In the 1990s, Imam Ashafa and Pastor Wuye led opposing militias in Northern Nigeria. Now the men work together bridging religious conflicts between Christians and Muslims that have killed thousands.
'My hate for the Muslims then had no limits' states Pastor Wuye, whose militia killed Imam Ashafa's spiritual leader and two cousins. Ashafa spent 3 years planning revenge, until one day, a sermon on forgiveness changed his life. The men met and are now working on a peace accord. Imam Ashafa explains, 'even though we differ in some theological issues, we will make the world a safer place'.
Tina Hoffman never intended to become a prostitute. But eventually, she lived up to her step-father’s words.
“I remember my step-dad telling me when I was little, ‘Oh, You’re just going to grow up to be a whore like your mother,’” Tina recalls. “My mom wasn’t of course. She was an extremely hardworking, you know, beautiful, wonderful mother.”
After years of verbal abuse, Tina’s self-image was crushed.
“I just started really kinda hating myself. I would excel at everything that I did. And just try, you know, I would try to overcompensate, I think. And try to do the right thing,” she says.
David MacDonald (born 1961) is a Canadian songwriter, producer and performer born in Ottawa, Canada. He is also a well known activist of the Christian right in Ottawa.
His personal testimony traces David and his journey to the highlife on Broadway in New York, to the street life in Ottawa, and to his new life in Jesus.
David's testimony reveals his experience with abortion, his flirtation with the New Age movement, his spiritual encounter with the Blessed Virgin Mary, and why is he a Catholic.
The Venerable Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus PP. II, Italian: Giovanni Paolo II, Polish: Jan Paweł II), born Karol Józef Wojtyła (18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005), reigned as Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005.
The funeral of Pope John Paul II was held on 8 April 2005, six days after his death.
John Paul II has been acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century. It is widely held that he was instrumental in ending Communism in his native Poland and eventually all of Europe as well as significantly improving the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion.
Pope John Paul's funeral brought together the single largest gathering in history of heads of state outside the United Nations, surpassing the funerals of Winston Churchill (1965), Princess Diana of Wales in (1997) and Michael Jackson (2009). It is also the largest single gathering of Christianity in history, with numbers estimated in excess of four million mourners gathering in Rome.
In a historical rarity, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox Christian leaders, as well as leaders in Judaism, Islam and Buddhism, offered memorials and prayers of their own for their congregants sharing in the grief of Catholics.
Among the most familiar faces worldwide were the then-current and former Presidents of the United States, the Prime Minister of United Kingdom, the current and former Presidents of Brazil, the President of Poland, the President of France, the King and Queen of Spain, the Chancellor of Germany and the President of Germany, the Prince of Wales (who postponed his wedding to Camilla Parker-Bowles by 24 hours, to attend), the Prime Minister of Canada, the King and Queen of Jordan, the President of Afghanistan, Mohammad Khatami of Iran, Israeli President Moshe Katsav, Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Philippines and Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
President George W Bush said in a statement he issued shortly after Vatican officials announced the pontiff's death: "The Catholic Church has lost its shepherd, the world has lost a champion of human freedom, and a good and faithful servant of God has been called home."
Prince Charles
Charles, the Prince of Wales postponed his wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles so that he, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Prime Minister Tony Blair could attend Pope John Paul's funeral in Rome.
Britain's Prince Charles bows his head (R) as he sits with Camilla Parker-Bowles (L), Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair (2nd L) and his wife Cherie (3rd L) at a service in memory of Pope John Paul II at Westminster Cathedral April 4, 2005 in London, England.
Prince Charles arrives at the funeral of Pope John Paul II, in St. Peter's Square on April 8, 2005 in Vatican City.
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, was present at Pope John Paul II's funeral. It is the first time an Archbishop of Canterbury attended a papal funeral since the Church of England broke with the papacy in the 16th century.
At the Pope's funeral, Archbishop Rowan Williams wore a cross given to him by Pope John Paul II and the ring given to former Archbishop Michael Ramsey by Pope Paul VI.
Archbishop Rowan said his presence at the funeral was "a mark of the deep bonds of personal closeness and intimacy that have come to exist between the office of the Archbishop and the Papacy".
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams kisses Pope John Paul II's ring during their meeting October 4, 2003 in the Vatican City.
Billy Graham
Speaking on the April 2 (death of Pope John Paul II) edition of CNN's Larry King Live program Dr. Billy Graham said that that Pope John Paul II was the most influential voice for morality and peace in the world in the last 100 years.
"And tonight, I have a very strange feeling of loss. I almost feel as though one of my family members has gone. I loved him very much and had the opportunity of discussing so many things with him. And we wrote each other several times during the years," Dr. Graham said.
Billy Graham told Larry King that Pope John Paul II is with God:
"I think he's with the Lord, because he believed. He believed in the Cross. That was his focus throughout his ministry, the Cross, no matter if you were talking to him from personal issue or an ethical problem, he felt that there was the answer to all of our problems, the cross and the resurrection. And he was a strong believer."
On why he wasn't attending the Pope funeral:
"I don't have the physical strength to go, and I have been invited. I was invited about six or seven months ago by the Vatican ahead of time. And they've asked that I come. So I asked if I could send my daughter. They wanted a woman to come representing me. So I'm asking my daughter, Anne Lotz, to go. And she's going with an associate of mine. And then my son, Franklin, will be going to the enthronement of the new Pope."
Anne Graham Lotz wrote on her website after attending the Pope's funeral: ‘As my Father’s official representative to Pope John Paul II’s funeral, I was seated on the third row. From that honoured position, I looked out on a vast sea of people jammed into St. Peter’s Square… Surrounding me were leaders of almost every major Christian religious group, including my own brother-in-law, Dr. Denton Lotz, the General Secretary for the Baptist World Alliance, as well as the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church, the General Secretary of the Methodist Church, Egyptian Coptic priests… To my left were row upon row of Catholic bishops, dressed in their raspberry coloured robes and caps. Beyond them and seated on the steps of the Basilica were the 115 Cardinals who would be responsible for electing the next pope… The most impressive aspect of the entire, almost surreal scene was the quiet, peaceful atmosphere of unmistakable, respectful reverence. How could so many people be so still? How could so many warring factions and sects come together in such harmony? …surely God had a message He wanted to convey. What was it? And then I knew… Just as the death of one man, Pope John Paul II, brought together people from virtually every nation and religion in a momentary atmosphere of peace and harmony, so the death of one Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, can bring the world together in permanent peace--peace with each other and peace with God… I stared at the crucifix on that chilly, windswept platform and wondered--was God once again offering “peace on earth, good will to all men?” Was He calling the people of the world to put their focus, and their faith, in the Man on the Cross--Jesus? I believe He was… Sitting that day on a wooden chair in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, as I experienced firsthand a moment of enormous historical and eternal significance, I bowed my head and thanked God over and over for the opportunity to just give them Jesus’.
Graham’s relationship with John Paul II predated his pontificate. When the Pope was still Cardinal Wojtyla of Krakow, he invited Graham to preach in his pulpit, much to the displeasure of the Polish Catholic establishment.
Pastor Billy Graham have also been quoted saying, “He [Pope John Paul II] was truly one of those rare individuals whose legacy will endure long after he has gone ... I will always remember his personal warmth to me and his deep interest in our ministry.”
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama offered special prayers for His Holiness Pope John Paul II who passed on. "His Holiness Pope John Paul II was a man I held in high regard. He was a determined and deeply spiritual minded person for whom I had great respect and admiration. His experience in Poland, then a communist country, and my own difficulties with communists, gave us an immediate common ground. The first time we met, he struck me as very practical and open, with a broad appreciation of global problems. I have no doubt that he was a great spiritual leader." Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama pays tribute to Pope John Paul II at Vatican embassy in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, April 6, 2005.
Dalai Lama visited Pope John Paul II eight times, more than any other single dignitary.
Benny Hinn Benny Hinn renowned American televangelist / Pentecostal pastor attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II and said in a live CNN interview from Rome that "This is a special day in the history of Christianity...I am here to honor the memory of this great Pope who has really touched my life as well as millions".
“Pope John Paul II pointed millions to Jesus Christ when he was Pope. And I believe we're in for the greatest move of the Spirit of God on this planet." Benny Hinn (The Impact of the Pope's Death, By Chris Mitchell, Middle East Bureau Chief, CBN.com).
Robert Harold Schuller
Robert Harold Schuller, American televangelist, pastor, and author known principally through the weekly Hour of Power television broadcast that he began in 1970. He is also the founder of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California.
“I considered it an honor and a privilege to have had several private times with His Holiness.…On each occasion I felt the compassionate spirit of Christ radiating from his soul.” Robert H Schuller (NBC News, April 2, 2005)
Pat Roberson
Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson is a media mogul, American televangelist who owns the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) among others.
“I am deeply grieved as a great man passes from this world to his much deserved eternal reward…. It was my great honor to meet with him at the residence of my good friend, Cardinal O’Connor, in New York, and to sit in the Consistory during the mass he conducted in Central Park.” Pat Robertson said about Pope John Paul II's death (Media Spotlight, Volume 28, Number 2, Redmond, Washington).
Jack Van Impe
Jack Van Impe is a televangelist who is known for his half-hour weekly television series Jack Van Impe Presents which he co-hosts with his wife Rexella. His television program is an eschatological commentary on the news of the week through his interpretation of the Bible.
“The pope graduated this life and he went home to heaven.” Rexella said.
“I have read over five hundred sermons that Pope John Paul delivered…. And, oh, what a blessing he’s been to me.” Jack Van Impe added.
In speaking of the assassination attempt on John Paul II, Van Impe made the following statement: “And that was Satan trying to take his life to stop the ministry he was going to have globally.”
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John Paul II is to be Beatified on May 1st 2011. The date is significant as it will be the Second Sunday of Easter, which he dedicated to the Divine Mercy. It will also be on the eve of which his earthly life ended.
Through this testimony I wish to proclaim how infinitely wonderful is the goodness of the Lord and how incredibly marvellous and astonishing are His works. I also hope that in reading it you will be encouraged/confirmed in your own journey towards Him.
When I was a child my mother died. My father dealt with it as best he could and life continued. Many years later, experiencing panic attacks when trying to speak in public, I went to see a psychologist for help. Unfortunately, although the psychologist was well intentioned, he uncovered traumatic experiences dating from my childhood which he had been unable to contain.
They traumatised me. I began to experience severe confusion, anxiety and depression and it seemed as though I had become a different person. In my terrible suffering I cried out continually to God and although He seemed to speak to me in quite profound ways giving me hope, I frequently doubted, fearing that it was only a manifestation of my confused mind. My faith was sorely tested.
In May 2004 a friend gave my husband a copy of GOODNEWS, which he didn’t read but I did. Whilst reading Patti Gallagher Mansfield’s article - Blessed is She Who Believed, something distressing in my mind was suddenly triggered and I fell on my knees crying out to God. A piece of paper fell out of the magazine which I later picked up. It advertised New Dawn and as I read it I somehow knew that this was the answer to my prayer and this ‘knowing’ enabled me to overcome the many new difficulties and anxieties which I now had to face.
At that time I didn’t know what Catholic Charismatic Renewal was but throughout the five days God led me on a profoundly amazing journey of wonder and awe and I experienced much healing. It was like being on a roller coaster with extreme highs followed by terrifying lows yet all the time I felt ‘held.’
One of the talks, on perseverance in prayer, was led by Fr. Bob Poole. He spoke of a man who was always asking him for money. The man would knock on Fr. Bob’s front door of his house, then the back, and then he’d look through the windows. He was determined! It left its mark on me.
During the healing service I was very anxious but extremely hopeful that my mind would be healed. Fr. Jimmy Collins started praying over me but something within me drew back involuntarily and I fell on the floor. Fr. Jimmy knelt beside me and prayed some more and then moved off and I lay on the floor in a turmoil of distress. A voice within me said, “You don’t think it’s going to be that easy do you?” and a profound sense of helpless hopelessness overwhelmed me. I’d been expecting to feel really happy and yet here was I experiencing a vile and terrible bitterness, hatred and vindictiveness which was churning up inside me. It was horrible, desperately horrible and I returned to my seat feeling extremely angry. People were getting up and kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament but I was filled with a terrible rage. I’d wanted healing and been left feeling worse than I started. (I now know that this was part of the healing!) I struggled inside. A bitter twisted part of me wanted to leave but something kept me there and watched the people kneeling. Eventually I got up and knelt with them and looking at Him silently said, in a dreadfully vile and bitter manner, “OK, so when I look at You and You look at me, what do You see?” I couldn’t see anything at all nice about me. I was shocked at how awful I actually was. After a short time I got up and left.
The following morning I was very low. My husband had been going to John Vaughan- Neil’s workshops and he mentioned that John had said if anyone wanted praying over for a word, they were to go early to the workshop. I had intended going to one of the other workshops but somehow I felt that I was to go and be prayed over instead. John explained that the people who were praying had been chosen by him and that if they didn’t have a word they simply wouldn’t give one.
I was very nervous. After a time a young woman came up to me and without saying anything to me, started praying in tongues over me. I sat quietly, waiting. Then she stopped and was quiet. At this point in the silence, something really desperate rose up within me. The woman started praying again and silently within me I cried out in desperation to God. “God, I’m knocking at Your door! I’m running round and knocking at your back door! I’m knocking at Your windows! God, I’m shouting down Your chimney! Give me something!” The woman stopped again and then said something that I will never forget. She said, “He looks on you with great joy.” A great sense of relief overwhelmed me. He’d given me something. He looked on me with great joy. Not just joy but great joy. I felt really happy.
About two hours later a sudden great dawning overwhelmed me with shocking intensity. He’d answered me! When this vile creature had knelt before Him the day before He’d heard her and He’d arranged for her to be told her answer from Him by a complete stranger, who’d absolutely no idea of the question. And as if this were not amazing enough in itself, He’d told her, this vile creature that He looked on her with great joy! WOW!
Today I am still amazed. He continues to heal me in many different ways and my confidence in Him grows. It’s rarely easy and I have many setbacks, when I fall back into the pit of doubt and despair but He always pulls me out again. I am so convicted that He loves and cares for me that I know I just have to cry out to Him and wait. He couldn’t do anything other!
My name is Marijana and would like to give a testimony on how Jesus has touched my life ever since I came back to church in 2007.
I was brought up in Croatia to a Catholic Family and at that time Croatia was a part of ex Yugoslavia under the communist regime. My mum made all three of us to go to church and Sunday school which at the time was not easy. In my teens I had an unpleasant experience at confession and decided not to go to church any more even though we lived 2 minutes away from our local church. On so many occasions priests would come to our house to have a chat with my mum and me to try to get me back to church.
I was so stubborn in my refusal and determined not to set a foot in any church for the rest of my life.
In our home we had the Bible and frequently I would find myself wondering who would read such a big and thick book and what the contest of it was. But I never reach for the Bible to find out. For more than 20 years it never occurred to me to go back to church or to get the Bible. I started to despise church and everything in connection with it. Back home I live close to Medjugorje and in 1984 during our Lady’s apparition my mum and I witnessed all the signs in the sky, not even that converted me back to church. As life went on with its trials and tribulations I found myself 3 years ago not being able to get out of bed, my burden was so heavy that I could not walk straight, I had a lots of mood swings, worried about my future, work, life in general. I did not have any happiness in my life and became very difficult in my dealings with other people.
One Sunday morning in February 2007 I woke up and had this urge to go my local church at the time in North London. At the mass I felt out of the place and could not wait to get out. On my way out I noticed a small pink leaflet about Life in the Spirit Seminar and decided to go there simply because it was free of charge and I did not have anything else to do that particular weekend. It turned out that I was only able to attend one of the days which were Sunday. When I entered the church hall my immediate reaction is to turn around and leave. As I was leaving I noticed at the front door a lady pacing up and down praying, she looked at me and gave me a smile. At the same time the other lady came in and called her name which was Mariana. I could not believe my ears and thought how odd was for the two of us to be there at the same time in such a small place. Because of her smile and the name I decided to stay.
During the course of the seminar to my amazement I saw people being prayed over and dropping on the floor like flies and overheard one lady saying that was the best experience of her life and she would recommend to everybody to be prayed over. You see I’m a scientist by professional and to believe in anything I had to have a concrete proof and to this day I remember thinking to myself that all those people were a bit potty. So I joined the queue for prayer just to see if somebody was going to push me down on the floor. As they were praying over me I was baptised in the Holy Spirit and since then I have never looked back.
My life has been transformed so much that my family and friends see the positive changes in me and they encourage me in my walk with Christ. On that particular Sunday in 2007 I feel that Lord had called me by my name to show me how merciful , faithful and awesome He is, how much He loves me. I also realise that the Lord is the strength of my life, He is my Shepherd and without Him my life would be an utter mess. The Lord is the centre and focus of my life.
Since 2007 I have been studying the Bible, go to church regularly, attend the Charismatic prayer meetings and events (join the ever growing group of the ‘potty’ people) and use any opportunity to praise Him and give Him thanks for being my Abba and for loving me so much that He gave his one and only son for our Salvation.
The testimony of Datuk Tony Tiah. This is the testimony of how the Lord has touched him.Datuk Tony Tiah is the Executive Chairman of TA Enterprise Bhd, a multi-billion dollar company listed on the Bursa Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange). He was formerly a member of the National Economic Action Council, Chair of the Association of Stock Brokers Malaysia and a Committee Member of the Bursa Malaysia. He holds a Masters in Business Management, and his God given purpose is to bring the reality of the Scriptures into the lives of businessmen. Datuk Tony - The 30th Richest Malaysian for the year 2008.
This has been a very inspiring video to me and to everyone I have recommended it to. I believe that God speaks to us in many different ways and He has a unique purpose for everyone. It is evident that His grace goes beyond any version of theology or attempted human interpretation thereof.
Jude Antoine is a prominent lay missionary of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. He and his family goes round the world spreading the the teachings of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. His ministry has brought many people into the faith.
Robert Faricy, S.J. is a Jesuit priest and theologian who is an Emeritus Professor of Spirituality lives at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
He is an Emeritus Professor of Spirituality of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
Father Faricy has written over thirty books, most translated into several languages, and several hundred articles.
He frequently ministers in Italy, the United States, Mexico, Ireland, and other countries, speaking at conferences and conventions and giving talks and retreats. Brief biographies can be found in: Who's Who in the World; in Contemporary Authors; in The Dictionary of Pentecostalism, and in other reference works.
In the late 70s, Sandra Clifton was the in-demand psychic in Los Angeles. Her radio show covered southwest markets. She was a top-rated guest on a.m. Los Angeles, and her books attracted a faithful following.
Recovering from an abusive marriage, Sandra searched for power and significance in the occult. After an awesome encounter with God, Sandra turned from the New Age to a new birth in Christ. See how Jesus changed her life.
Heavy metal rocker Kirk Martin made a pact with the devil. But then one day a mysterious stranger pinpointed Kirk's deepest secret and Kirk began a journey to God. See how Jesus Christ changed his life.
The story of Mike Leehan. After a series of set backs in his life Mike walked away from God. He started to worship the Devil. Listen to his amazing God sized story.
If you need help pertaining to cases of demonic possession or oppression, please contact a deliverance prayer group in your area listed inthis worldwide directory.
Nicholas James Vujicic (born 4 December 1982) is a preacher, a motivational speaker and the Director of Life Without Limbs.
Born without limbs due to the rare Tetra-amelia disorder, Vujicic had to live a life of difficulties and hardships throughout his childhood. However, he managed to get over these hardships and, at seventeen, started his own non-profit organization Life Without Limbs.
After school, Vujicic attended college and graduated with a double major. From this point on, he began his travels as a motivational speaker and his life attracted more and more mass media coverage. At the present, he regularly gives speeches on subjects such as disability, hope, and finding meaning in life.
An amazing picture became a message of faith in Spain. This was taken at the baptism of Valentino Mora, son of Erica, a single mother of 21 who asked a photographer to take a picture of her son for free.
The photo of the baptism of Valentino Mora was taken at the time the priest pours the Holy water over his head, and the water flows in the shape of a rosary.
This story began at the Parish of the Assumption of Our Lady in Cordova, Spain. At the time that Valentino came to the baptismal font, Erica asked a photographer (Maria Silvana Salles), who was hired by other parents baptizing their babies, to take a photo of her son as a favor, since the young mother had no way of paying for it. The photographer, moved by Erica's request, agreed to take a photo of Valentino.
Maria Silvana works with a traditional camera and had to send the film to be developed in a shop in Cordova. When she received the photos, she noticed with surprise that the water poured from the head of Valentino was a perfect rosary.
The photo of the baptism of Valentino has awakened faith in the people of Cordova who now come to the humble home of Erica and Valentino Mora to touch him.
This is a sermon by Greg Boyd of Woodland Hills Church. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is one of the Bible’s great examples of faith. God chose her as the human vessel through which God would enter the world! Mary responded with great faith even though it would certainly introduce many challenges and change her life’s path.
José Antonio Meléndez Rodríguez (born on January 9, 1962, in Rivas, Nicaragua) is a Nicaraguan American guitar player, composer and singer and songwriter who was born without arms. His mother took Thalidomide while pregnant, which caused his disability. Meléndez has learned to play the guitar with his feet.
