The BBC documentary 'My Brother the Terrorist' will be shown on BBC World News at 4.10pm this Saturday (UK time). It traces the story of a young man converting to Islamism in Weymouth, becoming radicalized and ending up in jail on terrorist related charges. I certainly am not going to miss this fantastic sequel to last week's 'My Brother the Islamist'.
This blog has now reached the 130,000 visits mark! Many thanks to one and all.
Friday, 3 October 2014
Painful throat
I have a painful throat which became worse after I gave the Bible study last night in the Patos church.
This morning I made a brief visit to Green Pastures prior to visiting my doctor.
I have instructed the secular news media, which asked to publish what I have written on Islamism on my blog, to remove the article from their site because I have been suffering such unbelievable verbal and racial abuse in reaction to the article. The article is on my blog and what I would consider to be very mild - bringing a challenge to the evangelical church. This week has been an enormous eye-opener about attitudes of some people here. Unbelievable! I will continue to write about the matter on my blog where I can control abuse. I will not be silent on the matter. It is a major challenge to the whole world.
All this started as a result of a BBC documentary I saw called "My Brother, the Islamist" - which is brilliant and amazing. This weekend I will watch the sequel: "My Brother, the Terrorist" and will comment next week. Please pray.
This morning I made a brief visit to Green Pastures prior to visiting my doctor.
I have instructed the secular news media, which asked to publish what I have written on Islamism on my blog, to remove the article from their site because I have been suffering such unbelievable verbal and racial abuse in reaction to the article. The article is on my blog and what I would consider to be very mild - bringing a challenge to the evangelical church. This week has been an enormous eye-opener about attitudes of some people here. Unbelievable! I will continue to write about the matter on my blog where I can control abuse. I will not be silent on the matter. It is a major challenge to the whole world.
All this started as a result of a BBC documentary I saw called "My Brother, the Islamist" - which is brilliant and amazing. This weekend I will watch the sequel: "My Brother, the Terrorist" and will comment next week. Please pray.
Thursday, 2 October 2014
Keeping my head down!
The Islamic debate, which has resulted from my article on the subject, first in my Portuguese language blog and then in the secular press, is taking on totally unforseen proportions! Having received 2 attacks and 1 defence in comments on the site, I have now had a further big attack, including a lot of racist insinuations, then another attack, followed by a further 4 defences! Crumbs! 550 people have read my article on the secular site thus far. Your prayers are valued.
Election fever grips the nation as the big day on Sunday approaches. It looks like the Paraíba governor has every chance of being reelected, but the Christian presidential candidate seems to have it tougher. Ideally Ricardo Coutinho, the present governor, will be elected on Sunday in the first round. For that he has to receive 50% + 1 votes. He won in the second round last time. As regards Marina Silva, the Christian candidate - she needs to get to the second round and then face the current president Dilma in a straight dispute which would be decided on October 26th. We watch and pray (and vote)!
Election fever grips the nation as the big day on Sunday approaches. It looks like the Paraíba governor has every chance of being reelected, but the Christian presidential candidate seems to have it tougher. Ideally Ricardo Coutinho, the present governor, will be elected on Sunday in the first round. For that he has to receive 50% + 1 votes. He won in the second round last time. As regards Marina Silva, the Christian candidate - she needs to get to the second round and then face the current president Dilma in a straight dispute which would be decided on October 26th. We watch and pray (and vote)!
EAB Annual Celebration
Please pray for the EAB Annual Celebration to be held on Saturday, October 18th. Please plan to be there as well. The event will be held at the Lighthouse Community
Church, Hardley, Southampton, SO45 3NZ. The traditional ‘chat while you nibble
& sip’ time will start at 5.30pm and the Celebration will start at 7pm. Liz
and I will be the speakers via Skype from Brazil.
Go on! Go mad! Go to church on Saturday as well as Sunday! Radical stuff!
Go on! Go mad! Go to church on Saturday as well as Sunday! Radical stuff!
Bible Study
I am preparing for tonight's Bible study this morning.
I have just received the news that our pastor in Ceará, whom I mentioned in the EAB Nutshell Update yesterday, lost his father in the early hours of today. We knew he had been ill for some time. Please pray for pastor Márcio Muniz at Nova Olinda in the the state of Ceará.
Philip flies to New York on business at the weekend. We will miss his help in the church and in general.
This Sunday we will have one service only at 8am owing to the elections. It will be the monthly communion service which I will lead and preach at.
Please pray for Brazil at this critical moment. These elections are of great importance for the future of this vast country.
I have just received the news that our pastor in Ceará, whom I mentioned in the EAB Nutshell Update yesterday, lost his father in the early hours of today. We knew he had been ill for some time. Please pray for pastor Márcio Muniz at Nova Olinda in the the state of Ceará.
Philip flies to New York on business at the weekend. We will miss his help in the church and in general.
This Sunday we will have one service only at 8am owing to the elections. It will be the monthly communion service which I will lead and preach at.
Please pray for Brazil at this critical moment. These elections are of great importance for the future of this vast country.
Wednesday, 1 October 2014
Long day
I was up at 5.20am and went out to Green Pastures. I managed to photograph the Fulvous Whistling Duck which I have been searching for over a period of years and sort of accidentally photographed it on our lake on Monday. I was photographing something else and only noticed the creature when back home on the computer screen. Hence I had a hunch I would find it today and could then get a better photo of it. I indeed found a pair of these quite large ducks and got a good photograph. You can see on flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnmedcraft/15409949521/
I wrote, produced and dispatched the EAB Nutshell Update today. I am rather inundated with work.
My article on Islamism, which I wrote on my Portuguese language blog, and which was then requested by the secular press, has been causing a bit of a stir. I received criticism from a journalist in Sousa, a town 2 hours west of Patos, and then a Catholic Friar. However now an evangelical expert on the subject has defended me - so it's all happening.
The BBC documentary which sparked off my writing the article will air the sequel to it this weekend and I definitely want to watch it as the first one was brilliant. The first was "My Brother, the Islamist" and the second will be "My Brother, the Terrorist".
I wrote, produced and dispatched the EAB Nutshell Update today. I am rather inundated with work.
My article on Islamism, which I wrote on my Portuguese language blog, and which was then requested by the secular press, has been causing a bit of a stir. I received criticism from a journalist in Sousa, a town 2 hours west of Patos, and then a Catholic Friar. However now an evangelical expert on the subject has defended me - so it's all happening.
The BBC documentary which sparked off my writing the article will air the sequel to it this weekend and I definitely want to watch it as the first one was brilliant. The first was "My Brother, the Islamist" and the second will be "My Brother, the Terrorist".
Tuesday, 30 September 2014
Patos Bible College
I have done quite a lot of work linked to the Patos Bible College today. We had some things outstanding from May and finally we seem to be getting everyone's act together! Liz and I endeavour to take on a more advisory counselling role in the College leaving younger one's to take on the detailed nitty-gritty. I was principal for 17 and a half years and Liz has been treasurer for a long time now. Hopefully by next month we will have it all sorted.
With the general elections in Brazil this Sunday there's a lot to pray about. I have been working quite a bit on political matters. We have to elect a president, governor, senator, federal deputy and state deputy - so there will be 5 votes to cast and all, as usual, via eletronic ballot boxes. I have decided on my 5 candidates. It looks like the president Dilma will be re-elected, but she is facing a strong challenge from a very good well balanced pentecostal evangelical Christian called Marina Silva. I will be voting for Marina Silva. I will also be voting for the re-election of our state governor Ricardo Coutinho who served a superb first term of office.
I have prayed a lot for the Iraque/Syria situation today. It is unbelievable that the west let things get so out of hand. Though a supporter of Barack Obama usually, this time I am sure he has dithered far too long and have written to tell him so. I have also written to complain to the BBC who is giving little and poor coverage of events in the middle-east. I pray for God to overule in that terrible situation.
With the general elections in Brazil this Sunday there's a lot to pray about. I have been working quite a bit on political matters. We have to elect a president, governor, senator, federal deputy and state deputy - so there will be 5 votes to cast and all, as usual, via eletronic ballot boxes. I have decided on my 5 candidates. It looks like the president Dilma will be re-elected, but she is facing a strong challenge from a very good well balanced pentecostal evangelical Christian called Marina Silva. I will be voting for Marina Silva. I will also be voting for the re-election of our state governor Ricardo Coutinho who served a superb first term of office.
I have prayed a lot for the Iraque/Syria situation today. It is unbelievable that the west let things get so out of hand. Though a supporter of Barack Obama usually, this time I am sure he has dithered far too long and have written to tell him so. I have also written to complain to the BBC who is giving little and poor coverage of events in the middle-east. I pray for God to overule in that terrible situation.
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