Displaying items by tag: Praise

Kelvin Burke’s life was for ever changed at age 23 when a tragic accident in the Lake District left him a paraplegic, ending his promising hockey career and dreams of the Olympics. Raised in a strong Christian family in Northern Ireland, he had already seen the devastating effects of IRA violence on others, including his beloved hockey teacher. After the crash, Kelvin fought for survival in hospital while believers around the world prayed. Though his physical future seemed bleak, he experienced deep encounters with God, including a vision of Christ sharing his tears and suffering which renewed his hope. He went on to lead youth ministry, train for ordained ministry, and later serve as a hospital chaplain, where he saw many come to faith and find healing. Though still longing for physical restoration, he gratefully testifies to God’s daily sustaining grace, a loving marriage, and a life used for God’s glory, echoing Jesus’ own prayer: ‘Not my will, but yours be done’.

The decision by a Dorset almshouse to sell a rare 15th-century Flemish altarpiece has opened an unexpected path toward expanding its longstanding mission of caring for those in need. The Almshouse of Saint John the Evangelist and John the Baptist in Sherborne discovered the artwork’s extraordinary value only after asking Sotheby’s to store it during building work. Expert analysis revealed that the oak triptych, depicting five miracles of Christ including the raising of Lazarus, was crafted in late-medieval Brussels and could fetch £2.5–£3.5 million at auction. The trustees unanimously agreed that selling the piece would best serve the local community, noting that the costs of securing, conserving, and insuring such a valuable object would be unsustainable for a small charity. Proceeds from the sale are expected to fund the remodelling of the almshouse to create six new independent-living homes and support ongoing maintenance of the Grade I listed building, furthering its 600-year-old mission.

Juman al Qawasmi, once married to a Hamas member and raised in a culture of deep hostility toward Israel and Christianity, experienced a dramatic encounter with Jesus that transformed her life. During the 2014 Gaza conflict, after praying desperately for God to reveal Himself, she dreamed of Jesus standing before her, telling her, 'You are my daughter; don’t be afraid’. She described an overwhelming peace she had never known in Islam, where she felt she could never do enough. Juman had already begun questioning a belief system marked by violence, yet she had never heard the name Yeshua before this encounter. Born in Qatar to a father who was among Hamas’s founders, she once voted for Hamas but now openly rejects its agenda of hatred, corruption, and control. Discovering more about Christ through an Egyptian Christian website, she was deeply moved by His teaching to love one’s enemies and amazed to learn that many Muslims are meeting Jesus through dreams. With radiant joy, she now urges others: 'Cast your eyes on Jesus; He is the way!'

Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs is urging believers worldwide to pray earnestly for persecuted Christians, especially during the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. He explained that this initiative was not created as a campaign but simply answers the persecuted church’s first and most urgent request: 'Pray for us’. He described how deeply suffering believers understand the power of prayer, having seen God intervene when all earthly help failed. He recently heard testimonies firsthand, including a remarkable account from an Indian pastor arrested under an anti-conversion law. Determined to keep preaching the Gospel, the pastor was imprisoned and brutally beaten for seven days - hung upside down and struck by guards until they were exhausted. Yet he felt no pain, describing God’s supernatural protection. In an astonishing turn, the same warden who ordered the beatings invited him to speak about Good Friday and later granted him freedom inside the prison to share Christ. The pastor even prayed for the warden’s sick son, who recovered miraculously.

More than twenty years after the vision was first received, plans for the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer in Warwickshire are finally moving forward. The 169-foot-high monument, almost three times the size of the Angel of the North, will be made from a million bricks, each digitally linked to a unique story of answered prayer. Its creator, Richard Gamble, a former chaplain to Leicester City Football Club and the 2012 Olympics, describes it as 'a monument to make hope visible’. Designed as a Mobius strip symbolising eternity and God’s unending faithfulness, the project has faced years of financial and engineering challenges. But a £30 million gift from a Christian Tory peer has now transformed its future, covering the majority of the £45 million cost. Gamble says the vision has always been about glorifying Jesus through the testimonies of His people. When completed, the wall will stand as a national landmark of faith, thanksgiving, and answered prayer.

On 17 October India’s supreme court of India rejected a religious conversion case against officials of a noted agricultural university in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, after a protracted legal battle which started in April 2022. The officials, and also staff of a mission hospital, had been accused by a Hindu nationalist of coercing a woman into converting to Christianity and then forcing her to bring nearly sixty other women for a conversion meeting. The court found no credible evidence to substantiate the allegations, and stated that the complainant did not have the legal right to file the complaint. It also recognised serious procedural deficiencies and violations of due process. Delighted Christian community leaders have claimed the ruling as a historic victory which strengthens faith in the justice system and affirms the constitutional promise of religious freedom. It provides a crucial precedent for cases under similar state-level anti-conversion laws, and stands as a reminder that even in cases involving sensitive socio-religious issues, the principles of due process and statutory integrity remain paramount.

In her first interview since the tragic assassination of her husband, Christian commentator Charlie Kirk, Erika Kirk said that her faith in Christ has overcome all fear. When asked if she felt safe, she replied, 'What are they going to threaten me with - going to heaven sooner to be with my husband?' She explained that her confidence is not recklessness but a trust in God’s sovereignty: 'It’s a fearlessness rooted in the understanding that I will have my day and my time whenever that is - when the Lord knows I’ve completed my mission.' She added that neither she nor her husband ever lived in fear, saying, 'If we did, we would never get anything done’. Her response has moved many believers worldwide, standing as a bold witness to courage in grief and unwavering hope in eternal life. Her peace in suffering testifies to the power of faith over fear.

Great British Bake Off champion Jasmine Mitchell, 23, has shared how her Christian faith sustained her throughout the high-pressure competition. The youngest-ever contestant to win ‘Star Baker’ five times, Jasmine said that she leaned heavily on prayer: 'Walking to the tent, I would just pray the Lord’s Prayer in my head. It didn’t take away the stress, but I felt God walking beside me.' Balancing filming with her medical studies, she described the experience as a 'complete miracle' of God’s sustaining grace. She also spoke openly about her journey with alopecia, saying she once prayed for her hair to return, but realised God’s healing meant becoming whole and confident in who He made her to be. Her church community has been a constant encouragement, quietly sharing her bakes and supporting her faith-filled journey. 'God has healed me to make me more whole’, she said, 'and I’m learning to see myself the way He sees me.'

At the World Evangelical Alliance general assembly in Seoul, researcher Jason Mandryk from Operation World revealed that evangelical Christianity is growing faster in Africa than anywhere else in the world. In 1960 evangelicals comprised 8% of global Christians; today, with around 650 million believers, they exceed 25 percent. Nearly 70% of global Christian growth now occurs in Africa, where vibrant churches thrive amid rapid urbanisation and strong family life. Mandryk noted that while Western growth is modest, Africa, Asia and Latin America are reshaping the face of Christianity. Yet he warned that discipleship, leadership training and moral integrity must remain priorities if this expansion is to mature. David Tarus of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa said 90% of African pastors lack formal theological training, calling for education to reach local communities rather than relying on institutions. Both leaders urged clarity, humility and renewed holiness as the movement’s influence widens. The shift, Mandryk said, shows that the 'future of Christianity' has already arrived - rooted in the Global South. See

At the World Evangelical Alliance general assembly in Seoul, Asbury University president Kevin Brown reflected on the 2023 Asbury revival, praying it would one day be remembered as a mere 'tremor' before a global Christian awakening. What began as a small chapel meeting became a 16-day outpouring that drew 50,000 people from 287 universities worldwide. Brown believes that since then, spiritual renewal has continued to spread — seen in mass baptisms, worship gatherings like Baptise America and Gather 25, and growing Bible engagement across generations. He cited evidence of rising church attendance in both the USA and Europe, with England and Wales reporting a 50% increase since 2018. At the Lausanne Congress, Brown witnessed thousands from over 200 nations worshipping in unity, sensing a worldwide stirring among youth. He urged believers to pursue true revival, marked not by emotion but by unity - the oneness Jesus prayed for in John 17 - a heart-level allegiance to God reflecting the love between Father and Son.