Freer Again?

This sounds like good news from Kazakhstan:

According to the Constitutional Council (CC), the amendments to the religion law, passed by the Kazakhstan Parliament in late 2008, are in conflict with the country’s Constitution, CC chairman Igor Rogov said.

[…]

The bill passed by the parliament involved, in particular, changes and amendments to the section of the Code of Administrative Offenses, which imposed liability for violating the law on the freedom of religion and religious associations.

It also suggested detailed regulation of religious groups.

Under Siege in Egypt

Daughter of Convert Attempts Suicide

Mariam Azmy Fouad, a Christian secondary school student in the satellite city of Tenth of Ramadan east of Cairo, narrowly escaped death when she attempted suicide after being required by her school to sit for an Islamic religion test paper even though she is Christian. Mariam’s father had converted to Islam making her, according to Egyptian law, automatically a Muslim. She was shocked and greatly humiliated at the sarcasm of her classmates which brought on hysterical tears and apparently made suicide a welcome idea.

She repeatedly cried she was Christian and would not answer the test, insisting that her faith had nothing to do with her father. After swallowing some pills, Mariam was moved to hospital where she was given a gastric lavage to save her life.

[…]

Mariam was finally allowed to take the Christian religion exam on January 29, the last day of the school term.

Pray for her strength. And her faith. And her hope. And her joy. And her peace. And her….

Christian Seed in Islamic Soil

Revival Comes to the Muslim World

Some call it a revolution in the Middle East but it’s not the result of political movement. Muslims are coming to faith in Jesus Christ in large numbers.

[…]

“Just in the four countries we work in, we’re projecting one hundred new churches just in Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt,” he explained. “In Iran, the ministries that are working together are projecting 10,000 churches in Iran next year. That’s how fast they’re opening up to the Gospel.”

So there is good news out there!

72-Hour Kit

So I followed a Google Alert for Anabaptist to someone’s blog. And I noticed in the blog’s sidebar a link to a 72-hour kit. That got me curious. So I did a little further (re)searching.

How to Make a 72-Hour Survival Kit, Whatcom County Washington

When a disaster strikes, your community emergency services and government agencies may not be able to respond to your needs immediately. Their buildings, equipment, personnel, communications, and mobility may be severely hampered by the event. They will be overwhelmed.

Experts warn that you should be prepared to be on your own for a minimum of three days after a disaster. One of the most important elements of this preparedness is the 72-hour kit for your home or office. The contents of this kit will vary, but in every case it should contain the things you need to survive for three days on your own.

Read it all

Christians in the News

Got you curious who will be featured here?

Almost certainly not the ones you might expect, I suspect. 🙂

IRAN: Two released; one missing

Two of the Christians who were held in custody have been released on bail and guarantee but there is no news of whereabouts of the third.

The Farsi Christian News Network reports that after the arrest of the 3 Christians by the security forces in Tehran on 21st January, and the general concern on their safety, Mrs. Nadere Javadi was released after 2 weeks of imprisonment in Evin Prison . there was no charge and no explanation as to the reason of her arrest by the security forces. She was released on bail, having left house documents as guarantee.

Also, Hamik Khachiki, another Christian leader from the Central Assemblies of God church in Tehran, who was also arrested on 21st January, was released after one week of being in custody. Another member of church leadership had to guarantee for him.

For the last two weeks, despite all efforts and enquiry, there has been no success in finding out the location and the condition of Jamal Ghalishourani, a Farsi speaking Christian, who was also arrested on the same date as the above.

Read it all

Warning: Google Warming

Disclaimer: Despite the title above, I don’t know of any relationship between these two stories.

California farms, vineyards in peril from warming, US energy secretary warns

California’s farms and vineyards could vanish by the end of the century, and its major cities could be in jeopardy, if Americans do not act to slow the advance of global warming, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said Tuesday.

In his first interview since taking office last month, the Nobel-prize-winning physicist offered some of the starkest comments yet on how seriously President Obama’s cabinet views the threat of climate change, along with a detailed assessment of the administration’s plans to combat it.

Whoa! And woe! This is coming from a physicist. And one that won a Nobel Prize at that. Pretty impressive.

Five paragraphs later, though, this: “Chu is not a climate scientist. He won his Nobel for work trapping atoms with laser light.”

Oh.

So what about Google? Well, this:

Google Offers “Latitude” to Track People

Google is releasing free software Wednesday that enables people to keep track of each other using their cell phones.

CNET got a sneak peek at it, and CNET-TV Senior Editor and The Early ShowNatali Del Conte explained how it works on the show Tuesday.

She says “Latitude” uses GPS systems and what’s called cell tower triangulation to do the job. The software seeks the closest three cell towers and, with GPS, combines the data to show where someone is.

It is designed to work on any phone with Internet capabilities, except the iPhone.

“Latitude” is being marketed as a tool that could help parents keep tabs on their children’s locations, but it can be used for anyone to find anyone else, assuming permission is given.

What’s the history and rationale behind their name choice for this new “tool”?

Above all, love God!

since November 9, 2005
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