://anchor.tfionline.com/ru/post/dayushij-zhizn/

Подборка

Господь, как за короткий час присутствие Твое меняет,

Как от дождя земля свежеет, когда Бог тяготы снимает!

Колени преклоняем мы, и все вокруг с нами склоняется!

Встаем мы, и все, вдали и вблизи, в сиянии поднимается!

Мы падаем духом слабы, встаем – полны сил и света,

Не нужно вести себя так с другими – неправильно это,

Или с собой, ведь мы не всегда бываем сильны,

Не значит, что мы всегда должны быть заботливы,

Слабы, бессердечны, обеспокоены, утомлены,

Зачем – ведь у нас есть молитва и радость и сила Твои!

— Р.С. Тренч

*

Когда же Он приблизился к городским воротам, тут выносили умершего, единственного сына у матери, а она была вдова…Увидев ее, Господь сжалился над нею и сказал ей: не плачь. И, подойдя, прикоснулся к одру; несшие остановились, и Он сказал: юноша! тебе говорю, встань! Мертвый, поднявшись, сел и стал говорить; и отдал его Иисус матери его. —Евангелие от Луки 7:12–15[1]



Сын вдовы. Лазарь. Сын сунамитянки.

Все они выглядели мертвыми. Были мертвыми.

Но в одно мгновение все изменилось.

Жизнь была возвращена.

Надежда зажжена вновь.

Жизненные силы возобновлены.

Это напоминает мне о том, как иногда в (американском) футболе, арбитры выходят для объявления результатов игры или после удаления команда оказывается в безвыходном положении. Все кажется безнадежным. Игра или возможность выигрыша упущены. Но после того, как арбитры просматривают запись, они говорят: «Результат не защитан» – и возвращают игру или удаленного игрока. И в одно мгновение все меняется.

Любая мертвая зона вашей жизни может быть пересмотрена Богом с помощью Его живительной силы.

Может, в вашей жизни только что разрушились отношения.

Может, в прошлом году вы потеряли работу.

Может, вы совершили ужасные ошибки, из-за которых потеряли много времени и возможностей .

И ситуация кажется безвыходной.

Но это не так, пока есть Иисус.

После дальнейшего пересмотра он может восстановить ваши отношения.

После дальнейшего пересмотра он может удовлетворить все ваши потребности.

После дальнейшего пересмотра он может простить вас и исцелить.

Большинство из нас слишком легко перестают надеяться на Бога.

Не теряйте надежды.

С Богом, в вашей жизни ничто не утрачено безвозвратно.—Пастор Стивен Фуртик

*

Может быть иногда Господь просто позволяет нам приобрести проблему, чтобы дать нам ответ. Ему нравится, когда мы молимся и понимаем, что мы не всегда можем решить все наши проблемы самостоятельно и требуем Его помощи. Наконец, если бы мы могли самостоятельно решать все проблемы, мы бы не нуждались в Нем. Так что Господь позволяет нам периодически получать небольшие проблемы, чтобы показать, что мы нуждаемся в Нем и в молитве. Ему нравится давать нам ответы, чтобы напомнить, что мы зависим от Него и нуждаемся в Нем. Ему нравится, когда мы ценим Его помощь и любим Его за это – как отца! —Давид Брандт Берг[2]

*

Люди всюду спешат изо всех сил, как будто заняты служением Царю. Но здесь, под центральным куполом, они просто стоят тихо и смотрят вверх, купаясь в прекрасном, прекрасном золотом сиянии, идущем сверху, и глубоко вдыхают небесный воздух… Вы просто не сможете дальше жить, если будете постоянно спешить. Если никогда не ступите в зал, чтобы смотреть вверх сквозь купол в тишине, наблюдая небесные видения и вдыхая небесный воздух, слушая небесную музыку и голоса! Это полностью обновляет и освежает вас, придает новые силы, вдохновение, взгляд, отдых, покой и радость!—Давид Брандт Берг[3]

*

Если вы всегда спешите всюду, в беспокойстве и нетерпении, вам никогда не удастся полностью сосредоточить свое внимание – глаза, уши, разум, сердце – на Господе, чтобы получить решение проблем, ответы на вопросы и сделать лучший выбор в любой ситуации!

Как можно получить что-то от Господа, не сосредоточившись в тишине? Он говорит: « Остановитесь и познайте, что Я – Бог. В тишине и уповании крепость ваша»[4]. Если вы хотите услышать Господа, вам нужно уединиться в тишине – где-нибудь, как-нибудь, когда-нибудь.

Каждый великий человек Господа, от Моисея и до Иисуса, должен был уединяться на его горе, чтобы медитировать, молиться и общаться с Богом. Господи, да если самому Иисусу требовалось это, насколько больше мы нуждаемся в этом! Иисусу приходилось вставать на заре, до того, как проснуться его ученики, и идти через холмы или подниматься на гору, чтобы уединиться там с Богом и получить указания на день от Своего Отца.[5]

Если вы отринете общество Царя царей из-за того, что вы слишком заняты делами царства – это будет катастрофой для вашей духовной жизни и связи с Господом! Вы не можете выполнять работу Господа без Его силы и руководства. А чтобы получить их, вам нужно провести время наедине с Господом.

Самый простой способ получить решение проблем – попросить их у Господа. Если вы проведете немного больше времени в молитве, то потратите намного меньше времени на работу и попытки решить все самому!

Всем нам нужно больше времени в тишине, наедине с Господом. Нам нужно отдохнуть и восстановить силы, испить живительную воду Его Слова и общаться с ним в молитве и сладостном единении с Духом. Это полностью обновляет и освежает вас, придает новые силы, вдохновение, взгляд, отдых, покой и радость! Ибо: «надеющиеся на Господа обновятся в силе: поднимут крылья, как орлы, потекут — и не устанут, пойдут — и не утомятся».[6]

«Во всех путях твоих познавай Его, и Он направит стези твои».[7]

Господь всегда рядом с вами. Он говорит: «Не оставлю тебя и не покину тебя».[8] Он всегда рядом. Так что Бог не покидает нас, просто мы не всегда рядом с Ним. Когда мы бежим куда-то и оставляем Его позади, когда забываем молиться.

Так что помните, вы никогда не сможете решить все проблемы на вашем пути собственным умом, силой, мудростью, пониманием и попытками сложить два и два. Иисус сказал: «Ибо без Меня не можете делать ничего ».[9]

Самое важное в нашей жизни – Иисус, оставаться рядом с Ним, позволять Ему вести нас и направлять. Он единственный, кто должен вести нас, ибо Он единственный, кто может! Без Него мы не знаем, куда направляемся или как туда добраться, вообще ничего. Но Он точно знает где и как. Нам просто нужно сесть на заднее сидение и позволить ему вести. Он знает, куда нам идти, и наилучший путь туда.

Он пообещал, что если вы познаете Его, он направит ваши пути. Он сказал: «И уши твои будут слышать слово, говорящее позади тебя: "вот путь, идите по нему"».[10] Так что прежде, чем действовать – спрашивайте Господа обо всем. Убедитесь, что это именно то, чего Он хочет от вас. Ищите Его совета во всем – проблемах, решениях – и Он никогда не подведет вас и не предаст! — Давид Брандт Берг[11]

*

Мы притупляем свое понимание пустяками, заполняем божественные пространства фантомами, тратим небесное время в спешке. Божественное восприятие приходит к тем, кто терпением спасает свои души.—Джордж МакДональд

*

Знаете, хорошие вещи, как и плохие подхватываются как инфекция. Если хотите намокнуть – полезайте в воду. Если хотите радости, силы, покоя, вечной жизни – нужно быть поблизости или даже погрузиться в то, что этим обладает. Это не какие-то призы, которые Бог может по своему выбору вручить кому угодно. Это огромный источник энергии и красоты, бьющий вверх в самом центре реальности. Если вы захотите быть поблизости, влага намочит вас – если нет, вы останетесь сухим. Когда человек объединяется с Богом, разве может он не жить вечно? Когда человек отделяется от Бога – разве он может не зачахнуть и не умереть?—К. С. Льюис[12]







[1] Синодальный перевод Библии.


[2] Впервые опубликовано в октябре 1983 г.


[3] Впервые опубликовано в декабре, 1972 г.


[4] Псалом 45:11; Исаия, 30:15.


[5] Евангелие от Марка, 1:35; Евангелие от Луки, 6:12.


[6] Исаия, 40:31.


[7] Притчи, 3:6.


[8] Послание к Евреям, 13:5.


[9] Евангелие от Иоанна, 15:5.


[10] Исаия, 30:21.


[11] Впервые опубликовано в 1985 г.


[12] Из «Просто христианство».

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Celebrando a Ressurreição

http://anchor.tfionline.com/pt/post/celebrando-ressurreicao/
Compilação

O milagre da Páscoa é que, por Jesus não ter per­manecido no túmulo, nós também não devemos. Não temos de passar pela morte nem ir para o Inferno para pagar pelos nossos pecados, nem ficarmos eternamente separados de Deus. Jesus pagou por nós, e depois ressuscitou para uma nova vida. E essa nova vida pode viver em nós, nos dar esperança e paz ao nos preencher com o Seu amor. Ele ressuscitou! E assim nós também nascemos de novo. Aleluia!—D. Brandt Berg

*
A Páscoa nos Dá Esperança

Jesus não foi dominado pela morte nem ficou no Inferno, por esse motivo nós também podemos escapar da morte e do sentimento terrível de que cometemos erros demais e que as coisas jamais poderão reverter para o nosso bem. Resumindo: a Páscoa nos dá esperança.

Podemos voar como uma graciosa águia ou uma tranquila pomba muito acima dos limites da vida e de nós mesmos. Podemos deixar para trás a tortura das nossas falhas e incapacidades, tudo o que nos trava, e então alçar voo rumo aos nossos sonhos, para concretizar o que alguns consideram apenas uma ilusão. Podemos almejar metas celestes e, com a ajuda de Deus, desbravar as alturas.

Porque é Páscoa, a esperança extrapola os limites da possibilidade humana. Jesus morreu e ressuscitou para que tudo o que é possível para Ele, também o é para nós. Basta olharmos em Seus olhos e acreditarmos, e o milagre da Páscoa poderá se tornar realidade também para nós. —Karen Bradford

*

Proclamemos que celebramos um Salvador vivo, não um herói morto! - Um Salvador vivo que nasceu na Terra para poder morrer e depois ressuscitar para nos resgatar do reino maligno do pecado, da morte, do medo e da solidão. Vamos estender às mãos às pessoas com amor e corações quebrantados, tentando sentir a dor, a frustração e o desespero que sentem. Tentem entender a escuridão e a prisão em que vivem, e o tormento que sofrem. Tentem imaginar a angústia, o vazio e a insegurança que sentem! E de todo o coração, estendam as mãos com amor para salvá-las e curá-las.

Como o Pai enviou Jesus, da mesma forma Ele nos envia. Ele nos chamou para sermos Suas mãos, Seus pés, Seus olhos e lábios. Para restaurarmos os contritos de coração; consolar os que choram; libertar os cativos; expulsar demônios; alimentar os famintos com alimento que vai durar para sempre; dar vida aos que estão mortos em transgressões e pecados; curar os doentes de corpo e espírito; limpar os leprosos, os rejeitados, os malquistos e condenados ao isolamento. Vamos dar vista aos cegos dando-lhes Jesus, a Luz; pregar o Evangelho aos pobres; soltar as ligaduras da impiedade; desfazer as cargas pesadas, e libertar os oprimidos. Dessa forma lhes daremos ornamento por cinzas, óleo de gozo por tristeza, e veste de louvor por espírito angustiado. De graça recebestes, de graça dai.[1]

Vamos transformar cada dia em uma celebração de testificação sobre o nascimento de Jesus, Sua morte e ressurreição que promete vida nova para todos!—Maria Fontaine

*

Jesus morreu de um coração quebrado, não pelos nossos pecados, pois sabia que seríamos salvos e perdoados. O que O deixou angustiado foi pensar que Deus Lhe daria as costas. Naquele momento Ele se sentiu como o pecador perdido. Jesus passou por uma experiência que nós, graças a Deus, jamais passaremos. Não foi apenas a crucificação e a agonia física que ele sofreu, mas também a agonia mental, emocional e espiritual de sentir-se completamente desamparado por Deus. “Meu Deus, Meu Deus, por que Me desamparaste?”[2] Será que Deus efetivamente O desamparou? Sim, por um momento, para Ele morrer como um pecador, sem Deus.

Jesus nos amou o suficiente para dar a Sua própria vida por nós e receber em Si mesmo a punição pelos nossos pecados na cruz, para que nós pudéssemos ser perdoados e salvos! Quanto amor!—D. Brandt Berg

*

Eu entendo a provação pela qual as pessoas passam no seu íntimo, o grau de desespero e angústia. Eu compreendo o grau de renúncia, pois primeiro Eu tive que renunciar a Meu Pai para ir para a Terra. E depois tive que renunciar àqueles que amava tanto para regressar para o Meu Pai.

Eu entendo a profundeza da dor e da aflição, pois Eu gritei de dor quando os pregos perfuraram as Minhas mãos e os Meus pés. Sei como é ser abandonado por aqueles que Me amavam, sim, até pelo Meu próprio Pai, por isso gritei: "Meu Deus! Meu Deus! Por que Me desamparaste?"

Eu entendo o medo profundo, o medo de encarar aquilo que está pela frente por causa da dor e da angústia que trará. E por isso Eu disse: "Pai, passa de Mim este cálice".

Eu entendo a profundeza da sensação de perda quando aqueles que Me amavam mais Me abandonaram quando fui levado cativo. E conheço a profundeza da mágoa de ver alguém que amamos nos trair, como Judas Me traiu com um beijo.

Embora o Meu Pai não tenha passado aquele cálice de Mim, e embora Eu tenha visto os que Me eram queridos fugir e Me abandonar na hora da angústia, e aquele que Eu amava Me trair, e embora os pregos tenham perfurado Minhas mãos e Meus pés, e embora Eu tenha levado muitas chicotadas, e embora Eu tenha sentido que Meu Pai Me desamparara, e embora tenha tido que passar pela parte mais profunda do Jordão, o Jordão da morte, ainda assim tudo isso gerou uma vitória enorme, uma renovação enorme, uma salvação enorme!

Pois embora tenha parecido uma derrota Eu ser chicoteado e açoitado, ser coroado de espinhos e pregado numa cruz, o Meu Pai Me guardou e Me deu uma grande ressurreição que mudou o curso da História e toda a eternidade.

Quando tudo parece tenebroso e você não consegue ver, saiba que está envolto nos Meus braços. Eu lhe peço para confiar em Mim quando estiver nas profundezas, para confiar em Mim na hora do desespero, para confiar em Mim na sua dor, para confiar em Mim quando tiver que renunciar, e você também terá uma gloriosa ressurreição que ultrapassará tudo o que conhece.—Jesus falando em profecia

*

Não lembremos apenas a morte na cruz, não vamos ficar sempre vendo Cristo na cruz, o sofrimento, a morte e o temor que tudo isso gera. Nós não temos um Jesus na cruz, Ele deixou a cruz. Nós temos uma cruz vazia. "Onde está, ó morte, o teu aguilhão? Onde está, ó sepultura, a tua vitória?"[3] O nosso Cristo não está na sepultura. O nosso Jesus está vivo, vivendo em nossos corações.

Ele ressuscitou na vitória, na alegria, na liberdade, na libertação, para nunca mais morrer, de modo a poder redimir-nos e também evitar que tenhamos que passar pela mesma coisa. O dia que Ele ressuscitou deve ter sido um grande dia de regozijo, quando Ele percebeu que tudo tinha acabado! Ele tinha ganhado a vitória, o mundo estava salvo. Ele tinha cumprido a Sua missão.—D. Brandt Berg

*

Quando Eu estava morrendo na cruz Me senti desamparado, mas quando ressuscitei era tudo novo, diferente, e já não havia mais lembrança da dor. Não havia remorso nem pesar, porque a angústia da morte fora tragada pela alegria da ressurreição. A dor causada pela morte fora tragada pela vitória.

A Páscoa é uma comemoração de vitória, triunfo e conquista. Então pense nas coisas boas e positivas que coloquei no seu caminho. Concentre-se no que é bom e positivo. É o momento para se esquecer dos pesares, sofrimentos ou desencorajamento e se concentrar no que é alegre e vitorioso.

Lembre-se do Meu imenso amor por você, o qual Me levou a dar a Minha vida e concedeu-Me o poder para ressuscitar em uma nova vida, tudo por você.—Jesus falando em profecia

*
Por que as Cicatrizes?

Um detalhe sobre a história do Natal que sempre me intrigou é: Por que Jesus ficou com cicatrizes depois da crucificação? Imagino que o Seu corpo ressurreto poderia ter sido da maneira que Ele quisesse. No entanto, Ele escolheu um corpo que podia ser identificado principalmente pelas cicatrizes, as quais era possível ver e tocar. Por quê?

Na minha opinião, faltaria algo na história da Páscoa sem as cicatrizes nas mãos de Jesus, nos pés e no lado. Quando o ser humano começa a fantasiar, sonhamos com dentes perfeitos, pele de pêssego e formas físicas atraentes e ideais. Sonhamos com uma condição não natural, com o corpo perfeito. Mas para Jesus, estar confinado a um esqueleto e à pele humana foi uma condição não natural. Para Ele as cicatrizes são emblemáticas de Sua vida no nosso planeta, servindo de constante lembrete dos dias de confinamento e sofrimento.

As cicatrizes de Jesus dão-me esperança. Da perspectiva do Céu elas representam o acontecimento mais terrível já ocorrido na história do universo. Mas apesar disso, a Páscoa o transformou em uma lembrança alegre.

Por causa da Páscoa eu posso ter esperança que as lágrimas que derramamos, os golpes que recebemos, a dor emocional, a dor de perder amigos e amados, tudo isso se tornará lembranças em vez de mágoas, como as cicatrizes de Jesus.

Cicatrizes nunca desaparecem por completo, mas, por outro lado, também não ficam doente permanentemente. Teremos novos corpos, um Céu e Terra renovados, um novo começo, um começo a partir da Páscoa.—Phillip Yancey[4]

*

Minha vida ressuscitada em você é uma energia mais vibrante do que jamais percebeu ou utilizou. Habita em você o Espírito de Meu Pai que Me ressuscitou dos mortos. E assim como Ele ressuscitou a Mim, pode também reavivar a sua estrutura mortal por meio do Seu Espírito. Esta é uma das verdades e maravilhosas promessas que lhe dei, e esse poder para ressuscitar que você tem, através de Mim, também lhe confere o poder de superar. Apodere-se dele, é seu!—Jesus falando em profecia

Publicado no Âncora em março de 2013.
Tradução Hebe Rondon Flandoli. Revisão Edson Campos.


[1] Ver Mateus 10:8, Mat:11:5; João 20:21; Isaías 58:6, 61:1,3.

[2] Mateus 27:46.

[3] 1 Coríntios 15:55.

[4] O Jesus que Eu Nunca Conheci (Editora Vida).

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