On the Russian Front

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Russia

I have already hinted at how strong Russian propaganda has been.

President Putin is currently extremely active not only in projecting military power but in forging stronger relationships with various countries including Egypt, which was, of course, Russia’s strongest ally amongst the Arab nations back in the 1950’s.

Meanwhile, ISIL’s acts of extreme violence have appeared to have galvinised the ‘giants’ of Egypt and Jordan to oppose them more actively, rather as Pearl Harbour once woke goaded the United States into action.

Putin has also been reaching out to Hungary, a country where the autocratic leadership, not always with the support of the people, are definitely developing strong Russia-leaning tendencies. President Orbán appears comfortable that his country is becoming all but completely dependent on Russia for its energy supplies. Despite being in NATO, he has voiced considerable contempt for the liberal values of western Europe, and admires Putin’s “strong” stance, holding him up as a leader to admire and imitate.

Putin’s strategic includes attempts to influence nations not firmly in the EU pocket, including Serbia and Bosnia, and in particular Greece. Yet again it is strange that the Balkans are involved in  critiual flashpoint moments. Vladimir Putin building alliances around the world.

Keep Angela Merkel in mind as she continues her frontline shuttle diplomacy. She looks almost as tired as Petro Prooshenko himself, She has just returned from a visit to Hungary, (a country she does not normally visit on account of its autocratic Prime Minister) to try bolster relationships. Her visit does not appear to have improved relationships. Many Hungarians are unhappy at the pro-Russian stance their leadership are taking; Hungary itself has little reason to love Russia. Pray for Hungary, a country where, historically an unusually high number of people suffer from depression.

Meanwhile, Russia is massively beefing up its warlike propaganda, laying considerable emphasis on the fact that they are developing a nuclear capacity within their armed forces – and this ata time when the West has massively scaled down every aspect of its defence forces. Much of this may be being played out to impress the domestic audience, which has been taught to believe America to be hostile to Russia, and encroaching on its territory by trying to “poach” Ukraine. But the attempt to scare the West  is ery real too – and what may be designed as brinkmanship can easily escalate and acquire a momentum of its own, spiralling out of control.

Western leaders have had no experience of handling people as complicated as President Putin. As this article suggests, they simply did not realise what they would trigger by pushing Ukraine to join the NATO camp.

The West cannot afford to get too directly involved in what is fundamentally a civil war in Ukraine – a country where decidedly unpleasant nationalist forces are at work, as Ross Kempe admirably reported when he headed into the heart of the battle zone to see for himself the dangerous spirit that lie behind the rising tide of nationalism that impels the Azov Brigade. http://features.sky.com/ross-kemp-ukraine/

In other words, we are not dealing here with a nation of saints! Pray for many to find the Lord a very present help in the midst of trouble.

Following the death of the 21 Coptic Christians, Hebrews 11 is being reenacted today

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Coptic Christians, Egyptian, martyrs

The graphic and gruesome video of the 21 young Christian men being brutally slaughtered has shocked Egypt, but as Ramez Atallah, The General Director of the Bible Society of Egypt reports, the outrage has united Christians and
Muslims as never before. As soon as the video was broadcast on Sunday evening, the President delivered a speech declaring seven days of mourning for the nation.  Shortly afterwards the Egyptian Air Force bombed ISIS targets in Libya.

Ramez writes, “As I arrived at the Bible Society  of Egypt office in the morning, feeling sad and depressed, I met a young co-worker who told me that she was “very encouraged.”   I could not imagine what on earth could encourage her! She replied,

“I am encouraged because now I know that what we have been taught in history books about Egyptian Christians being martyred for their faith is not just history but that there are Christians today who are brave enough to face death rather than deny their Lord!  When I saw these young men praying as they were being prepared for execution and then many of them shouting “O Lord Jesus” as their throats were being slit, I realized that the Gospel message can still help us to hold on to the promises of God even when facing death!”

Hebrews chapter eleven is being renenacted today. These men were simple, Egyptian labourers who had gone to Libya to make a living. They were captured and executed by ISIS for being “People of the Cross”. The whole of Egypt has been shocked by this news; it is the most talked about event in our country at this time.

Those Islamic extremists clearly intended to provoke the 10 million Christians in Egypt to rise up violently against their Muslim neighbours. But the loving caring response of Muslims all over the nation softened the anger which many Christians felt.  So far Christians in Egypt have responded with restraint, and sorrow, calling out to God.

The President and dozens of political leaders personally sent condolences to the Coptic Pope. The Prime Minister travelled to the small village where most of these men come from, and sat on the floor with their poor relatives to share their grief and express his concern. All this sends a clear message that Christians are considered an integral part of the fabric of Egyptian society.

Let’s pray for the effective mass distribution of a Scripture tract the Egyptian Bible Society have just produced. May the word of God spread far and wide, and both challenge and comfort the many who will receive it.

News is coming in that more Egyptians are being seized in turbulent Libya. Lord have mercy! Bless the land of Egypt at this time, which is home to by far the largest Christian population in the Middle East. Send forth your word – let many open their hearts and come to know You at a far deeper level. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

The Voice of the Martyrs

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ISIS, Kayla, Martyr

“I am telling you this now so that your faith in Me may not be shaken. The time is coming when anyone who kills you will think and claim that they are offering a service to God. They will act like this because they have never had any true knowledge of the Father or of Me, but I have told you all this so that when the time comes for it to happen you may remember that I told you about it.” (John 16:1-4)

We have prepared this presentation as a way of honouring and remembering all who are holding true to the Lord in even the most dangerous situations. May it be an inspiration to pray for the many who are in such categories. And the many who are traumatised by loss of loved ones, or deeply unsettled as violence flares in country after country.

We are taking as our starting point words that Kayla Mueller, an aid worker from the United States held hostage by ISIL wrote in a letter that reached her family back home, before being supposedly killed by American air strikes in Syria. We will move on to honour the 21 Coptic Christians beheaded by ISIL and pray for Egypt as it digests this atrocity and braces itself for the possibility of more of its overseas workers in Libya being killed.

Whatever Kayla’s ideology and political involvement before she was captured, it seems clear that something profound happened to her during her long months of imprisonment. Her words, which are mainly taken from a letter she managed to get back to her family, deserve to be heard.

We recently recorded the opening piece of music, which is by the English composer Gustav Holst. This merges into part of a much longer piece of music that I wrote on behalf of Christians imprisoned in the notorious Evin prison in Iran. This includes a section that Justin Coldstream and I co-authored as we reworked an old Czech folk song.

The pictures used in the video were taken just moments before these brave Christians were killed.

May we also commend the prayer and remarkable photograph we sent out on August 10th last year, not least as a starting point for praying for those who have joined the ranks of ISIL?

As we were preparing the text for this presentation, my computer suddenly announced (loudly!): “A threat has been detected!” just as the ISIL pictures were showing. Even computers can be prophetic!

To see pictures of Kayla and to read the full text of her letter please go to Guardian site

Pictures of the Egyptian prisoners on the beach with their Isil captors can be found at: http://www.aholyexperience.com/2015/02/the-wake-up-call-to-the-church-that-is-isis-whos-answering/

Russia and Ukraine: An Overview

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Russia and Ukraine

“I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. But perhaps there is a key – that key is Russian national interest.”
Winston Churchill, October 1938

The Ukraine crisis started with differences, which became a conflict, which became a war, and which now risks becoming total war.
(President Hollande)

Churchill, who was undoubtedly one of the first international statesmen to recognise the post-war threat posed by the USSR, (and who coined the phrase “An iron curtain has descended across Europe” also wrote concerning Joseph Stalin’s tightening of his grip on the eastern half of the Europe that, “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.”

Praying for a renewed Minsk Agreement: genuine hope or Munich-style “Trojan Horse?”

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Minsk, Munich, Russian Crisis

If any were inclined to believe that the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War meant the end of the Russian question they were wrong with a capital W. After years of post Cold War decline and humiliation, which Putin felt in his own way as acutely as Hitler did for Germany, (during which the West undoubtedly could have done more in terms of welcoming Russia back into the family of nations) President Putin is making strenuous efforts to catapult Russia back onto the stage of the world. What makes this particularly complicated is that the stronger his stance towards the West, the more his own people love him.

He has been hampered, however, by the unexpected financial difficulties and setbacks the Russian economy encountered last year, partly as a result of Western sanctions but still more by the freefall in the price of oil. Rouble inflation went up from 11% in December to 15% in January, with the prices of certain high-tech items soaring much higher.

For those interested in such matters, see:

The Effect of Sanctions and Propaganda

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propaganda, Putin, sanctions

Sanctions from the West and Japan have undoubtedly hurt Russia, especially since they were extended to embrace financial defence and energy sectors, but they have in no ways encouraged Putin to change direction and do a volte face. We are rather in a serious trade war with the tit-for-tat from Moscow banning food imports from the West. Next steps being considered include diamond, caviar and vodka – and perhaps boycotting or even cancelling Russia’s right to host the World Cup in 2018.

The sanctions policy have held up so far, but are causing increasing internal strain between western nations. The EU is split in two, with Britain leading the pro-sanctions side and a sizeable group complaining that the “punishment” has cost the EU itself a great deal of money in terms of lost exports to Russia.

A Prayer for the Displaced

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Prayer for the Displaced

A Prayer for the Displaced
i) Accompanied by music by Rachmaninov
ii) The Rachmaninov music on its own.

Every refugee has a story to tell and is in need of prayer.

Sky reported on those who arrived from Ukraine in Murmansk in the far north of Russia, where they feel lonely and vulnerable, but have been generously welcomed. Ukrainian Refugees flee to Russian Arctic.

Their position could, however, become far more tense if and when they start competing for jobs with the locals by being prepared to work longer hours for less. This is what has happened in Lebanon, which initially gave a warm welcome to over a million Syrians, but are now finding themselves losing their jobs to the incomers, and becoming increasingly bitter as a result. Every refugee has a story to tell and is in need of prayer. It is easier to trace what happens to the 5,000 who have just arrived in Kiev.

Bearing in mind that the Russian army numbers something like 700,000, many times the size of the Ukrainian army, and has immediate access to virtually unlimited armaments, sending arms would be a risky business, not least because Putin has been at pains all along to portray this as the West directly threatening Russia itself. Or is the alternative more dangerous in that it gives President Putin licence to do as he pleases with national boundaries?

What effect would trying to fight a proxy war have on both Ukraine and the West if the go ahead is given to arm pro-government forces? Neither John Kerry nor President Obama instinctively warm to the idea of doing so, but they are under intense pressure from the Republican led Congress to be seen to be taking a stronger line; this stronger line could at best lead to a “neutralising” of the danger of Russian expansionism, but is surely more likely to provide President Putin with the excuse to escalate the a conflict which he has always firmly blamed upon the West’s expansionism#.

EU Official sees no rift with US over arming Ukraine

Ukraine crisis prompts new Domino Theory

See also: Putin – a Brilliant strategist, a Cunning Tactician or mad?

During our time with the musicians at House of the Open Door, Broadway, we recorded this powerful piece by Rachmaninov that Jane Mortimore kindly transcribed for us as a string ensemble. So far as we know Rachmaninov was not a Christian himself but was deeply influenced by his love for Russia, and the chants of the Orthodox church that feature prominently in his music. We hope you will be able to flow with this prayer for people displaced in Ukraine that I have recorded, but you may well want to use the music on its own to pray as the Spirit leads you. The piece is called ‘Bogoroditse Devo and it is taken from Rachmaninov’s beautiful Vespers.

We have posted the music separately so that you can pray as led for all the people caught up in this conflict.

In essence Putin’s strategy is simple:

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Russia, Ukraine

In essence Putin’s strategy is simple: to ensure that the large tract of eastern Ukraine which pro Russian separatist forces have taken in recent weeks be recognised internationally. Putin already calls this region “New Russia”,, and wants a new frontline boundary be drawn up as the basis for a putative ceasefire. The question then, of course, is whether this will satisfy his ambitions?

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former head of Nato, warned that Russia is highly likely to intervene in the Baltic states to test NATO’s shaky commitment to collective defence. ‘This is not about Ukraine. Putin wants to restore Russia to its former position as a great power.’ Remembering how Russia seized an Estonian on the last day of the conference in Wales as a very visible “gesture,” he could be right, especially given the presence of so many Russians near the borders who might be used as a pretext for “inviting the Russians in to help restore the balance.”

We can certainly pray that Russia will conclude that to intervene here is more trouble than it is worth.

The Shrinking of Free Speech

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Durham Free School

I have read a powerful book this week about how present day Russia is reluctant to open up any serious investigation into the legacy of its Stalinist past to present day scrutiny. (Gulag. A History of the Soviet Camps. Anne Applebaum.) Sadly it appears to be ever more the case that all too many stratas of our own society are today creating their own “legacy” by effectively eliminating free speech – especially where it brings people into direct contact with the gospel.

Simon Taylor who did a good job in alerting us to the plight of floods in the West Country last year has written to us to tell us the shocking news that the beleaguered Christian Free School in Durham has been told by inspectors that it must close. The root of the “problem” appears to lie in nothing more than throwaway remarks made by two pupils, not giving the “right answer” about what a Muslim was or lesbians do.

Let Your Presence Come

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Blessing, God's Presence, love

Some years ago at one of our recording events at the House of the Open Door, I woke with a snatch of music running in my head. I scribbled the music down over breakfast, and invited a talented violinist from the community to play the lead violin part. We pray it will really bless you, with the words leading you deep into prayer for people and places that are especially in need of the Lord’s power and presence.

Do listen more than once and let the Spirit of prayer come on you as you do so!

Let Your presence come O Lord
Your life, Your love, Your strength
Shining light into the darkest parts,
Turning doubts into faith and trouble into blessing.

Let no weariness of mind or body diminish my desire to go the extra mile.
Let me sense Your holy smile
drawing me on to the blessings You foresaw
away from the things that beguile.

Deep in the silence I receive Your presence now,
Unweave the bitter roots that defile
Endow my cluttered heart with poise and grace.

Now let Your power and presence come,
Your life, Your love, Your strength
Shining light into even the darkest places that we bring you now.

Words and Music by Robert Weston

Here is the music alone as inspiration for your prayers.