Butchery In The DRC.

Congolese security forces load dead bodies of rebel militants onto a truck after repelling an attack on a village near the city of Beni in May 2019. | YouTube/VOA News

At least 57 people were killed this week in attacks carried out by an Islamic rebel group in the northeast Democratic Republic of Congo as escalating violence near the Ugandan border has displaced hundreds of thousands of people so far this year. 

The Centre for the Promotion of Peace, Democracy and Human Rights said in a statement that Islamic rebels attacked Samboko, Bandavilemba and Walese-Vukutu villages in Ituri province on Tuesday, killing 40, according to The Associated Press.

Attacks on villages have been attributed to members of the Allied Democratic Forces and a group known as MTM, which claims to be affiliated with the Islamic State terror faction. According to the news agency, the two groups have begun carrying out attacks together. 

The latest attacks follow a separate attack on Monday that was attributed to ADF, an Islamist rebel group that was driven out of Uganda in the late 1990s but has operated in eastern DRC and resurged in recent years. A military offensive was launched against the group’s bases last year. 

A source told Reuters that ADF launched an early morning attack on civilians in the village of Makutano in Ituri.

“They fired several shots in the air. When the population was fleeing, they captured some people and cut them up with machetes,” Gili Gotabo, a civil society leader in the Irumu territory, said of the Monday attack. 

The Kivu Security Tracker, a research initiative that monitors violence in the region, reported that at least 17 were killed in Monday's attack. However, Gotabo told Reuters that there are likely to be more deaths. 

ADF has been blamed for killing hundreds of people since the offensive began last year. 

After a sharp decline of violent deaths in March, the Kivu Security Tracker shows an uptick in attacks in the region over the last two months.

The U.N.'s Children's Fund reported last week that over a quarter-million people, most of whom are children, have been forced to flee violence in Ituri since the beginning of the year. 

The agency said that 22 health facilities have been destroyed and 160 schools have been damaged or looted. 

UNICEF stressed in its May 20 report that 25,000 newly displaced people have gone into IDP camps and are struggling to access safe water and sanitation. The U.N. Refugee Agency estimates that over 5 million people were displaced in-country between October 2017 and September 2019, with over 900,000 refugees and asylum seekers in host countries. 

According to UNICEF, the new displacements put “further pressure on already stretched humanitarian services in one of the poorest, most insecure and disease-stricken parts of the country.”

“Even before the new influx, displaced people could only access five liters of water per day — far below the recommended daily minimum,” the report says. 

From three areas — Djugu, Mahagi and Irumu — UNICEF notes that about 200,000 people are seeking shelter in host communities or at “extremely overcrowded displacement sites” in and around Ituri’s capital of Bunia since December 2019. 

“The humanitarian situation in Djugu area is especially precarious as 70 percent of humanitarian workers have had to suspend operations due to the worsening security context,” the UNICEF report adds. 

Edouard Beigbeder, a UNICEF representative in the DRC, said the “security situation in Ituri is deteriorating fast.” 

“We need to act equally quickly to avert a crisis that would forcibly uproot and endanger even more children,” Beigbeder warned in a statement. 

The conflict between rebels and security services come as a conflict between farming and herding communities in the region has also led the killings of 701 people between December 2017 and September 2019 in Djugu and Mahagi, according to a U.N. investigation. 

Violence and mass displacement has effected millions across Central and West Africa, including those that have been displaced or killed by extremist or rebel attacks in countries such as Nigeria, Cameroon and Burkina Faso. Escalating Islamic terrorism in the southeast African country of Mozambique has also led to the displacement of over 100,000 people. 

Waiting Upon God.

Ravi Quote.

Only through repentance and faith in Christ can anyone be saved. No religious activity will be sufficient, only true faith in Jesus Christ alone. Ravi Zacharias.

Birdie.

The Ultimate Irony?

'In 2008, a Labour government bailed out the banks.

 In 2020, a Tory government has bailed out the workers.'

Tom Cassidy.

Premium Bonds.

If you like a regular flutter on the National Lottery at odds of 14 million to one against you picking up the jackpot, may I suggest something a little better for your personal finances?

Say you spend £2 per week - why not save up the money over a year - in an old sock or whatever - and reward yourself? - All you need to do is to buy the bonds, online or in a Post Office at a minimum purchase of £25 and these will be entered into the monthly draw which carries a range of smaller prizes including a million pounds.

For Christians who object on moral grounds - you are not even gambling! You never lose your stake - and you can cash in whenever you please.

The only downside, of course, is that your investment will gradually erode due to inflation.

Be Careful!

Millions of shielded people can meet one friend or family member from Monday

The 2.2 million medically vulnerable individuals will also be allowed to go outside as lockdown measures are eased

ByGordon Rayner, POLITICAL EDITOR, DT.Blogger: this is excellent news but please do show more than a little common sense in who you meet and where. 

A Terrible Wrong Must Be Addressed.

Why speaking out against the killing of George Floyd is a pro-life issue.

BY LEONARDO BLAIR

Evangelicals are pro-life people and I strongly believe if nothing else, standing against anything which threatens the life of our brothers and sisters in Christ must also be treated as a pro-life issue.

https://www.christianpost.com/voices/why-speaking-out-against-the-killing-of-george-floyd-is-a-pro-life-issue.html

The EU Has Raped Our Waters Over Two Generations - How Can They Believe That They Can DoThis To An INDEPENDENT State?

'Barnier has head in the sand!' EU warned as Brexit trade talks near disastrous collapse.

THE European Union has been sent a huge warning as post Brexit trade talks edge towards a disastrous collapse, with Michel Barnier accused of being in "denial" and having his "head in the sand" over the UK's threat to walk away from negotiations. The two sides, led the UK's chief Brexit negotiator David Frost and Brussels counterpart Mr Barnier, began negotiations on the future relationship in March after Boris Johnson delivered on his promise to "get Brexit done" on January 31. But the talks have quickly descended into chaos, with the UK and EU trading brutal blows and insults over their negotiating stances and demands for certain elements in any post-Brexit agreement. Key areas such as the level playing field, state aid, tax and access to the single market all still remain unresolved - with no solution in sight.Talks appear to have reached a stalemate, with Mr Barnier writing to UK opposition party leaders to say the EU is open to the idea of an extension to the transition period by up to two years.

But this was immediately slapped down by both Mr Johnson and Mr Frost, who have dismissed this will and continue to insist a trade deal is signed before the deadline on December 31, 2020.

A group of Remain ministers, led by Liberal Democrat acting co-leader sir Ed Davey, are also trying to squeeze a Bill through Parliament in a last-ditch and desperate attempt to delay Brexit by up to two years.

The second reading of this Bill is due to take place on June 12. Trade talks could reach a critical point on Monday when the next round of virtual negotiations begin, with Mr Frost continuing to warn the EU needs to dramatically change its stance in negotiations and relent on a number of areas if further progress is to be made.

John Macdonald, head of government affairs at the Adam Smith Institute, told Express.co.uk: "As we approach the final week of talks before the June summit, negotiations are likely to collapse unless there is compromise on a trade deal and fisheries agreement.

"David Frost has admitted it is unlikely a fisheries agreement will be met by July 1st.

"While this is a soft deadline, the EU will have to accept the UK wants control over its own waters if negotiations are to progress.

By PAUL WITHERS, Express.

Fear of The Lord.

Oh, Good Grief!

Two churches serving the Latino community in New York are mourning the deaths of over 100 congregants combined to COVID-19. CT.

Birdie.

Perhaps The BBC Needs A Political Audit To Stop The Leftist Imbalance In Its Employment Policies!

BBC will ask outside companies to audit staff to ensure diversity 

June Sarpong has announced a Belonging Blueprint backed by US academics

ByCraig Simpson22 May 2020 • 6:00pm

The BBC will ask all studios it works with to audit the ethnic diversity of their staff under new plans for ensuring "inclusion". 

Broadcast executives will be “bullish” in urging information gathering on gender identity, sexuality, race, disability, and economic background by the more than 300 organisations in its supply chain.

June Sarpong is seeking cultural change at the broadcaster with her first major policy move since joining in the newly created role of director of creative diversity last year. DT.

This Suggests That The EU Would Be Foolish To Attempt To Play Hardball With The UK.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1286284/Eu-news-uk-exit-brexit-member-states-trade-GDP-eurozone-EU28-latest-spt

Understand The EU Negotiations.

The European Union and the British Government have been engaged in a series of tense rounds of trade negotiations in an attempt to strike a trade deal covering their post-Brexit relations. Brussels insisted the UK has to agree to a level-playing field of regulations to avoid undue and unfair competition but the bloc has rejected the demands. BBC Europe editor Katya Adler claimed the stance of the UK and the EU diverges significantly as the bloc wants to avoid ending up with a similar agreement as to one already in place with one of its trade partner.

Using a pasta-inspired analogy to explain London and Brussels' position, Ms Adler said: "If you have a look at ravioli, so little pockets, then for your main course you can just have one big one called a raviolo, which is like this big pillow.

"The EU basically wants a big pillow and we want lots of little ravioli.

"The EU’s idea there is it goes to bed at night and its nightmare is Switzerland, which is a whole series of mini-deal. More than 150 deal, I think."

Ms Adler continued: "It’s been trying for ages now to force Switzerland into one agreement because that basically gives it a stick.

"If Switzerland ‘misbehaves’ as it wanted to over freedom of movement, then the EU says, ‘fine, then we’re going to take away our recognition when it comes to financial services.’

"It just gives the EU much more control over the whole structure of it because when you talk about governance it’s also, what happens when one or the other party breaks the agreement in the treaty?"

But with the British Government eager to end all types of influence Brussels has had on British laws and trade during its membership, the two parties are likely to lock horns again before a conclusive deal is agreed.

The coronavirus pandemic sparked speculation Prime Minister Boris Johnson could relent on his pledge not to request an extension of the transition period

Aurora Bosotti. Express.

Birdies.

I Agree With The Second Part.

Trump declares churches are 'essential,' orders them to reopen: We need more prayer, not less

Staff writer  Fri 22 May 2020 22:09 BST. CT.

Revelation.

The Sun and The Moon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdWEIEVWioc&feature=youtu.be

Be In Good Company.

YES - ALL CAN JOIN US in the UK Sunday 7th June 10:30am UK time LIVE via Zoom, as John Mackay and Joseph Hubbard preach for our UK supporters ‘Church in the Barn’ in the Lakes District.

See you soon. Other churches take the hint and get Creation Research live for your services. Share God’s Word about God’s work from creation to recreation. Link: ID 836 736 6571 PASSWORD 769354. Tell your friends and let’s have thousands there. Don’t waste Covid-19 opportunities as the Creation Guy John Mackay and Team continue to share God’s Truth worldwide. Now enjoy the latest below.

Farewell To A Great Christian.

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/ravi-zacharias-a-man-who-understood-the-human-search-for-meaning-and-dedicated-his-life-to-preaching-around-the-globe/134865.htm

South Sudan - Church Fighting 'Fake News'.

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/how-the-church-is-fighting-fake-news-covid-19-in-south-sudan/134866.htm

Birdie.

Lessons From Mount St Helens.

Four Lessons from the Mount St. Helens Eruption The eruption of Mount St. Helens 40 years ago this week still provides an amazing opportunity for scientists to study the effects of a catastrophe... https://mail.aol.com/webmail-std/en-gb/DisplayMessage?ws_popup=true&ws_suite=true

Hmm.

The passage being shared online reads: “Whenever I hold back the rain or send locusts to eat up the crops or send an epidemic on my people, if they pray to me and repent and turn away from the evil they have been doing, then I will hear them in heaven, forgive their sins, and make their land prosperous again.

“I will watch over this temple and be ready to hear all the prayers that are offered here.” Express.

Psalm 94. In These Times, Perhaps We Should Be Paying Heed.

Psalm 94 Revised Standard Version (RSV)

God the Avenger of the Righteous

Lord
    thou God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O judge of the earth;
    render to the proud their deserts!
3 O Lord, how long shall the wicked,
    how long shall the wicked exult?

4 They pour out their arrogant words,
    they boast, all the evildoers.
5 They crush thy people, O Lord,
    and afflict thy heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the sojourner,
    and murder the fatherless;
7 and they say, “The Lord does not see;
    the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

8 Understand, O dullest of the people!
    Fools, when will you be wise?
9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who chastens the nations, does he not chastise?
He who teaches men knowledge,
Lord
    that they are but a breath.

12 Blessed is the man whom thou dost chasten, O Lord,
    and whom thou dost teach out of thy law
13 to give him respite from days of trouble,
    until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not forsake his people;
    he will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous,
    and all the upright in heart will follow it.

16 Who rises up for me against the wicked?
    Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the Lord had not been my help,
    my soul would soon have dwelt in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, “My foot slips,”
    thy steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many,
    thy consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with thee,
    who frame mischief by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous,
    and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has become my stronghold,
    and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will bring back on them their iniquity
    and wipe them out for their wickedness;
    the Lord our God will wipe them out.

Wrong Worldviews.

 The United States is gradually "switching" from a worldview influenced by a biblical American Revolution model to an anti-religious French Revolution model, according to author and social critic Os Guinness.

Last week, Guinness gave a speech titled "1776 vs. 1789: the Roots of the Present Crisis" that was part of a virtual event hosted by the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview.

Guinness said the American Revolution of 1776 and the English Revolution of 1642, the latter of which involved the rise of Oliver Cromwell and the overthrow of King Charles I, were "biblical" in nature.

"Through the invention of printing and the power of the Reformation, the 17th century was called the 'biblical century' and the great model was the Hebrew Republic from the book of Exodus," Guinness said.

While describing the American Revolution as "largely but sadly not fully biblical," Guinness said the French Revolution of 1789 was "expressly anti-biblical, anti-Christian, anti-religious, and anti-clerical."

"That hostility to religion, and certainly to the Christian faith and the Church, has been a characteristic of the French and the Russian and the Chinese [Revolutions] ever since," he added.

Guinness stressed that the current state of division in the U.S. ultimately stems from a difference between those who look at freedom from "the perspective of 1776" and those who define freedom by "the perspective of the French Revolution and its heirs."

"The French Revolution lasted 10 years only and then in came Napoleon," he said. "But like a huge volcanic explosion ... the lava, as it were, of the revolutionary faith has flowed out ever since then."

Guinness briefly traced the ideological progression of the French Revolution, tying it to the rise of nationalism in the 19th century and revolutionary socialism in the 20th century.

In the 21st century, this developed into "cultural or Neo-Marxism" and "critical theory," which involved a "long march through the institutions" to enact radical social change.

This "long march" involved 1960s radicals gradually taking over "the colleges and universities, the press and the media, and the world of entertainment and Hollywood," and from there achieving "cultural dominance" as the "gatekeeper class."

"And of course, a little over 50 years later now, we can see they won," Guinness emphasized. "Ideas like political correctness, postmodernism, tribalism, Sexual Revolution, and things down currently to the rage for socialism.

"All of those ideas go back to the heirs of the French Revolution (1789) and they have nothing to do with the American Revolution (1776) and its biblical roots."

He quoted Galatians 3, where the Apostle Paul asks the early Christian believers, "who has bewitched you?" then paraphrased the broader point of Paul's charge that they "switched from a Gospel of grace to a gospel of works," emphasizing his points about the two Revolutions.

"In many ways, what I'm saying today is: 'Who's bewitched America?' It's in the process of switching from the Gospel that came from the American Revolution to the gospel that came from the French Revolution, which is not good news but bad news," he said.

Guinness' remarks were part of a Colson Center online event called "Truth. Love. Together." Originally scheduled to be in-person, the conference was moved online due to state lockdowns in response to COVID-19.

Other speakers included: Lee Strobel, bestselling author of The Case for Christ; Joni Eareckson Tada, speaker and advocate for people with disabilities; J. Warner Wallace, an apologist and former cold-case detective; Chris Brooks, a megachurch pastor and radio host; Bob Fu, member of the think tank Council on Foreign Relations; and Sean McDowell, associate professor of apologetics at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University.

During his speech, titled "What Happened to Truth?" McDowell said "one of the biggest lies this generation is tempted to believe is a lie about freedom. That freedom is about doing whatever you want to do."

"If God has created us, there's a purpose for lives, how we're supposed to live and we're only truly free if we know that purpose and live accordingly," McDowell said.

"There's a purpose for language, there's a purpose for nations, there's a purpose for marriage, and there's a purpose for sex. It's when we know that truth and orient our lives to that truth that we're set free." CT/CP.

Creation Research Predicts ...

Legalized Polygamy? It’s Coming. Don't kid yourself! Polygamy, polyamory, and other strains of sexual immorality are being explored in our society as we drift further from the standard of God’s Word... Can wicked rulers be allied with thee,     who frame mischief by statute? Psalm 94:20

Charm, Beauty and Fear.

John Stonestreet - Interesting!

https://www.breakpoint.org/evolutionary-psychology-natural-selection-and-human-misbehavior/

Want To Pray With CSW?

This year we’ll be praying together online. This service is jointly organised by CSW, Church in Chains (Ireland), the Eritrean Orthodox Church in the UK, Human Rights Concern-Eritrea and Release Eritrea. The meeting starts at 7:30pm (UK time) this Thursday 28 May.

Birdie.

Dominic Cummings.

I am still to be convinced that Cummings did too much wrong - but obviously, he may be viewed by a number as not having followed the letter of the rules. However, he should always be above and beyond suspicion.

Annoying - but still trivial. I wonder just how 'perfect' so many of his accusers have been?

This is, more than anything, to do with opposition and leftist media spotting a wounded gazelle and baring fangs towards the throat.

The subtext is unsubtle. This is the final throw of the remainer dice as they gather their forces in one more pointless conflict to add to the four years of anti-democratic practice they have already taken on. (With beautiful irony - the UK is now out of the EU under Boris terms rather than those of Theresa because they were too dim to spot what Theresa was handing them on a plate!)

Their final - and doomed-from-the-start attempt is to delay the end of the transition period.

Just how much do they hate the UK? - More to the point WHY? During negotiations, why are they giving aid and succour to 'the enemy'?

The UK Blessing.

THE UK BLESSING: TIM HUGHES ON WHEN WORSHIP GOES VIRAL

---

'The UK Blessing' video is set to reach one million views within 48 hours of being released. Tim Hughes, one of the worship leaders...

More 

I Do Not Wish To Defend Cummings Per Se - But When You Watch The Lefty Hounds In Full Cry ...

Cummings press conference only further exposed the ugly agenda of the liberal media. 

The PM's aide is a scalp that the Remainer commentariat is salivating to seize.

ALEXANDRA PHILLIPS

Birdie.

EU Wobbling?

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1286749/EU-news-Italy-EU-membership-Brexit-news-latest-George-soros-Italexit-Brussels

Live Desiring Peace.

Are We On The Cusp of A Great Spiritual Awakening?

https://www.premierchristianity.com/Blog/5-signs-we-could-be-on-the-cusp-of-a-spiritual-awakening

Revolutions.

Shane Morris

What do 18^th century revolutions have to do with our 
daily lives? 

A very great deal according to Os Guinness. The
 American Revolution 

was notably influenced by the biblical understanding 
of humanity, of

 good and evil, and of justice and reconciliation. Its 
French counterpart

 was a very different thing, focusing on a perfectionist
 ideal of a world

 where justice would be meted out by an all-knowing elite.

While the French Revolution eventually went down to
 defeat with the

 rise of Napoleon, it inspired the horrors of the 20^th 
century’s totalitarian

 regimes and continues to echo in the contemporary 
debates in the

 West about critical theory and cultural Marxism. As 
America moves

 further and further away from its original vision, the
 more tribalism

 and viciousness will come to characterize our public
 acts.

Below is as an edited excerpt from Guinness’ recent
 talk with 

the Colson Center’s Truth, Love, Together online
 conference, 

where he goes into greater detail on these themes.
 You can check 

out the entire talk, or see more like this by registering
 for this totally

 free conference.

Think of the way the two revolutions address wrongs.
 They both

 agree there are wrongs, there are injustices, oppressions 
in the world, but in the French style and according to the

 understanding of critical theory, what you look for is the

 majority and the minority. The oppressors and the
 oppressed.

 People have the power and people are the victims of power. 

And then there’s no truth, remember? Following Nietzsche’s

 God is dead, truth is dead, everything is only power.

Critical theory becomes a way of exploiting victimhood 
in order 

to change the status quo to a new one, but of course 
based only

 on power. And so, they become the new problem, 
replacing the 

old problem. And that retaliation of wrong answered
 by revenge 

goes on and on and on. And you have a Corsican
 blood feud writ 

large in the cultural warring of America. And that’s 
where we are

 today. And quite literally, there will be no end to it 
with the talk 

of reparations and so on.

Now, compare that with the biblical way of putting
 things right

 and addressing wrongs. Evil is addressed as evil, but 
there’s 

the possibility of repentance, which both in Hebrew, 
teshuva, 

and in Greek, metanoia, has that idea of a radical and 
complete 

about turn. But this repentance is followed by 
forgiveness -forgiveness,

 freeing, and cutting off the past completely, and 
forgiveness freeing 

the future from the burden of the past. You work
 towards finally

 a reconciliation in which enemies can be made truly 
friends, 

as Abraham Lincoln used to say, as we see very much 
in the Early Church.

Think of the Early Church and their idea of the Pax 
Christi, 

peacemaking under God. This is far better than Pax 
Romana, 

the Roman peace. The Roman peace, as many of the
 historians 

like Tacitus said, was a peace through power. Though
 you have

 peace when one power or another dominates all the 
other powers,

 but of course you have oppression and dictatorship
 and imperialism, 

whereas PAX Christi, the peace of Christ, peace made
 with God 

through the blood of the cross is a completely different
 understanding.

I can mention lots of other differences, but you can see 
as things 

have played out. The 2016 election, the Kavanaugh 
hearings,
 the Russian collusion case, the Mueller hearings, and 
various things like this, you can see almost daily in American 
daily lifeand politics, the clash between the American
 Revolution and the French Revolution.

The tragedy being, as I said, there’s no Lincoln addressing the

 better angels. Now, I’m not American. I’m European. I’m 

a great admirer of this country, but to me, this country has 

done so much for the gospel around the world, and so much 

standing for principles like religious freedom, that it would be 

a tragedy of historic proportions if America turns away from

 the groundings of true freedom and goes away, that will be

 a disaster for freedom and humanity in the future. Breakpoint.