23rd Annual Worldwide Weekend of Prayer for the Addicted

CLEARWATER, Fla., Feb. 6, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- The weekend of April 6 - 7, 2013 has been designated as the 23rd Annual "Just Pray NO!" to drugs Worldwide Weekend of Prayer and Fasting. Since April 7th, 1991 "Just Pray NO!" has united millions of Christians from 150 nations and territories around the world in intercessory prayer on behalf of the addicted and their families.

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16

Not only is substance abuse America's number one health problem, the devastation of alcoholism and other drug addiction has impacted families and communities worldwide. Substance abuse has been directly linked to violence and sexual immorality and is a major source of income for organized crime and terrorist activities.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

Make a formal commitment to join with believers in Christ from around the globe this coming April. Put on the full armor of God and fervently pray in spirit and in truth. We are seeking to enlist millions of prayer warriors from around the world to join us in battle!

We are not only praying for the release of those bound by substance abuse but also for people to be delivered from pornography, gambling, obesity and smoking.

We are seeking individuals and groups which are willing to commit to pray weekly on behalf of the addicted and their families, and then join with multitudes of other committed Christians from around the world in prayer and fasting during the weekend of April 6 - 7, 2013.

If you believe that God is calling you to intercede for the addicted please contact us.

To find help for addiction through prayer and Christian ministries log on to our web site: justprayno.org. To learn how groups can participate in our annual prayer event, click on "Information on the Annual Worldwide Weekend of Prayer" or email: justprayno@aol.com.

View our "Pray No to Drug Overdose Video" and share this link with your friends: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXZ6Y3DWtd0&feature=youtu.be

For a personal interview with "Just Pray NO!" Founder and Author Steven L. Sherman, in the U.S.A. call: (727) 647-6467 or email: justprayno@aol.com

Christian Newswire

Open Doors USA Launches New 5-5-5 Challenge

Campaign Promotes Prayer and Support for Christians Suffering in World Watch List Countries

SANTA ANA, Calif., Feb. 6, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- Open Doors USA has launched a campaign to pray and support persecuted Christians called the "5-5-5 Challenge."

Each year Open Doors releases the World Watch List, a ranking of the top 50 countries which are the worst persecutors of Christians. North Korea has held the No. 1 spot for 11 years in a row. Other countries following North Korea on the 2013 list are Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Maldives, Mali, Iran, Yemen and Eritrea.

The 5-5-5 Challenge is a three part campaign. The first part is a challenge to set aside five minutes (or more) a week to pray for the country of the week on the World Watch List website. While some of the countries on the list are frequently in the news, such as North Korea and Syria, there are some that are rarely noticed. Those include such countries as Maldives and Eritrea. This portion of the challenge was created so Christians in every country on the World Watch List are covered with prayer.

The second part of the challenge is to share the challenge with five friends on various social networks and to encourage them to get involved in the 5-5-5 Challenge. The final part of the challenge is to give $5 a month (or more) to support persecuted Christians around the world.

Here is how the campaign works:

• Users sign up on the website at www.worldwatchlist.us


• Each week they will receive an email with the featured country from the World Watch List


• Users click through the email to visit the detail page of the website where they can pray (write a comment) and share the page on social media


• On social media, Open Doors focuses on the featured country during the week, sending people back to the detail page of the World Watch List website


• There is also a place on the website to give $5 or more.

Open Doors USA Interim President/CEO Steve Ridgway states: "People love a challenge and Open Doors USA is offering a very unique challenge. We are asking you to pray, communicate and give. The first is a challenge of time, the second involves informing others about our persecuted brothers and sisters and the third is a sacrifice of your resources. Will you join us? Will you dare to engage and step into the lives of faithful Christians who live in hostile places? Will you risk by being one with them?"

The World Watch List website offers numerous resources for the 5-5-5 Challenge for both individuals and churches. Some of the resources include sermons, bulletin inserts, infographics, pictures, videos and testimonies. All of the resources can be downloaded at www.worldwatchlist.us.

For almost 60 years Open Doors has worked in the world's most oppressive and restrictive countries, strengthening Christians to stand strong in the face of persecution and equipping them to shine Christ's light in these places. Open Doors empowers persecuted Christians by supplying Bibles and Christian literature, training Christian leaders, facilitating social/economic projects and uniting believers in the West in prayer for Christians, who are the most persecuted religious group in the world and are oppressed in at least 60 countries. To partner with Open Doors USA, call toll free at 888-5-BIBLE-5 (888-524-2535) or go to our website at www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.

(For more information or to set up an interview, contact Open Doors USA Media Relations Director Jerry Dykstra at 616-915-4117 or email JerryD@odusa.org.)

Christian Newswire

National College Ministry Warns 'Bang With Friends' via Facebook Evilest App Ever

By Alex Murashko , Christian Post Reporter

February 7, 2013|9:37 am

A national school campus ministry group is warning college students and other young people about a new social media app that facilitates sexual encounters between Facebook friends who are anonymously interested in having sex. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA is calling "Bang With Friends" the evilest app ever.

"InterVarsity cares about college students and about living out biblical truth – this app is not healthy for students or consistent with Christian ethics," Adam Jeske, the organization's associate director of communications, told The Christian Post via email. "Don't go anywhere near this app! And that's not just for college students, but advice I give to myself and to my friends – what real good can come from something that explicitly exists to help us secretly connect and have sex?"

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/national-college-ministry-warns-bang-with-friends-via-facebook-evilest-app-ever-89623/#70iPka1iT3AclX29.99

God’s Word: Who’s on fire about it - and who’s not?

he results are in. After surveying and analyzing the 96 most populous cities in America, The Barna Group unleashed which ones are the most Bible-minded and the ones that have the least regard for things biblical.
The trend? As might be expected, cities in the South typically tended to be hotter for the Bible, while the New England region tended to be the coldest.
Commissioned by the American Bible Society, the Barna study's results reflect societal Bible trends, such as residents' weekly Bible reading, their view of the accuracy of the Bible and the way they engage, accept and esteem Scripture.

READ MORE AT ONENEWSNOW

True Love Waits returns to where it began 20 years ago

Posted on Feb 7, 2013 | by Sharayah Colter

NASHVILLE (BP) -- True Love Waits morphed from a nameless concept in coffee break conversations into a movement that, beginning in February 1993, steadily spread to teenagers across the country.

That month, 53 youth at Tulip Grove Baptist Church committed themselves to sexual abstinence before marriage.

In the 20 years since, millions of teenagers have followed suit, bringing abstinence to the national conversation and strengthening innumerable marriages before they ever began.

The grassroots movement calling teenagers to make commitments of purity celebrated its local-church anniversary with a True Love Waits-themed Disciple Now weekend Feb. 1-3 at the Nashville-area church where the first group of Tulip Grove students made a True Love Waits pledge.

READ MORE AT BAPTISTPRESS

Matt Moore, the World Does Not Define Us

by Dan Navin
An Offensive Faith
Matt Moore is a Christian blogger who openly acknowledges his struggle with same sex attraction. He has written extensively of a past spent pursuing sex with other men, drinking, and drugs. He became convinced of the sinfulness of his lifestyle in 2010 and became a follower of Christ. Matt has blogged extensively about Christianity and the sinfulness of practicing homosexuality. You can learn more of Matt by visiting his blog at http://moorematt.com/. He also appears on The Christian Post.
On February 5th, news articles began appearing which told of Matt’s picture and profile on an app called Grindr. According to its website, this app allows users to locate nearby “gay, bi, and curious guys for dating or friends”. One of the prominent uses of Grindr is to facilitate “hook ups” by listing users in order of their proximity to each other.

READ MORE AT CPBLOG

Pastor Apologizes For Writing 'I Give God 10%' On Receipt

 The St. Louis pastor who caused a stir after writing "I Give God 10% why do you get 18" on her receipt, instead of leaving a tip, has apologized for writing the note.

Pastor Alois Bell told The Smoking Gun that she was embarrassed about the whole brouhaha. The note was "a lapse in judgment that has been blown out of proportion," Bell told the blog, adding that she left a smaller tip in cash on the table.

Read More at Huffington Post

Forgiveness Gives a Second Chance

National Marriage Week Tackles Poverty, Christian Divorce Rate, and Intimacy Problem

By Leonardo Blair , CP Contributor

February 6, 2013|4:55 am

Take your pick. Whether you are looking for ideas for a date night, Valentine's Day or a bigger solution to preserving your marriage this year, National Marriage Week USA, celebrated on February 7-14 annually, will help you find much more than a rose and a box of chocolate for your troubles.

Touting the financial, health and social benefits of marriage in a video at nationalmarriageweekusa.org, executive director of the organization Sheila Weber noted that married adults lead longer lives, have greater personal happiness, and better health. "…Marriage is really the unsung anti-poverty program because single motherhood is the greatest source of impoverishment for both women and children," said Weber in the video.

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/national-marriage-week-tackles-poverty-christian-divorce-rate-and-intimacy-problem-89519/#eCkUR5uOHDg2Dqzp.99

AMAZING VIDEO: Malala Yousufzai, Teen Girl Shot in Head by Taliban, Speaks on Video for First Time

Malala Yousufzai amazed doctors in her recovery after being shot in the head last year by the Taliban for speaking out for the rights of girls to get an education. The 15-year-old has undergone a series of surgeries and walked a painful path to recovery, but in brand new video, the brave young female speaks out about her cause and the state of her health.
“Today, you can see that I’m alive. I can see you, I can see everyone,” Malala said in the message, spoken in clear English. “And I’m getting better day by day.”

READ MORE AT  FOX INSIDER