At a time when Google, Facebook and Twitter newsfeeds are crowded with negativity, Frankly Faraci is an inspirational new Dove Channel show that can be found across the web on tablets, TVs, smart phones, and laptops. It premiered on 21 March, and promises to uplift and entertain audiences of all ages. They want to encourage viewers that good does still exist - and remind them that God can use anyone who is willing to be part of His plan. There is a perception that Christians are judgmental, angry, holier than thou, and finger-wagging, but non-Christian viewers will see that Christians are amazing and fun and cool and the kind of people that they would want to hang out with. The show has an unhidden agenda, to push back against all the negativity. It is hoped that families will tune in and children learn that the sky's the limit, as the programme gives them great role models to look up to. That's really the heart of what they want to do.

As the death toll climbs to 72 from floods and mudslides in Peru, experts say the rainy season could last another two weeks. To date, over half a million people in and around the country's capital, Lima, have been affected by the storms and flooding. Pray for the thousands forced to evacuate hundreds of thousands of homes. Pray for those attempting to repair the seriously damaged infrastructure, with hundreds of bridges destroyed. These have been Peru’s worst floods in recent memory. ‘We are confronting a serious climatic problem,’ said President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. The disaster came after a period of severe drought and is blamed on abnormally high Pacific Ocean temperatures. The country is ill-prepared for the growing challenges of climate change. The disaster affects more than half the nation. See also

Mariyam Petrayus, a blind Christian woman, was trapped under IS control in Mosul for over two years before she escaped. When IS took over territory in Iraq, it gave Christians and other religious minorities the option to convert to Islam, pay a large tax or die. Mariyam, who is now living in the Sewdinan displacement camp, recounted at least one instance in which an IS jihadist pressured her to convert to Islam. Mariyam, who is in her 50s, refused to deny Christ. ‘He told me, “Why don't you convert to Islam? Why are you Christian?” I told him that everyone is on their religion, and nobody leaves their religion.’ She also told the jihadi that she did not want to convert to Islam and be anything like him.

Some Christians study weather patterns over North Korea in order to choose the best time to launch helium-filled weather balloons, with a GPS transponder, carrying gospel tracts and New Testaments into the country. By including a GPS transponder, workers can track the paths and see where the precious payloads land. Another method of reaching the unreached involves radio broadcasts from South Korea. The North Korean government tries to jam signals, but frequencies are repeatedly changed and sharing the Good News continues. North Korean defectors read Scriptures over the air deliberately slowly so that listeners can write down passages of God’s Word themselves. These handwritten verses are the only Bibles that many will ever have in a nation where owning a Bible is only a dream for most. Also brave Christians hand out Bible tracts. John was detained for passing out gospel tracts in North Korea. Listen to his story by clicking the ‘More’ button.

Are we prepared, alert and ready to talk about Jesus? Are we living in a way that stirs people to ask us for the reason for the hope that we have? Together as God’s people, today and every day, we have God-given opportunities to share our faith. How can we live intentionally to make the most of every opportunity? Lord, thank you that out of Your great love for us, You sent Your son, Jesus, who in turn sends us.

(Phil Timson, HOPE Youth Director)

Leading homeless charities were criticised after fresh revelations about their links to the Home Office. A report from Corporate Watch said that several homeless charities, including St Mungo's and Thames Reach, are ‘collaborating’ with the Home Office to remove foreign rough sleepers from the UK. Among the documents referred to in the report is a St Mungo's policy paper stating that if clients are not engaging with their service their details will be passed on to immigration enforcement teams by outreach workers. The refugee and migrant group Ramfel said it had become abundantly clear that there was more than a close collaboration between homelessness agencies and the Home Office. This is an issue of trust and confidence and if homeless people on the street cannot trust those that claim to be coming to assist them, then the meaning of charity needs a serious rethink.

EU citizens in Britain are the victims of ‘political games’ and their rights must be the first item in the exit talks, the European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator has said. Guy Verhofstadt called for the fate of those three million EU nationals, and of British ex-pats, to be settled before negotiations on the rumoured £50bn ‘divorce bill’. Mr Verhofstadt said the EU parliament would agree a resolution soon after the Article 50 exit clause is triggered in the next few weeks, which it would expect to guide those talks. Otherwise the parliament could exercise its right to vote down any eventual deal agreed between the UK and the European Commission. ‘We vote no - that is possible,’ he said. MPs recently overturned a Lords’ amendment to the Brexit Bill urging the Prime Minister to give a unilateral guarantee that EU citizens will be able to stay in Britain.

OMG stands for Oh My God. Poundland has a nationwide advertising campaign using 'OMG'. Many believe the advert blasphemes God's name and sends the message that God has no space in our national life except to advertise bargain products. A supporter of Christian Concern contacted them after seeing the advert. Christian Concern suggest complaining to Poundland if they share this concern. Points to raise could be: a) finding the advert offensive because OMG treats God's name as an advertising gimmick; b) for millions of UK Christians, God's name is holy and due reverence and respect; c) our nation is historically Christian, and many of the freedoms we enjoy result from the influence of God's people living out their faith in society - OMG suggests that God is no longer a serious part of our national life; d) other religions have a presence in the UK, and would Poundland consider running a slogan treating the name of their gods or gods in the same way?

John Swinney MSP, Deputy First Minister and cabinet secretary for education, has outlined his intent to relaunch the controversial Named Person Scheme. The Scottish Government was compelled to rethink its approach following the success of the No to Named Person Coalition, which argued before the Supreme Court that the scheme was incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. CARE also raised concerns that the scheme is an unwelcome intrusion which will undermine parental authority and potentially misuse private data; in practice, parents are best placed to take care of their children. Mr Swinney has not clarified whether the scheme will be proactive or will be responsive to parents’ needs. Whilst CARE is pleased that there has been a consultation on how data will be shared, there has been little attempt to define key terms in the bill which could potentially lead to huge discrepancies in its operation.

The election has seen changes in how Stormont will look in the future. People have gone, party allegiance has shifted for many, and the outlook for the governance of Northern Ireland is uncertain as talks begin to form a power-sharing executive. The former first minister Arlene Foster will lead the Democratic Unionists into negotiations aimed at rebuilding power-sharing. She wants the discussions to deliver a new regional government, and vowed to work with all parties to achieve that. Sinn Féin and its leader Michelle O’Neill also insist that they want the negotiations to succeed. Many believe the prospect of the parties reaching a power-sharing agreement in the three-week timeframe imposed by Northern Ireland secretary of state James Brokenshire appears remote. If that deadline passes, the Government must either call another election or put Stormont in cold storage and reintroduce direct rule, which nationalists strongly oppose.