You may feel right now, like the challenges you face are too big or too overwhelming. We all face challenges. We all have obstacles to overcome. Keep the right attitude and focus, it will help us stay in faith so that we can move forward into victory.
I’ve learned that average people have average problems. Ordinary people have ordinary challenges. But remember, you’re above average and you’re not ordinary. You are extraordinary. God created you and breathed His life into you. You are exceptional, and exceptional people face exceptional difficulties. But the good news is, that we serve a super exceptional God!
Today, when you have an incredible problem, instead of being discouraged, you should be encouraged knowing that you’re an incredible person, with an incredible future. Your path is shining bright because of your incredible God! Be encouraged today, because your life is on an incredible path. So, keep in faith, keep declaring victory, keep declaring God’s promises over your life because you have an incredible future!
“The path of the [uncompromisingly] just and righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines more and more (brighter and clearer) until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day…” (Proverbs 4:18)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, today I lift my eyes to You. Father, I know that You are the One who helps me and has given me an incredible future. God, I choose to stand in faith, knowing that You have an incredible plan in store for me, in Christ’s Name! Amen.
In the complex tapestry of human interactions, language has become a lens through which we perceive, label, and categorize ourselves and others. This thought-provoking exploration delves into the intricacies of language and its role in shaping perceptions, particularly in the context of Africans and their global counterparts. From the terminology surrounding migrations to the biases ingrained in linguistic norms, let’s unravel the layers of a discourse that questions our shared humanity.
Blog:
Voyages of Discovery vs. Illegal Immigrants:
The journey from Europe to Africa is romanticized as a “voyage of discovery,” invoking images of exploration and curiosity. However, when the direction reverses, Africans moving to Europe are often labeled as “illegal immigrants,” laden with connotations of criminality and transgression. Here lies the first thread in the fabric of linguistic bias.
Refugees vs. Tourists:
A group of Africans seeking refuge in Europe is termed “refugees,” underscoring their dire circumstances and the humanitarian need for assistance. Contrastingly, a group of Europeans in Africa engaging in leisurely pursuits is benignly dubbed “tourists,” emphasizing their privilege and choice of exploration. Language subtly influences our perception of their circumstances.
Poachers vs. Hunters:
Venture into the bush, and the terminology takes a stark turn. Africans in the same environment are branded as “poachers,” echoing criminality and environmental harm. On the other hand, Europeans engaged in similar activities are adorned with the more benign term “hunters,” implying a connection to nature and tradition.
Foreigners vs. Expats:
Black individuals working abroad are often relegated to the label of “foreigners,” emphasizing their perceived distance from the norm. In contrast, white individuals in similar positions are graciously titled “expats,” conveying a sense of expertise and cultural exchange. The contrast raises questions about the power dynamics embedded in language.
The Language of Intelligence:
One of the most poignant observations centers on language proficiency. When individuals from various countries struggle with English, Africans often face stigmatization, being labeled as unintelligent, illiterate, or even dumb. This reveals a deep-seated bias, where English proficiency becomes a misguided measure of intelligence, perpetuating a harmful narrative.
Breaking the Chains of Mental Slavery:
The blog concludes with a powerful call to action. It challenges the normalized prejudices woven into our language, urging Africans to reclaim their narrative. Embracing native languages and rejecting the imposition of foreign linguistic norms is posited as a path to breaking free from mental oppression.
Conclusion:
In this nuanced examination of language, perception, and identity, we confront the biases embedded in our linguistic choices. The blog invites readers to reflect on the impact of language on our understanding of the world, urging a collective effort to dismantle stereotypes and foster a more inclusive, enlightened discourse.
Principle 4 Ujamaa / Cooperative economics: Hebrew13:16. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Christians are instructed to share their wealth and make sacrifices for others. Economic wealth may not mean just money. It can mean anything that can make wealth or improve someone’s standing in their community. Our economic system should reflect principles, that we have a social safety net for those who are less fortunate and need assistance.
Did you know that sacrifice is unnatural? It requires us to put aside what we want if we are going to benefit someone else. We can’t do that on our own. We need an example to follow. In scripture, Yahshua describes Himself as a good shepherd who does what is best for His sheep. When we love people selflessly, we love as He loved. But what does that look like in everyday life?
Sacrifice is loving your neighbour as yourself.
It is human nature to seek the best for ourselves. Just watch children at Christmas fighting over toys or adults on Black Friday when the sales are up, and the items are few.
Yahshua showed us a better way. He gave up His rightful place in heaven to live among us on Earth. Then, He died a death He didn’t deserve to give us eternal life. When we put others first, we love our neighbours as ourselves.
Sacrifice is putting others first.
Is your life characterized by thinking about others or about yourself? Would your co-workers or classmates describe you as selfish or someone who puts others before themselves?
Even when Yahshua was hungry, tired, or ready to get alone and pray, when He saw a crowd, He had compassion on them and ministered to them. He calls on us to sacrifice our wants and needs for people the way He did for us.
Sacrifice without grumbling.
Loving sacrificially requires that we lay down our desires every day. When we can do that without grumbling, people will be blessed, and we will be blessed.
Yahshua is our shepherd. When we follow His example and draw from His strength which is available to us through the Holy Spirit — we can live a life characterized by supernatural love and lead others into a life of freedom, joy and peace they have never experienced.
Today Ujamaateaches us tothink about the needs of others and how we can place them before our own. Do you see a struggling mom with kids and groceries at the store? Let her get in line before you. Does your neighbour need help with his lawn? Take care of it for him. Does someone you know need help to get a business off the ground? Help them. Whatever the situation, listen to God and do what He says. Follow His prompting and leading when going about your day. If you feel like you should stop and serve, do it. This doesn’t necessarily mean you take on every opportunity presented to you. Pray. Ask God, then listen and do what He says.
Let’s Pray
Yahshua, if I have been selfish, keeping all the good to myself alone. Father, I pray that you forgive me. I know that there are people that need my help, give me the strength to help them and always stand for the right. God, I pray for the wisdom to do things the right way. Help me not to neglect people that I have the power to help today. Amen.
This month is black history month in the UK. As people of colour we have been through and still go through seasons of difficulty and storms in life. But during those times, we have to remember that Almighty God is greater than any struggle we face! He will carry us through those challenges and use them to strengthen us, like He has always done. But we have to do our part and take a step of faith toward our victory.
When I think about Black people, I’m reminded about the caterpillar before it becomes a butterfly. When it’s wrapped in its dark cocoon on the backside of some tree, it doesn’t look like it has many options. But inside that cocoon as it becomes a butterfly, it doesn’t just sit and wait for someone to come and let it out. No, that butterfly knows that it has to make a move if it’s going to be set free to fly. In the same way, we have to fight and continue to fight always doing something to get out of the confined difficult places we are in. We have to pray, we have to believe, and we have to press through to victory.
Today, no matter what race you may be or how tough things get, remember His grace is sufficient for you. His strength is made perfect in you. He has given you everything you need to overcome in this life. Now is the time to break free from negative thinking and rise to new levels because He has victory and blessing prepared for you!
“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness'” (2 Corinthians 12:9a, NKJV)
Let’s Pray Yahweh, thank You for giving us the strength to make it through any challenge we may face. Father thank you for Black History month here in the UK, because it teaches me that I can trust You. I declare that You are good and faithful. Thank You for equipping me for victory in every area of my life. God, today I leave the confined dark place of caterpillar and declare I’m free like a powerful colour filled butterfly in Christ’ name. Amen.
If It Had Not Been For The Lord Where Would You Be?
In the UK it’s black history month. As I look back at where God has bought us from, like the Lord says, “through many dangers’ toils and snares…,” all I can say looking back and reflecting is “if it had not been for the goodness of God, where would we be?” Some wouldn’t be alive today. Some would still be mentally messed up. If it had not been for God’s favour and love, some would still be struggling, barely making it. You may say, “we haven’t made it very far, we’ve got a long way to go.” And that may be true, but black or not, I want you to take a moment and look back over your life and realise how far you’ve come. The same God that brought you this far, the same God that has kept you alive, is going to carry you through any difficulty you may be facing.
Today, just start praising and thanking God for what He is doing and what He has done. Thank Him for His love and favour and blessings upon you. Praise precedes the victory. Praise brings the walls of opposition down. Praise is the invitation for God to intervene on your behalf! Friend, I declare that the goodness of God is all over you! He is directing your steps, and you are following His leading. I declare that your best days are ahead, and as you praise Him and thank Him, you will move forward into the victory and blessing He has prepared for you!
“If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.” (Psalm 119:92, ESV)
Let’s Pray
Yahweh, thank You so much for Your consistent goodness and faithfulness in my life, and the lives of my forefathers. I don’t know where we would have been without You. We were mistreated beaten and abused, but what the devil meant for bad, You have used it to make us stronger. Hallelujah! Father, I know that Your hand of favour is upon me. I know that You are leading me and guiding me in victory. I won’t give up, please keep me close to You, as I surrender every area of my heart and mind to You, in Christ’ Name! Amen. …
Albinism is the “congenital absence of any pigmentation or coloration in a person, animal or plant, resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink eyes in mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish and other small invertebrates as well.”Varied use and interpretation of the terms mean that written reports of albinistic animals can be difficult to verify.
For ages, Judith had a feeling that she would struggle to become pregnant. There wasn’t a medical explanation for this — it was simply a niggling fear.
She and her husband struggled to believe they would ever become parents after years went by without her becoming pregnant. “I found myself getting anxious and desperate,” Judith first wrote on Love What Matters.
“The fear remained no matter how hard I tried to stay positive. However, Eight years down the line, my husband and I decided to go for our second round of IVF. The first of which failed, as well as other various procedures and fertility treatments. Every ultrasound visit after that was horror”
Judith
The couple could hardly contain their joy when that second round of IVF proved successful.
Judith was carrying twins — a boy, Kamis, and a girl, Kachi.
It felt remarkable that after all these years, their aspirations and dreams of a family were about to be real.
However, mum’s joy quickly turned to horror as doctors broke the news that Kachi was “at risk and might not make it”. “Every ultrasound visit after that was a nightmare as Kachi was far behind in growth whiles Kamsi did great.
“Finally, at 37 weeks, I had to be induced immediately because I was told that Kachi had stopped growing..” After the birth Nurses let Judith hold her daughter briefly before she was whisked to the NICU.
“The first time I saw her, I wondered if the nurse was handing me my baby, or someone else’s,” Judith said. “I waited a few seconds for someone to tell me there was a mix-up?” “Soon the joy of seeing them both healthy surpassed any other feeling at that instant.”
“How did I get black and white twins?”
Several days later Judith and her husband were told that their baby girl had albinism.
“I loved my princess like every mother would love her baby but worried about her condition,” Judith said.
“I worried about her future, how society would treat her, how she’ll be accepted.
“Gradually, worry turned to sadness and I started questioning “I envied other black babies and thought, ‘Why me? Why was I the one to have an albino baby?’
“How did I get black and white twins?”
“I threw the braille sheets in the garbage”
Unfortunately, medical professionals were quick to affirm Judith’s worst fears and told her that Kachi would struggle to see and would likely need to learn to read braille.
“I couldn’t imagine Kachi reading with braille and threw the braille sheets in the garbage.” She said
“She’s so smart and has a strong personality. She knows what she wants and will always go for it. “I always tell her how beautiful she is, because she really is.
“I’m not sure she`s aware of her uniqueness at the moment, but eventually she’ll know.”
“It’s my responsibility to educate her and teach her to love herself no matter what.
Albinism
Albinism affects the production of melanin, the pigment that colours skin, hair and eyes. It’s a lifelong condition, but it doesn’t get worse over time.
People with albinism have a reduced amount of melanin, or no melanin at all. This can affect their colouring and their eyesight.
Albinism is caused by faulty genes that a child inherits from their parents.
Symptoms of albinism
Hair and skin colour
People with albinism often have white or very light blonde hair, although some have brown or ginger hair. The exact colour depends on how much melanin their body produces.
Very pale skin that burns easily in the sun and doesn’t usually tan is also typical of albinism.
Eye colour
Someone with albinism can have pale blue, grey or brown eyes. Eye colour depends on the type of albinism and the amount of melanin. People from ethnic groups with darker pigmentation tend to have darker coloured eyes.
Eye problems
The reduced amount of melanin can also cause other eye problems. This is because melanin is involved in the development of the retina, the thin layer of cells at the back of the eye.
astigmatism — where the cornea (clear layer at the front of the eye) isn’t perfectly curved or the lens is an abnormal shape, causing blurred vision
photophobia — where the eyes are sensitive to light
nystagmus — where the eyes move involuntarily from side to side, causing reduced vision; you don’t see the world as “wobbling” because your brain adapts to your eye movement
squint — where the eyes point in different directions
Some young children with albinism may appear clumsy because problems with their eyesight can make it difficult for them to perform certain movements, such as picking up an object. This should improve as they get older.
How albinism is inherited
The two main types of albinism are:
oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) — the most common type, affecting the skin, hair and eyes
ocular albinism (OA) — a rarer type that mainly affects the eyes
Autosomal recessive inheritance
In most cases, including all types of OCA and some types of OA, albinism is passed on in an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern. This means a child has to inherit two copies of the faulty gene (one from each parent) to have the condition.
If both parents carry the gene, there’s a 1 in 4 chance that their child will have albinism and a 1 in 2 chance that their child will be a carrier. Carriers don’t have albinism but can pass on the faulty gene.
X-linked inheritance
Some types of OA are passed on in an X-linked inheritance pattern. This pattern affects boys and girls differently: girls who inherit the faulty gene become carriers and boys who inherit the faulty gene will get albinism.
When a mother is a carrier of an X-linked type of albinism, each of her daughters has a 1 in 2 chance of becoming a carrier and each of her sons has a 1 in 2 chance of having albinism.
When a father has an X-linked type of albinism, his daughters will become carriers, and his sons won’t have albinism and won’t be carriers.
If you have a history of albinism in your family or you have a child with the condition, you may want to talk to your GP about getting a referral for genetic counselling.
A genetic counsellor provides information, support and advice about genetic conditions. For example, you can discuss with them how you inherited albinism and the chances of passing it on.
Albinism is usually obvious from a baby’s appearance when they’re born. Your baby’s hair, skin and eyes may be examined to look for signs of missing pigment.
As albinism can cause a number of eye problems, your baby may be referred to an eye specialist (ophthalmologist) for tests to check for conditions such as nystagmus, squint and astigmatism.
Electrodiagnostic testing is also sometimes used to help diagnose albinism. This is where small electrodes are stuck to the scalp to test the connections of the eyes to the part of the brain that controls vision.
The world went from
calling a ‘clump of cells’ nonhuman, to allowing abortions when the clump of
cells begins to ‘look human’, accepting third-trimester abortions, and now
pushing for the termination of babies moments before birth, or in some cases,
just after birth. It seems that what they are seeking is an all-inclusive
licence to kill.
Just the other day,
a cousin wanted help with writing up an argument for a school debate. The
debate? Whether you agree with abortion or not, and why. She took the pro-life
route, but not without some backlash for it. Another pro-choice family member
said that the world did not need any more unwanted children and that women who
were not ready to have children and take care of them must abort their babies
to save the rest of the world some trouble. I sat there for a moment, merely
listening to the debate going back and forth. The pro-choice side was quite
strong and appeared to be winning, but I decided to speak up and deliver one
line: you will answer to GOD for what you have done, I hope you’re ready for
it. Everyone sort of looked away, looking for something to say, but as they
were supposed professing Christians, they had nothing to say. Murder is murder,
no matter the stage of life. The excuse that a woman should have a right over
her own body at the expense of the growing baby in her stomach is weak. No
amount of getting angry or violent will change that fact.
I believe that most
people reading this are aware of what the Scriptures say about murder, life,
and being known by GOD before even conception has taken place. The most
beautiful verse about growing life is Psalm 139: 13-18, verses that I take
comfort in during times of uncertainty concerning my purpose and worth. As
Believers, we know that we can turn to GOD’S Word and find the words that we
need to overcome whatever challenges we are facing, but the rest of the world
does not. They are hellbent on living their lives as they will, not accepting
the consequences for their choices. Every problem must be looked at in context,
but sin does not need a framework to be considered sin, it just is because GOD
has said it is, and murder is a sin. For example, a young cousin of mine has
recently fallen pregnant due to her promiscuous lifestyle. She is 18 this year,
and instead of being in her last year of school, she is only beginning her high
school year as she has failed several times. This can be blamed on her lack of
school attendance. You dig deeper, and you’ll find that she was not disciplined
as a child growing up, in fact, she was primarily left to live her life as she
wished. Both her parents have now passed away due to AIDS, and she lives with
family members but does not respect them. Most of my family wanted her to get
an abortion because her baby would mean one more mouth to feed as she is not
working. According to the world, this context for abortion would be acceptable,
but to GOD it is not. What they are saying is that a life should be
extinguished due to the mistakes of the mother. So, if I was to use their
reasoning then the family of a murder victim should be allowed to kill the
murderer’s mother, father, siblings, or child to atone for what the murderer
has done. It doesn’t sound so acceptable when used in another situation, does
it?
Another family
member had a botched abortion, by botched I mean that the baby lived. She is
also living with HIV, and the father of the child is also HIV positive. We all
(or should) know that HIV can be avoided being passed down to the foetus;
however, her situation led her to take the abortion route. She already has
three children by three different men, does not have a stable job, and is an
alcoholic. She does not take care of her children, in fact, two are now
considered adults and can mostly defend for themselves. The last born is taken
care of by family members. The local clinic told her to have an abortion due to
these circumstances, but she waited until she was five months to do so. Off to
the hospital she went to remove the child from her womb, thinking that she
would not have to deal with another baby in her life. They removed the baby,
put it in a black bag, and tossed it on the cold floor of the morgue. A nurse
entered the morgue several hours later only to find mewling noises coming from
the bag. She opened it and realised that the aborted baby was alive! This sent
the hospital into a panic. They quickly got the baby into an incubator and
informed the mother that the baby was alive. Could you imagine the shock? For
the next five months, the baby was kept in an incubator, damaging her eyesight
in the process. When she was finally allowed to be taken home, the mother was
told that her baby would never be able to walk, talk, and would likely die as a
toddler. To top it all off, the baby was HIV positive. Ten years later, the
little girl is walking, and though she cannot speak, she uses sign language.
She is the sweetest little girl with a cheeky attitude of her own and is well
aware of all that goes on around her. She goes to a special school, is learning
how to write more clearly, and loves anything to do with drawing and colours.
In short, she is a girl like any other, even with her special needs.
Abortions can bring
about emotional trauma that may not be experienced immediately after, but let
me tell you that when it comes to bite your rear end, it takes a chunk. I know
of an old woman who is riddled with guilt for the two abortions she had as a
young woman. It gets so bad that she becomes gravely ill and has to be admitted
into hospital and put under observation. Her mind comes and goes, sometimes not
recognising her living children and calling out for those who have died. Her
reasons for abortion were tied to the hard times of the country when Apartheid
was still in effect. She is a black woman who had had relations with white men
(I do not know if it was rape) resulting in two pregnancies. She managed to
abort two of those pregnancies for fear of being found with a mixed-race child,
but she was not able to do so with her third pregnancy. Now as an old woman,
those abortions have come back to haunt her and do not give her peace.
Of course, the
argument of high-risk pregnancies also comes up. Let me stress here that I may
speak frankly, but I do not feel disgust for the people but for the sin. People
will say that a medical reason to abort the baby is acceptable, especially if
it puts the mother at risk. Also, if the baby is to be born with a deformity,
then it would be better to abort the baby before he/she is born. I hear what
the argument is, but my stand does not change. Abortion is wrong because it is
murder. People would sooner laugh in my face when I say that Jesus is the Great
Physician than listen, but it is true. Do you not think that He would be able
to save both mother and child? Do you not believe that He can help that child
with the deformity? The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is within us
today if indeed we are His. Nothing is impossible for GOD, but only if we
believe. To doubt is to tell Him that we do not believe that He can do anything
for us. He created the world, for goodness sake, will He not help a mother in
need? But the world chooses to reject Him still, and even His own people doubt
His power to heal. People would sooner find an excuse for their sin than humble
themselves and fall to their knees before Him to seek grace and mercy. Or,
worse yet, His own people deny that He still performs miracles and wonders in
the world today.
Forgiveness is
available to those who have had abortions in the past but regret having done
so. If you serve our Sovereign LORD, then you should know that He will forgive
you for there is no condemnation for those who believe. He scatters your sins
away and makes you clean. Do not miss this opportunity due to your guilt. He
loves you in spite of your sin, but you need forgiveness from Him and yourself
to be set free.
All I know is that
the GOD we serve does not change, neither is He cold to the plight of people.
He loves us all, but not all of us are His. He loves the downtrodden, the
deformed, the unwanted- all of them! The world may reject them, but Jesus
stands with open arms to accept them. What He did back then He can do today,
and what He considers sin is a sin no matter the reasons the world may give. At
the end of the day, you need to understand that there are consequences to
everything, and perhaps you will not experience those consequences now and go
about your life as you want to. But when you stand before the Ancient of Days
and give an account of your life, do not say that you were not warned.
After a long week of school, corporate office, or church ministry duties, you may favor watching films to unload the stress or just relieve your body of tiredness. Here are some Christian-themed titles for you to consider:
The Riot And The Dance
It’s also popularly known as Planet Earth. This is a nature documentary shared with us by Biologist, Dr. Gordon Wilson. Enjoy a variety of awe-striking nature and wildlife footage. This cinematic exploration may cause you to stop and pause in adoration of our great Creator God. Part 1 came out on March 19 with Part 2 set for a 2019 release. Get more info and watch the official trailer here.
Here are some notable feedbacks on the film:
John Piper, the founder of DesiringGod.org, said, “My wife and I loved it.”
Timothy G. Standish, a Ph.D. Senior Scientist Geoscience Research Institute, commented, “If your world has faded to black and white, The Riot and the Dance is the cure for colorblindness.”
Ken Ham, Founder and President of Answers in Genesis, said, “The stunning cinematography and explanations of God’s design will leave you giving our awesome Creator the praise He deserves.”
Paul, Apostle of Christ
The film retells the story of Luke the physician and the Apostle Paul, whom he visits in Rome during the latter’s imprisonment. The time is set during the reign of Nero who was then determined towards getting rid of Christians everywhere. Basing content from Scriptures, you will see Paul and Luke’s struggle depicted including the persecution of the Christian Church. Expect some deviations of course, as embellishments and extra-biblical rendering is often the norm when Christian accounts are turned into a film.
The cast includes Jim Caviezel (The Passion of The Christ), James Faulkner (Downton Abbey), Olivier Martinez (S.W.A.T.), Joanne Whalley (A.D. The Bible Continues), and John Lynch (The Secret Garden).
The film came out on March 23 with digital viewing for release on June 12. A Blu-ray and DVD release is also scheduled for June 19. Get more info and watch the official trailer here.
I Can Only Imagine
“I Can Only Imagine” is a beloved worship song that has impacted church people all over the globe. Matt Ballard, lead singer of MercyMe crafted the song in a matter of minutes but it took a lifetime of God’s crafting on his heart for it to reach a place of wondering about God and pursuit of Him. The film retells the lesson-filled life of Bart from a young age, touching on his broken relationship with an abusive father. It tells how he was encouraged and guided towards a musical pathway.
Here are some notable feedbacks on the film:
Jim Ward of USA Today found it “both beautiful and emotionally powerful.”
MovieGuide believes “Directors Andrew and Jon Erwin ”¦ deliver their most resonant, effective movie yet.”
Amy Grant said, “In the amazing new movie I CAN ONLY IMAGINE, there is an overarching story of redemption. And the beauty of the story of God’s redemption is: everybody can be included!”
The film came out on March 16. The DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital release are on June 12. Get more info and watch the official trailer here.
“If there ever comes a time when the women of the world come together purely and simply for the benefit of mankind, it will be a force such as the world has never known.” – Matthew Arnold, poet and cultural critic, 1822-1888.
Growing up, I loved strong female characters. As a child bookworm, I started with the adventures of Lucy Pevensie from C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, then graduated to some of the classics. I loved the wit of Elizabeth Bennet, the integrity of Jane Eyre and the willpower of Scarlett O’Hara – to name a few recognisable examples.
I confess that as a twenty-something, my love of strong fictional heroines hasn’t waned in the slightest. My inner child was ridiculously excited about the Wonder Woman movie last year.
Appreciating strong fictional characters is fairly universal, and we only need to count all the superhero movies over the past few decades to note that humanity has an intrinsic love of heroism.
Last week marked International Women’s Day and whilst I have numerous concerns about feminism, IWD is still an opportunity to honour women, and to talk about some of the issues it seeks to raise.
On International Women’s Day I found myself listening to church leaders as they spoke about God’s heart for women. Amongst all the wonderful insight they shared with the group was this fundamental reminder: There is a war against women, and it’s a spiritual one, going right back to the enemy’s temptation of Eve in Genesis. After the Fall, the Lord told Satan, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15).
Lisa Bevere writes in her book Girls with Swords: “Enmity is deep-rooted hatred and irreconcilable hostility. This describes a breach so profound that with each passing generation, Satan’s hostility and hatred deepens as he runs out of time and the urgency increases. Never has his attack against women and children been more wicked, obvious, and widespread.”
A mere glance at the list of evils facing women today around the world – human trafficking, pornography, abuse, gendercide, FGM, oppressive religious systems – will demonstrate that the enemy certainly has a vendetta against women. This doesn’t excuse humanity’s part to play – those who have oppressed, silenced, exploited and demeaned women. But at its root, this is a battle that goes much deeper, and man is not the enemy.
We are not called to partake in the ‘progressive’ movement, which is only driving divisions between men and women deeper still. We are not merely to condemn or mock the culture either. Both of these tactics are worldly and destructive.
The good news is that the cross redeems us from the curse of the Fall. As Christ’s Kingdom ambassadors, we are called to redeem and restore what has been tarnished and destroyed. Our mandate is to co-labour with God in restoring all things to His original design. To the one who thinks like the world, this seems counter-intuitive, backwards or regressive. To the one who is kingdom-minded, it is true progress.
Some of the injustices that need addressing are obvious and have already been mentioned. Others are more subtle and start ‘closer to home’.
Much has been said of how men should treat women – and rightly so. But less is said about the power women already have to instigate change in whatever sphere of influence they are in. I think the popularity of the fictional females I loved growing up is largely down to how they responded to adversity, not how they felt about it.
Whether or not you feel as though you’ve had to fight for your place, it doesn’t define your worth. In the Kingdom of God, you already have a place at the table, and there’s more than enough for everyone. Knowing this gives us permission to celebrate ourselves and one another. There’s no need for insecurity when God says you are enough; no need for jealousy and comparison when God has enough for you.
So let’s lift other women up, amplifying one another’s voices instead of muting them. Romans 12:10 (ESV) says ‘Outdo one another in showing honour’ – if we’re going to compete with one another in anything, let it be in this.
Much of the answer to winning the war on women lies in becoming less ‘me-centred’ (my rights, my convenience, my choice, my happiness), and more other-centered. To do the right thing when it’s hard, inconvenient and costs something. That’s not what we’d prefer to hear. We want easy fixes, comfort and ease. But that’s not the gospel. That’s not the way of the cross.
Bevere continues in Girls With Swords: ‘Heroes tend to champion causes rather than themselves. Being motivated by something outside themselves drives them to risk being more daring, compassionate, willing, responsible, and courageous.’
Movies that depict true heroism are popular for a reason. Wonder Woman was by no means perfect, but I think it resonated with so many because it appealed to something in us that aspires to these key traits of courage and selflessness. The movie celebrated men and women working together – Wonder Woman respected, befriended and loved men, even as she raised her voice in objection to the injustices and cynicism she encountered. Wonder Woman wasn’t screaming ‘down with the patriarchy’. She championed everyone around her whether or not they ‘deserved’ it.
Wonder Woman also seemed to kickstart a trend of displaying the power of female unity through its depiction of the Amazons, who reappeared in Justice League. It’s nice to see this trend continue in Black Panther with the Dora Milaje warriors – both ‘armies’ defend not only themselves but mankind. I love it when filmmakers unintentionally convey the heart of God and I hope to see more of this in future.
But more importantly, I hope that we move beyond the fantasy of film and work towards making these values manifest.
If you gain nothing else from this post, remember this: Change starts with you.
Some people would do almost anything to ward off ‘bad luck’ and bring themselves a little good fortune. There was a time in my life that I believed when things happened in my life it was either “lucky,” or “unlucky.”
As I have become a more mature Christian I have realized that there is truly no such thing as luck, luck is just a religion of the lazy and disillusioned. Here’s why.
A psychologist Richard Wiseman surveyed a bunch of people who considered themselves lucky or unlucky, then performed a very interesting test:
“[Wiseman] gave both the “lucky” and the “unlucky” people a newspaper and asked them to look through it and tell him how many photographs were inside. He found that on average the unlucky people took two minutes to count all the photographs, whereas the lucky ones determined the number in a few seconds.”
“How did the “lucky” people do this? Because they found a message on the second page that read, “Stop counting. There are 43 photographs in this newspaper.” So why didn’t the so called unlucky people see it? Because they were so intent on counting all the photographs that they missed the message.”
So what does this mean?
People who we often consider themselves lucky are more relaxed and open to what’s going on around them. Many people either do not see the open doors that God has provided for them or do not even believe that God will ever open a door for them. God is gracious and gives us blessings. I have learned if I can look beyond the raging storm, I can see where God is constantly blessing me and moving in my life.
This week, my primary doctor told me he was moving to another city. I will not deny that I was really sad as a unique doctor/patient relationship had formed. He has been the only doctor so far that has truly kicked open doors for me, validated me, listened to me, and truly cared for me. It is extremely hard to find a great doctor when you have chronic and rare illnesses. I can’t say enough about how much my now old primary doctor has been a blessing to me and my husband. It wasn’t by chance or luck that I got this doctor that only worked in my area for one-year. God placed him in my path. God used him to change every single one of my other doctors and now I have a great team. God used him for a short while to put some pieces together for me. God sent him to help in my journey but as life has it, God changes things up and that’s ok. I haven’t met my new doctor yet but I am very confident that God has once again moved in my best interest and is sending another person to help me get me to another point.
I had a choice this week. I could have had a meltdown and worried about the unknowns of my doctor’s replacement or I could have scurried to find someone else. Instead, I chose to find peace and solitude in my Father. I can trust that he is moving and I am not relying on luck or chance. The biggest part of trusting God is not knowing all of the answers but placing the unknowns directly in his hands and allowing him to move and bless me.
A lot has been written about Billy Graham’s legacy. Known for his combination of wit and wisdom, Billy Graham has been one of the most influential spiritual voices across the globe for decades reaching over 200 million people in more than 185 countries.
(Born November 7, 1918) Billy Graham is now 99 years of age, and while he is doing well, he does have the physical challenges that come with age.
He said;
“Over the years, I’ve had a number of illnesses and surgeries ”¦ Often they came just as we were about to embark on a Crusade or other project, and I could not help but wonder whether Satan was using them to attack our work in some way (and I suspect that was true). At the same time, though, God used them to teach me patience and to give me time that I might otherwise not have taken to read and contemplate.”
One fascinating part of Graham’s life is that he has personally met with 13 of the nation’s 45 presidents dating back to 1950.
Billy Graham still lives at his Montreat, North Carolina home.
It’s a good thing for the modern Church that Billy Graham was determined in his course as the truth he has preached for years still transcends all barriers of denominational differences, age, nationality, and culture, pointing millions to Christ.
Here are a few of his most memorable quotes:
“I feel sorry for the man who has never known the bracing thrill of taking a stand and sticking to it fearlessly. Moral courage has rewards that timidity can never imagine. Like a shot of adrenaline, it floods the spirit with vitality” ’- Billy Graham
“Self-centered indulgence, pride and a lack of shame over sin are now emblems of the American lifestyle.” ’- Billy Graham
“I’ve read the last page of the Bible, it’s all going to turn out all right.”’- Billy Graham
“When we come to the end of ourselves, we come to the beginning of God.”’- Billy Graham
“Jesus was not a white man; He was not a black man. He came from that part of the world that touches Africa and Asia and Europe. Christianity is not a white man’s religion and don’t let anybody ever tell you that it’s white or black. Christ belongs to all people; He belongs to the whole world”’- Billy Graham
“Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone – except God.”’- Billy Graham
“The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us.”’- Billy Graham
“The cross shows us the seriousness of our sin—but it also shows us the immeasurable love of God.”’- Billy Graham
“It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge and my job to love.”’- Billy Graham
“Without the resurrection, the cross is meaningless.”’- Billy Graham
“Believers, look up – take courage. The angels are nearer than you think.”’- Billy Graham
“Quit beating yourself up. We all live under grace and do the best we can.”’- Billy Graham
“God never takes away something from your life without replacing it with something better.”’- Billy Graham
“If you know Christ, you don’t need to beg for the Holy Spirit to come into your life; He is already there— whether you “feel” His presence or not. Don’t confuse the Holy Spirit with an emotional feeling or a particular type of spiritual experience.”’- Billy Graham
“We say to our children, ‘Act like grown-ups,’ but Jesus said to the grown-ups, ‘Be like children.”’- Billy Graham
“Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has.”’- Billy Graham
“Sin is the second most powerful force in the universe, for it sent Jesus to the cross. Only one force is greater—the love of God.”’- Billy Graham
“Knowing we will be with Christ forever far outweighs our burdens today! Keep your eyes on eternity!”’- Billy Graham
“The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us.”’- Billy Graham
“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened.”’- Billy Graham
“We are the Bibles the world is reading; We are the creeds the world is needing; We are the sermons the world is heeding.”’- Billy Graham
The test of a preacher is that his congregation goes away saying, not, `What a lovely sermon!` but `I will do something.”’- Billy Graham
“Millions of angels are at God’s command. “’- Billy Graham
“World events are moving very rapidly now. I pick up the Bible in one hand, and I pick up the newspaper in the other. And I read almost the same words in the newspaper as I read in the Bible. It’s being fulfilled every day round about us.”’- Billy Graham
“My home is in Heaven. I’m just traveling through this world.”’- Billy Graham
“God proved his love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, ‘I love you.”’- Billy Graham
“Suppose you could gain everything in the whole world and lost your soul. Was it worth it?”
“There is nothing wrong with men possessing riches. The wrong comes when riches possess men.”’- Billy Graham
“The only time my prayers are never answered is on the golf course.”’- Billy Graham
“A real Christian is the one who can give his pet parrot to the town gossip.”’- Billy Graham
“I have never known anyone to accept Christ’s redemption and later regret it.”’- Billy Graham
“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.”’- Billy Graham
“God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with.”’- Billy Graham
“Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion – it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.”’- Billy Graham
“Joy cannot be pursued. It comes from within. It is a state of being. It does not depend on circumstances, but triumphs over circumstances. It produces a gentleness of spirit and a magnetic personality.”’- Billy Graham
“Reading God’s Word and meditating on its truth will have a purifying effect upon your mind and heart, and will be demonstrated in your life. Let nothing take the place of this daily privilege.”’- Billy Graham
“The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God, forgive me,’ or ‘Help me.”’- Billy Graham
“Tears shed for self are tears of weakness, but tears shed for others are a sign of strength.”’- Billy Graham
“The framers of our Constitution meant we were to have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.”’- Billy Graham
“Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys.”’- Billy Graham
“The message I preach hasn’t changed. Circumstances have changed. Problems have changed, but deep inside man has not changed, and the gospel hasn’t changed.”’- Billy Graham
“The only hope for enduring peace is Jesus Christ.”’- Billy Graham
“The moment we take our last breath on earth, we take our first in heaven.”’- Billy Graham
“Someone asked me recently if I didn’t think God was unfair, allowing me to have Parkinson’s and other medical problems when I have tried to serve him faithfully. I replied that I did not see it that way at all. Suffering is part of the human condition, and it comes to us all. The key is how we react to it, either turning away from God in anger and bitterness or growing closer to him in trust and confidence.”’- Billy Graham
The following is a photograph of Graham with each president.
#1. HARRY TRUMAN (1884–1972) | DEMOCRAT | 1945–1953
#3. JOHN F. KENNEDY (1917–1963) | DEMOCRAT | 1961–1963
#4. LYNDON JOHNSON (1908–1973) | DEMOCRAT | 1963–1969
#5. RICHARD NIXON (1913–1994) | REPUBLICAN | 1969–1974
William Franklin Graham Jr. KBE (born November 7, 1918), known as Billy Graham, is an American evangelical Christian evangelist, ordained as a Southern Baptist minister, who rose to celebrity status in 1949.
#6. GERALD FORD (1913–2006) | REPUBLICAN | 1974–1977
#7. JIMMY CARTER (1924– ) | DEMOCRAT | 1977–1981
#8. RONALD REAGAN (1911–2004) | REPUBLICAN | 1981–1989
#9. GEORGE H. W. BUSH (1924– ) | REPUBLICAN | 1989–1993
#10. BILL CLINTON (1946– ) | DEMOCRAT | 1993–2001
#11. GEORGE W. BUSH (1946– ) | REPUBLICAN | 2001–2009
William Franklin Graham Jr. KBE (born November 7, 1918), known as Billy Graham, is an American evangelical Christian evangelist, ordained as a Southern Baptist minister, who rose to celebrity status in 1949.
The scars and stains of racism are still deeply embedded in Britain. We have made enormous progress in teaching everyone that racism is bad. Where we seem to have dropped the ball”¦ is in teaching people what racism actually is?
You’d think we’d have figured out how to treat each other by now.
In what feels like an increasingly volatile climate, that some of us are surprised by and others are less so, here a few quotes on racism, bigotry, and intolerance in the hopes that it would inspire us all to reflect and move forward.
We still believe the best days are ahead, that Martin Luther King’s dream will indeed be a reality, and that our commonalities will prevail over our differences. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who were tragically injured and killed during the shameful events in Charlottesville.
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” ’- Nelson Mandela
“Racism is man’s gravest threat to man – the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason.” ’- Abraham Joshua Heschel
“Race relations are fraught with land mines,” Michael Emerson warns, because racial groups tend to define racism differently-with whites emphasizing overt acts of prejudice and discrimination, and people of color focusing on group inequalities and unjust systems.” ’- Joseph Parker
“We must heal the divisions caused by intolerance and bigotry.” ’- Janet Reno
“Racism springs from ignorance.” ’- Mario Balotelli”
“But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness.” ’- 1 John 2:11
“People know about the Klan and the overt racism, but the killing of one’s soul little by little, day after day, is a lot worse than someone coming in your house and lynching you.” ’- Samuel L. Jackson
“You don’t fight racism with racism, the best way to fight racism is with solidarity.” ’- Bobby Seale
“No human race is superior; no religious faith is inferior. All collective judgments are wrong. Only racists make them.” ’- Elie Wiesel
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” ’- Martin Luther King Jr.
“Do you know what we call opinion in the absence of evidence? We call it prejudice.” ’- Michael Crichton
Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn’t matter which color does the hating. It’s just plain wrong.” ’- Muhammad Ali
“Prejudice is the child of ignorance.” ’- William Hazlitt
All humans are descended from Adam and Eve and so all are related and need the salvation offered by the Last Adam, Jesus.” ’- Unknown
“If a white man falls off a chair drunk, it’s just a drunk. If a Negro does, it’s the whole Negro race.” ’- Bill Cosby”
“Racism, in the first place, is a weapon used by the wealthy to increase the profits they bring in by paying Black workers less for their work.” ’- Angela Davis
“…racist thought and action says far more about the person they come from than the person they are directed at.” ’- Chris Crutcher, Whale Talk
“The roots of racism lie deep in man’s nature, wounded and bruised by original sin.” ’- Sargent Shriver
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” ’- Audre Lorde, Our Dead Behind Us: Poems
“It demands great spiritual resilience not to hate the hater whose foot is on your neck, and an even greater miracle of perception and charity not to teach your child to hate.” ’- James Arthur Baldwin
“Racism, because it favors color over talent, is bad for business.” ’- Steven Pinker
“For hundreds of years Jesus was portrayed as a blond-haired man with pale skin. This was profoundly unhelpful in the way Christians learned to relate to those of other races. Jesus’ dark skin and Middle Eastern birthright are part of his glory.” ’- Unknown
“Racism is a refuge for the ignorant. It seeks to divide and to destroy. It is the enemy of freedom, and deserves to be met head-on and stamped out.” ’- Pierre Berton
“Ignorance and prejudice are the handmaidens of propaganda. Our mission, therefore, is to confront ignorance with knowledge, bigotry with tolerance, and isolation with the outstretched hand of generosity. Racism can, will, and must be defeated.” ’- Kofi Annan
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” ’- Martin Luther King
“As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it—whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash.” ’- Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
“God cares about people regardless of their ethnicity, nationality, and social status (Deuteronomy 10:17-19).” ’- Unknown
From a biblical perspective, there is one biological race. This is confirmed by scientific studies on the human genome. Biblically and scientifically there is no defense of racism.” ’-Unknown
The problem is that white people see racism as conscious hate, when racism is bigger than that. Racism is a complex system of social and political levers and pulleys set up generations ago to continue working on the behalf of whites at other people’s expense, whether whites know/like it or not. Racism is an insidious cultural disease. It is so insidious that it doesn’t care if you are a white person who likes black people; it’s still going to find a way to infect how you deal with people who don’t look like you. Yes, racism looks like hate, but hate is just one manifestation. Privilege is another. Access is another. Ignorance is another. Apathy is another. And so on. So while I agree with people who say no one is born racist, it remains a powerful system that we’re immediately born into. It’s like being born into air: you take it in as soon as you breathe. It’s not a cold that you can get over. There is no anti-racist certification class. It’s a set of socioeconomic traps and cultural values that are fired up every time we interact with the world. It is a thing you have to keep scooping out of the boat of your life to keep from drowning in it. I know it’s hard work, but it’s the price you pay for owning everything.” ’- Scott Woods
“God calls Christians to oppose racism or prejudice of any kind.” ’- Unknown
“God cares how we treat each other because we’re all created in His image (Genesis 1:27). He makes no distinction between the inherent value of one race or ethnicity over another.” ’- Unknown
“Race doesn’t really exist for you because it has never been a barrier. Black folks don’t have that choice.” ’- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah
In The Sin of White Supremacy: Christianity, Racism and Religious Diversity in America (Orbis, 2017), Jeannine Hill Fletcher, Ph.D., professor of theology, examines theology’s culpability in perpetuating ideas that elevate both Christianity and whiteness over all else.
The beauty of the gospel is that the God who is one and yet three—unity and diversity—has created a kingdom where both unity and diversity is celebrated as various people worship a common Savior who bought them with his blood and united them with his body.
On June 22, 2015, Karen Fleshman posted on LinkedIn,
“White People, If You’re Not Part of the Solution, You’re Part of the Problem”
A direct plea for white folks to examine how their everyday actions contribute to institutionalized racism. Karen Fleshman suggested ways to change their behavior to improve race relations. The post quickly went viral, with 20,000 views and over 400 comments, 85% of which were not only merely negative but outright cruel as follows. “bereft of any connection to reality,” appalling, asinine, delusional, divisive, garbage, hateful, inflammatory, insane, preposterous, puerile, rubbish, stupid and other terms we would not repeat.”
While Karen knew white people maybe ultra-sensitive about the topic of race, she believed that many white people would be saddened by the state of race relations around the world and strive to improve. It was in that spirit that Karen Fleshman wrote the post.
“American nationals are not at all on the same page when it comes to race, and from what I can observe, at a time when it is crucial we come together, we are drifting even further apart.” – Karen Fleshman
The root of the structural racism problem is said to be about millions of people with the same biases who make up the organizations, both public and private sector and act accordingly.
Unfortunately, many People of Color are reeling from a series of events that they interpret as evidence that British and American society finds them of no value. Hence the slogan:
“Black Lives Matter.”
ENOUGH WITH RACIAL ‘RECONCILIATION
There is no precedent for racial harmony in British or American history; we have to begin to create a world that is not predicated on white privilege but on a common humanity. Before any talk of reconciliation, we need to begin with conciliation, the process to “overcome the distrust and hostility.
“Talking about reconciliation simply avoids the painful process of confronting the brutality of white privilege that continues to wreak havoc on black lives.”
RACISM, WHITE SUPREMACY IS A CHRISTIAN PROBLEM TOO
The racism of many personal interactions and microaggressions is real. This exists in the Church too. Racism is a social matter, not just a personal matter. It is cultural and intimately woven into our communities, our symbols and our formation of identity—even in places like London where crime rose sharply after the EU referendum, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).
“Non-racism is a popular third option where politeness and courtesy in behaviour or speech are paramount. It recognizes the evil of white supremacy but, like Pontius Pilate, washes its hands of responsibility.”
As Christians, we must recognize that there is no such thing as a non-racist. There isn’t a third option. Non-racism is merely a passive rejection of racism, but it is also a rejection of human dignity, solidarity, and the common good.
A NEW APPROACH TO HEAL THE RACIAL DIVIDE IS NEEDED
When people deny and dismiss the problem, it only makes it worse.
“Non-racism allows white people to acknowledge racism is a sin while continuing to reap the benefits of white supremacy.”
When the author of The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander speaks at churches, she says, “We’re all sinners and we’re all criminals.”
Today is the day for pastors and preachers and Christian university presidents and faculty and denominational leaders to loudly take a stand against racism in all forms. Denouncing it and categorically condemning it.
CONFESS YOUR ROLE
Michelle Alexander says “Confronting a system that benefits us might feel like a loss. We have to listen to hard stories, let go of some power, face discomfort and change our ways.”
“A group of Christians in Nazi Germany signed their names to the “Barmen Declaration,” in 1934 opposing Nazi ideology as antithetical to the Gospel. Christians feel the need to do the same thing almost Eighty years later.”
Confession creates all kinds of shameful feelings. We resist admitting our wrongs.
Confess your apathy and silence. Too few of us have said, enough. Too few have defended the cause of the marginalized and intervened in the face of blatant injustice.
The people of God can do better.
Christianity teaches that everyone is equal in the eyes of God.
The only question that remains is, will you remain on the sidelines – silent about the blatant racism all around – or will you join in leading the charge to end all the prejudice, and instead support all of God’s people?
This is your day to shine.
RACISM FACTS
A state of racism exists between some of the citizens of the United Kingdom. Studies taken by the BBC in 2014 and 2015 claim racism is on the rise in the UK, with more than one third actually admitting they are racially prejudiced
In 2003, the Community Service Society published reports that 50% of the black men in New York City didn’t have a job, and in 2005, another report demonstrating that there are 170,000 young adults ages 16-24 who are not in school and not working, largely black and Latino.
Black Caribbean pupils are permanently excluded from school three times as often as white British classmates
Unemployment among black, Asian and minority ethnic people is nearly double that of white Britons
Theresa May, UK Prime Minister recently admitted Britain has a long way to go to achieve racial equality after a major review laid bare significant divisions in the way black and ethnic minority people are treated. The race audit is welcomed because the data it provides cuts through easy stereotypes about race and class and shows the limits of a “good education” Black and Asian students do well at school, but lose out in the jobs market.
Much like the statistics, the reasons for this disparity are not new. The time for talking is now over, we must now move to debating solutions.
Edward Michael “Bear” Grylls was born 7 June 1974 and is a British adventurer, writer and television presenter from Northern Ireland. He is widely known for his television series Man vs. Wild (2006–2011), originally titled Born Survivor: Bear Grylls in the United Kingdom.
Bear Grylls May Be known for His Wild Ways and Impressive survival Skills, but There’s a Side to Him That Many Haven’t Seen.
Grylls is also involved in a number of wilderness survival television series in the UK and US and in 2009 was appointed the youngest-ever Chief Scout in the UK at age 35, but there’s a side to him that many haven’t seen.
Bear Grylls is a born again Christian and if you happen to meet him in person, you’ll quickly learn that he’s unashamed to tell you so. Whilst Bear Grylls doesn’t claim to be a perfect Christian, it was his deepest struggles in life which caused him to give his life to Jesus Christ.
When he was 4-years-old, Grylls’ family shifted to Bembridge village on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. From an early age, the adventurous little tyke learned to climb and sail with his father, who was a member of the prestigious Royal Yacht Squadron. But his curious ways and tendency to run towards danger made him a handful.
Grylls said, “I behaved badly at school, perhaps in part because Dad was working very hard, and often late. My mum, as his assistant, worked beside him. I remember once biting a boy so hard that I drew blood, and then watching as the teachers rang my father to say they didn’t know what to do with me. My father said he knew what to do, and came to the school at once. With a chair placed in the middle of the gym, and all the other children sitting cross-legged on the floor around him, he whacked me until my backside was black and blue.”
Bear became a Cub Scout at the age of eight, earning a dan black belt in Shotokan Karate when he was eleven. He learned to skydive as a young teen, and also was one of the youngest in the world to scale Mount Everest at the age of 23, but all the while, he clung to his Faith in Jesus Christ.
“I had a very natural faith as a kid,” Grylls told Relevant Magazine. “As a really young kid, I never questioned God. I just knew God existed and it felt like He was my friend.”
Young Grylls’ adventurous spirit and wild heart didn’t make it easy on his parents — and he has an endless amount of escape stories to prove it. Unfortunately in high school, Grylls came across several ‘believers’ that distorted his view of Christianity, and over time, Bear abandoned his Faith.
“When I got to school it [Christianity] became a lot more religious and I thought, ‘I don’t like this,’” he told CBN. “It was all about church-going and people telling you not to smoke behind the bike shed. I thought, ‘If this is God, maybe I’ve got the whole deal wrong.’ So I kind of ditched my faith.”
With stories like miraculously surviving a sinking mud-pit, and getting dismissed from prep school for kissing the headmaster’s daughter; Grylls’ teenage years make even the wildest teenagers appear to be god saints.
Reflecting back on his rebellious ways, Bear said, “I would explore all the forbidden areas of the school and grounds, and I knew I was faster and more agile than any of the security guards. One night, I attempted an ascent of the 120ft-high school library dome. Sir Ranulph Fiennes, a pupil before me, had conquered it by improvising a stepladder. I used the lightning conductor.”
At the age 16, Grylls lost his godfather who had been like a second father. Overtaken with grief and not knowing where else to turn, Bear found a refuge in God.
“I remember wanting to pray, but not knowing how to,” he recalled to CBN. Grylls climbed up in a tree and poured his heart out to God. “Will you be that friend to me that you were at five or six when it felt natural?” he asked.
Bear told Relevant Magazine, “It was no more complicated than that. And actually the amazing thing is that all God asks is that we sort of open the door and He’ll do the rest. So often we kinda hide behind our yearning for love and acceptance with loads of complicated theological questions, and actually once that’s stripped away, what we really are is just somebody who wants to have that relationship with your Father.”
With a renewed spirit and faith in Christ, Grylls joined the ‘Territorial Army’ (Army Reserve UK) after high school and worked at the Special Air Service unit of the army for three years. During a SAS skydive in 1996, Grylls survived a horrifying parachuting accident in Zambia. His parachute ripped at 16,000 ft, partially opening, causing him to free-fall and land on his back, but by the grace of God, Bear survived.
On 16 May 1998 just 18 months after his horrific accident, Grylls achieved his childhood dream of climbing Mount Everest in Nepal and was later recognised in the ‘Guinness Book of Records’ as the youngest Briton to climb Ama Dablam, a peak described by Sir Edmund Hillary as “unclimbable”.
Bear met his wife, Shara, after he had finally recovered from his parachute accident. It was love at first sight. And from that moment forward, the two wild-hearted adventurers were inseparable.
Grylls revealed, “I pulled out the ring from my butt cheeks,’ the TV personality explained during an episode of Piers Morgan’s Life Stories with a grin on his face. Despite the bizarre proposal, Shara said ‘Yes’.”
Grylls explained, “We figured that if [marriage] was the most important thing we were ever going to do, we should do everything we could to stop it breaking in the first place. At our wedding, we asked our guests for their best marriage advice. We got some gems of replies but the best came from a couple who had been married for 50 years. It was also the simplest: ‘Never stop holding hands.’ That’s what Shara and I have always tried to do, both physically and metaphorically.”
But within a year of their wedding, Grylls’ father – the most inspirational figure in his life – passed away at the age of 66.
“Losing my dad when we had just got married was a really tough one,” he admitted in an interview with The Telegraph. “Suddenly it was like, ‘Bang! OK. How are we going to pay the electricity bill? How are we going to look after our mothers?’ I felt totally thrown in the deep end. It always felt too early. We had to lean on each other, and that was when our marriage really started.”
Despite all of his accomplishments, Bear Grylls considers his Faith and family his greatest joys. He explained that activities don’t have to be “expensive or fancy” — it’s more about spending quality time together. “Togetherness is what it’s all about,” he added.
Bear and Shara have three sons, Jesse, Marmaduke and Huckleberry — the last of whom was born on their Thames River houseboat.
“We’ve been married almost 10 years, and that’s been a great glue to our family, actually. I look back now and I think it’d be really hard without that faith together — that sustained us.”
Grylls’ hosted eleven successful television shows, authored several books, and accomplished dozens of personal goals such as hiking Mount Everest, becoming the youngest Chief Scout ever (at the age of 34-years-old), wrestling an alligator, and holding the world record for the “Highest Open-Air Formal Dinner Party” — held in a hot-air balloon at 7,600m.
But despite his many achievements, Bear Grylls remains a humble family man who honors his wife and trusts in his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Christianity is not about religion, it’s about faith, about being held, about being forgiven. It’s about finding joy and finding home”¦ I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t want to be forgiven or held or find peace or joy in their life.
“The simple things is what I try to keep my faith like: Jesus is unchanging and we are forgiven”¦ I for one, do not want to reach the end of my life in a perfectly preserved body. I want to come flying in sideways, covered in scars, beaten up and screaming: ‘Yahoo! What a ride!’” – Bear Grylls
Christians overwhelmingly voted in favour of leaving the European Union last Thursday but the aftershocks will not only impact heavily on UK economic growth, but also on any foreseeable infrastructure developments due to the uncertainty created by the Brexit vote to leave, an industry source has warned. Polling from Lord Ashcroft showed that nearly six in ten of those who identified as Christian voted for Brexit.
Although numbers have fallen, 93 per cent of Christians in the UK are white. By contrast two-thirds of British Muslims are from an Asian background. And Lord Ashcroft’s poll showed that 67 per cent of Asians and 73 per cent of black people voted to remain compared to 47 per cent of white people.”
The assumed time frame for the UK-EU divorce terms to be agreed is two years which has left many businesses anxious and investors unclear of what the future may hold.
The conclusion of a recent analysis by the Pew Research Center in the US suggests that in the UK, the proportion of the population identifying themselves as Christians was approximately 64% in 2010.
The Knock-On Effects of the Brexit Vote
All Brits must now confront the truths about the forthcoming EU DIVORCE. Don’t kid yourself. Separation always harms both parties. However, what does this mean for investment in the capital project wise? Well, the Brexit verdict will impact construction projects as follows.
Osborne Said “It Is Very Clear That the United Kingdom Is Going to Be Poorer,” on a BBC Radio 4 Programme.
1. Access to Foreign Labour
The first most important issue is access to labour. A core principle of the EU is the right of free movement, which has made immigration between member states somewhat easy and stress-free. The construction industry relies heavily on overseas workers to fill both skilled and non-skilled job roles, and a significant percentage, predominantly within the London market, come from continental Europe.
“Across the UK, Nearly 12% of the 2.1 Million Construction Workers Come from Overseas, Official Statistics Indicate Largely from the EU.”
It’s logical that with an EU DIVORCE those skilled individuals will instead travel to France, Germany, or Spain, where the right of free movement still exists.
David Thomas, chief executive of Barratt Developments Plc the UK’s largest homebuilder said, “an EU DIVORCE would lead to a shortage of construction staff, and impair the UK Construction Industries ability to build houses.”
The free movement of labor in the European market has been seen as a positive for many. However, it’s also possible that a skills shortage may result in increased investment in training and upskilling of local workers to fill the gaps. This could also result in higher wages being demanded by those workers who are in the UK labor market which individual labors would no doubt welcome, but which in turn could escalate the cost of projects.
Migrant construction workers who have arrived in the UK in the past 10 years. – Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) 2014:
Another major concern is the investment in the UK. The EU presently makes it easy for companies in different countries to do business with, and invest in, one another.
European manufacturing giants Airbus has voiced concern about investing in the independent UK. Likewise, German firm Festo has said German companies should be cautious about investing in Britain. And let’s not forget that Germany is the financial driving force of the EU.
On the other hand, Lord Bamford, the Chairman of JCB is however persuaded that an eventual EU DIVORCE could reduce the costs of administration so much so that the costs of leaving the EU will be covered.
3. Prestigious Projects
An enormous question mark hangs over prestigious projects such as a third runway for Heathrow which has now been delayed again in wake of Brexit fallout and the Hinkley Point nuclear power station in Somerset which is now “extremely unlikely”.
A render of the proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.
There are also growing suspicions about the future of less well-known operations such as the London Gateway port in Essex, operated by Dubai’s DP World, which opened in 2013 and is still only half complete.
This new outbreak of ambiguity is also likely to engulf many other scheduled construction projects in the UK.
4. EU Legislation and Regulation
A significant amount of EU legislation is now rooted in UK law and affects construction. The EU DIVORCE would not instantly result in less regulation. By way of example, the CDM regulations basically enacted EU Directive 1992/57/EEC and there is no indication that the regulations or health and safety in the construction cycle will be swept away because of the leave vote. The UK may now choose to reduce the scope of this and other dictates or, abolish them completely. However, one thing is for sure, this will not happen overnight.
5. Imports and Exports
The supply of goods and services for the construction industry is a key driver of growth in the UK. The UK is at least partly dependent on imports from the EU, particularly Germany, Italy and Sweden.
In 2014, 53% of Goods and Services Were Imported into the UK from the EU.
The degree to which these may be affected depends upon the post-Brexit model.
6. Exchange Rates
Can Sterling’s Recovery Continue with Brexit Looming? From the moment the EU leave vote was announced, the Pound Euro exchange rate has been volatile.
Pound Euro Exchange Rate Reaches 1.2150 – Half-Way Recovered to the Week’s Opening Levels
In a trade where margins are tight, there is heavy dependence on the import and export of goods and services, currency fluctuations will have a major fiscal impact on construction projects. Whereas the inclusion of exchange rate phrases in constructions contracts is always an option, it does mean companies will need to undertake an additional level of strategizing, prior to planning or otherwise undertaking construction projects in the immediate future.
7. Access to Finance
The availability of money is often a pre-requisite for construction projects. Access to money can control whether or not a specific projects can proceed from design to construction.
Currently UK small and medium enterprises have access to SME financing which will at some point no longer be available once the EU DIVORCE is complete.
Standard & Poor’s stripped Britain of its “AAA” credit rating reducing it to “AA”. Fitch Ratings also downgraded its ranking for Britain’s creditworthiness by one notch.
It is therefore clear that the UK’s connection with the EU enhanced its creditworthiness. The looming EU DIVORCE is quickly changing all that. The cost for developers of finding finance for construction projects will no doubt also increase as lenders seek to impose higher interest rates.
The results of an imminent EU DIVORCE are complex and widespread and something that the wise business should be planning for now. There will be significant insecurity for businesses in the months, if not years, resulting from the vote to leave.
This failure to convince Christians of either the economic, spiritual or cultural benefits of the EU was disastrous for the Remain campaign and has changed the face of the UK forever.
