DAWN Fridayfax 2002 #32

England

17,000 respond to 'The Call' in Reading

"On 13 July 2002, 17,000 mainly young Christians gathered in a stadium in Reading, England, to pray that God would change their nation," reports Roland Worton of 'Prayer for the Nations', which organised the event. "One of the speakers was Lou Engle, a youth minister and conference speaker from Pasadena, California. He speaks of a prophetic calling in 1997, when God showed him how he called young people from all over America to Washington for a day of prayer and fasting," writes Tony Cummings, Editor of 'Cross Rhythms Magazine'. After 400,000 youths gathered in Washington on 2nd September 2000 to commit themselves before God to bring change in the nation, the day was called "The day which changed America". Christians in England now gathered for a similar event. "It is a trumpet call, not a party," writes Rebecca Gower on the event's web site. "Some 15,000 people stood up to declare that they will abstain from drug consumption and pre-marital sex - not because someone told them to, but because they have an intimate relationship with God, and are hungry for the freedom for which Jesus died." They want to live as Nazirites, separated to God. "This day," reported a local newspaper, "is seen by many as a new dawn for our nation."
Source: The Call England, www.TheCallEngland.com

Switzerland

When God comes shopping

Annika Winzeler lives in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, and has not been a Christian for long. She tells of the following event during her first days as a Christian: "Eighteen months ago, when God showed me that he really exists, I was going through a difficult time. I had just moved out from home, and was having trouble making ends meet. I often didn't know whether I would be able to eat. One day, I stood in the supermarket, hungry and wondering what I could afford for lunch. I emptied my purse into my hand to count my money - it wasn't much, about 1 Franc 30 (about 85 US cents, or 55 UK pence). I counted it again and again. That wouldn't buy me much for lunch. I wandered down the aisles, looking at what I would have liked for lunch - a bread roll, yoghurt, an apple and something to drink, in total about 2 Francs 10 ($1.50, or 90 pence). But maybe Jesus could help me, as he had helped others! I had read something about fish and bread, so asked Jesus for help: 'You fed so many people with only a little bread and a few fish. Couldn't you help me?' Nothing happened - no angel appeared to help me shop, and no voice from heaven telling me how I could fill my stomach. I was very disappointed. Could it be that I was mistaken, that Jesus didn't exist, wasn't alive? Was everything just my imagination? Then my life wouldn't change as I had thought it would. So I decided to buy my lunch with the 1 Franc 30 I had. I counted the money again, to be sure - but it was suddenly no longer 1 Franc 30, but exactly the amount I needed to buy what I wanted for lunch! The money had multiplied in my hand. I found it quite natural that Jesus did that for me, because he promised to care for us."
Source: Annika Winzeler

World

The world needs men and women...

• who can't be bought
• who keep their promises
• who value character over riches
• with an opinion and a will
• who value inner greatness over visible career
• who readily take steps of faith
• who retain their identity in a crowd
• who do not compromise themselves with falsehood
• whose personal ambitions are not limited to personal gain
• who do not say "we do it because the others do it"
• who remain loyal to their friends through success and failure
• who believe that tricks, calculation and cunning are not the only keys to success who are not afraid of standing up for the truth, even if it is unpopular who can decisively say 'no' in the face of a world saying 'yes'


Source: Dr. Elijah Morgan & Peter Riederer (www.yell.ch ) in "Schweizer Arbeitgeber", 14/2002

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