CHRISTIAN NEWS FROM RAY
A free service of Jesus Christ is Lord Ministries
News selected and edited by Ray Mossholder
Sunday, January 19, 2014
OBAMACARE ANNOUNCES ANOTHER HUGE DELAY
The Obama administration is reportedly delaying enforcement of another aspect of ObamaCare, one that prohibits employers from providing better health benefits to top executives than those being offered to regular employees. According to The New York Times, tax officials said they would not enforce the provision in 2014 as they had not yet issued the appropriate regulations.
“As we continue this work, employers still have the same incentives they always have had to offer coverage to their employees as part of a competitive compensation package, and will have additional incentives under the Affordable Care Act starting this year and next.”
A survey by management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. found that only 11 percent of consumers who purchased new coverage under ObamaCare were previously uninsured. The survey was based on a sampling of 4,563 consumers between November and January, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The enforcement delay is the latest in a list of deadline extensions and exemptions to the controversial law by the Obama administration to minimize disruption from the new health care law, which is sure to play in key role in this year’s midterm elections.
“ALL WE ARE SAYING IS GIVE PEACE A CHANCE IN IRAN”
A team of international inspectors arrived Saturday in Iran, a key step toward fulfilling a deal the country has struck with the United States and other world powers to curtail its nuclear program. The team of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors arrived in Tehran and will visit Natanz and Fordo, Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities, according to Iranian state television.
The deal takes effect Monday, amid continued concern on Capitol Hill and elsewhere about whether the Iranian government will fulfill its part of the deal, in exchange for an easing of international sanctions.
Under the international deal, Iran will limit its enrichment of uranium in return for some painful economic sanctions being lifted. The deal will last for six months as Iran and the world powers negotiate a final deal.
In return, some Western sanctions to be lifted against Iran. The deal will last for six months as Iran and the world powers negotiate a final deal. The five other world powers are Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.
Iranian hard-liners call the deal a “poisoned chalice” and lawmakers there have introduced a bill calling for even higher uranium enrichment.
As insurance, the Senate has drafted legislation to increase sanctions, as President Obama and his team urges members to wait before enacting a bill. The president says he will veto any such bill if it is enacted.
The administration’s top Iran negotiator, Wendy Sherman asked Senate leaders on Thursday to support the deal, saying passing legislation that restores the sanctions could upset Iran and poison the talks.
Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Abbas Araghchi, said earlier in the week that his country could resume enriching uranium to levels prohibited under the deal within about a day, if it chose to do so.
The West fears Iran’s nuclear program could allow it to build an atomic weapon. However, the Iranian government continues to say their program is for peaceful purposes only.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
TALIBAN DESTROY V.I.P RESTAURANT IN KABUL, KILL 21
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A Taliban attack against a popular Kabul swank restaurant killed 21 people, officials said Saturday, in the deadliest attack against foreign civilians since the war began nearly 13 years ago. It came as security has been deteriorating and apprehension has been growing among Afghans over the future security of their country as U.S.-led foreign forces prepare for a final withdrawal at the end of the year.
Those killed included two U.S. citizens working for the American University of Afghanistan. Also among the dead were the International Monetary Fund’s Lebanese representative, Wabel Abdallah, and Vadim Nazarov, a Russian who was the chief political affairs officer at the U.N. Mission in Afghanistan. He was one of three U.N. victims.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in reprisal for an Afghan military operation earlier in the week against insurgents in eastern Parwan province, which the insurgents claimed killed many civilians.
“The target of the attack was a restaurant frequented by high-ranking foreigners,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in an emailed statement. He said the attack targeted a place “where the invaders used to dine with booze and liquor in the plenty. It was a revenge attack and will have delivered a heavy blow to the enemy which they shall never forget”
Such attacks in the past have prompted a mass exodus of foreign staff from the country, and the insecurity has been compounded by the refusal of Afghan President Hamid Karzai to sign a security deal with the United States that would keep about 10,000 troops there for up to 10 more years.
An indication of the testiness in relations was apparent in Karzai’s condemnation of the attack, which came almost a day after it took place. In what was essentially a political statement, Karzai said the U.S. was not doing enough to deal with terrorism in Afghanistan and said its policies so far had not been successful. “If NATO forces and in the lead the United States of America want to cooperate and be united with Afghan people, they must target terrorism,” he said without fully elaborating on what America should be doing. He added that America had followed a “policy which has caused many sacrifices in Afghanistan and has not been successful in the past decade.”
The restaurant, like most places frequented by foreign diplomats, aid workers, journalists and businessmen in the war-weary country, has no signs indicating its location and is heavily secured. It sits on a small side street just off a bumpy semi-paved road in a house with low ceilings and an enclosed patio but has no windows.
Bags of dirt are piled up around it to act as blast walls and guests must go through a series of steel airlocks, where they are searched, before entering. The surrounding area is full of police and security guards to protect against insurgent attacks, which have increased in recent months around the country.
Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez in Kabul, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Cassandra Vinograd in London contributed to this report.
ISRAEL MAY SOON HONOR CHRISTIANS
Is it possible to lessen the influence of the Muslim majority among Israel’s large Arab community? That is the aim of new legislation proposed by Knesset Member and coalition chairman Yariv Levin (Likud), who wants to separate and boost the status of local Christian Arabs.
In fact, Levin echoes what several Christian leaders from Nazareth have told Israel Today in the past: that local Christians aren’t really Arabs, anyway, as their presence in the land far predates the Muslim Arab conquest.
“My legislation would provide separate representation and a separate reference to the Christian public,” Levin told the Israeli newspaper Maariv. “This is a historic and important step that can help to balance the State of Israel and to further connect us and the Christians, and I’m careful not to call them Arabs, because they are not Arabs.”
Among the new laws proposed by Levin are:
The right for Christians to be registered in their national ID cards as “Christian,” rather than “Arab”;
Mechanisms recognizing Christians as a separate minority for the purpose of providing state benefits; and
Separate representation for Christians on regional and municipal councils.
Similar laws already exist for Israel’s Druze minority, and Levin said there is no reason the same should not be true for local Christians.
The Christians “have a different character” than the Muslims or Arabs, he noted. “They can identify with the state” and in so doing should receive the same recognition and benefits as the Druze.
“itLevin went on to point out that “we (Jews) have much in common with the Christians. They are our natural allies, and a counterweight to the Muslims who want to destroy the country from within.”
He believes that if Israel begins to show special recognition and grants preferred status to Christians, the effect will rub off on many Muslims who do not agree with the radical positions of their political leaders.
But, Levin said that unfortunately Israel has to date done too little to help Christians feel that the state has their back, in the same way that it does the Druze. Much of that stems from lumping all Arabs together when dealing with ethnic tensions and national security threats.
Levin hopes his new legislation recognizing Christians as a separate minority group will change all that, and help a growing number of local Christians take pride in their Israeli nationality.
ISRAEL RECOGNIZED FOR ITS NUCLEAR POWER
JERUSALEM, Israel — Israel has been admitted as a full member of CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, the Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday.
At a ceremony Wednesday morning at the CERN Globe of Science and Innovation in Geneva, Israel’s flag was added to the row of member nations’ flags. Israel is CERN’s 21st member state and the only nation outside Europe to be admitted as a full member.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who represented the Jewish state at the ceremony, said membership in the organization serves as “recognition of the high level and quality of scientific research in Israel and its contribution to the welfare of the human race.”
“We are proud that Israel creates more than 1 percent of the scientific knowledge in the world even though our population is only one thousandth of the world’s population,” Lieberman said.
UNITED STATES JOINS OTHER NATIONS
TO HELP SYRIA’S SUFFERING
The United States will send an additional $380 million in humanitarian aid to Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry said the money will go to help civilians who are suffering. The U.S. pledge came during the United Nations International Humanitarian Conference, and was one of many pledges from across the globe.
Kuwait said it will send $500 million in aid, Saudi Arabia offered $250 million, and the United Kingdom pledged more than $160 million.
Secretary-General of the U.N. Ban Ki-Moon said Syria needs a total of $6.5 billion to care for refugees and civilians.
PHILIPPINES SLOWLY HEALING. MANY NEVER WILL
GUIUAN SAMAR, Philippines — Two months after a historic typhoon devastated the Filippino city, Tacloban is starting to show signs of economic recovery.
Tacloban City Hall said businesses are starting to re-open, and the Washington Post report that shoppers are returning to marketplaces.
But the emotional damage done by the storm is taking a toll on many. That’s why one group of Israeli councilors has traveled to the region. They’re partnering with CBN to help people cope with emotional trauma.
More than two months since Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philipines, survivors like Loraine Delleva still feel haunted by their near death experience. “The water was rising, my sister and I immediately ran out of the house and swam in the street to higher ground,” Delleva said. “My sister, who did not know how to swim, held on to a water jug. We were really frightened because the current was really strong,” she said.
Delleva and her sister lived in the hard-hit city of Tacloban. Their closest family lived 49 miles away and all means of communication had been cut off.
“I worried so much for my daughters because we cannot contact them. I wasn’t able to eat for three days and three nights thinking about them,” Monica Delleva, Loraines’s mother said. “My sister and I knew that our family was worrying about us and so we decided to go home even if we had to walk for three days,” Loraine said.
Although her daughters are home, Monica said she still feels the trauma brought about by Haiyan. “I still shake and I am afraid every time it rains hard and I hear the strong wind,” she explained.
More than 1 million Filipinos have been affected by the storm. More than 6,000 died, 2,000 are still missing, and 600,000 are homeless.
Aside from attending to the physical and spiritual needs of the victims of the Typhoon Haiyan, CBN Disaster Relief has brought in an Israeli team of experts in trauma counseling to help the people cope with their tragic experiences. Farhi’s group helped train various government units, the Red Cross, and several schools.
“We teach the people pyschological first aid and emotional CPR, the first thing that you do in traumatic events,” he said. “Activate the people to stay out of helplessness and continue to fight in order to survive.”
“I feel very relaxed now. I will teach this to my family and apply it to my two daughters who are the most traumatized in trying to save themselves,” Monica said. “Thank you so much to the Israeli Relief Coaliton and to CBN. You enlightened our minds and you’ve taught us not to lose hope.”
Farhi said he is optimistic that the strong faith of the Filipino people and the resilience displayed by survivors will help them put the trauma of Typhoom Haiyan behind them.
UKRAINE CHRISTIANS RESCUING THOUSANDS OF ORPHANS
KYIV, Ukraine — A powerful movement is sweeping through Ukraine. Thousands of Christians are coming together to care for the fatherless. With one voice and one heart families are mobilizing to make a difference in the life of every Ukrainian orphan. Now this spirit of adoption is spreading to other countries.
Svetlana and Evgeniy Isaev are part of Ukraine’s orphan solution. To the human mind, it seems almost impossible. But spend time with the Isaev family and they’ll soon convince you that with God all things are possible.
“The moment you see an orphan’s eyes I promise it will change your life,” said Svetlana who lives in the town of Mariupol, Ukraine.
Ten years ago Svetlana Isaev was a woman with a dark past. Evgeniy Isaev was a drug addict and HIV positive. Both had a radical encounter with Jesus Christ that changed their lives forever.
“I began to search for God, I could see the path that I needed to go on,” Evgeniy said.
The couple’s dream? To see their nation of Ukraine without orphans.
“If someone told me 10 years ago I would have these many children today and would be married to an HIV positive man, I would say that’s humanly impossible,” Svetlana said. “But God birthed in us something special.”
Svetlana and Evgeniy became the first family in Ukraine to adopt a child with HIV — Not just one, but seven HIV-positive children. “If we want to see a Ukraine without orphans, Christians have to be part of the solution,” Svetlana said. And Christians are answering the call.
Svetlana joined hundreds of pastors and Christian leaders from different parts of the globe in Kyiv recently for a summit on orphan care.
Ruslan Maliuta, with World without Orphans, leads a grassroots movement committed to caring for Ukraine’s orphans. “God said that He is the father of the fatherless, which means He wants every orphan to be in a family,” Maliuta said. “How is God going to do it? It’s through the church. Adoption and providing a home for an orphan is an integral part of the Gospel.”
The crowd at this summit is very serious about seeing a Ukraine without orphans. Sitting in the crowd, there are about 160 families that have either adopted a Ukrainian child or are today foster parents.
Gennadiy Mohnenko is one of them. He pastors Church of Good Changes in Urkraine and along with his wife they have 31 foster children.
“Should all families take 31 children in like we did? No. But if this movement is to have a lasting impact, Christian leaders must set the example and they are,” Mohnenko said. “The last few years God has been moving on the hearts of pastors to lead the charge,” he said.
The public is taking note. At a nationally televised event that drew Ukraine’s rich and famous, Svetlana and Evgeniy received hero status and were honored with the “Pride of the Nation” award for their heart for orphans. There was hardly a dry eye in the crowd as people stood and applauded.
“We didn’t think about any awards, we simply were doing what was on our hearts to do,” Evgeniy said. “We have only God to thank. He shows us how to love. Without Him we have no life. Without him my children have no hope. Without him, the orphans of Ukraine have no hope,” added Svetlana.
CHRIS CHRISTIE’S CRISIS CONTINUES
TRENTON, N.J. — The Christie administration withheld millions of dollars in Hurricane Sandy recovery grants from a New Jersey city because its mayor refused to sign off on a politically connected commercial development, the mayor said Saturday. Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer alleged that the lieutenant governor and a top community development official told her recovery funds would flow to her city if she allowed the project to move forward.
“I was directly told by the lieutenant governor — she made it very clear — that the Rockefeller project needed to move forward or they wouldn’t be able to help me,” Zimmer said. “There is no way I could ethically do what the governor, through the lieutenant governor, is asking me to do,” she said. Christie’s office denied Zimmer’s claims, calling her statements politically motivated.
Besides state money, Hoboken has received $70 million in recovery funds distributed by the federal government, according to the Christie administration. Zimmer said she has applied for $100 million to implement a comprehensive plan to help insulate her city from future floods.
At a recent news conference to discuss the lane closures on the approach to the George Washington Bridge, Christie brushed aside questions about his aggressive governing style. “I am who I am,” said Christie, “I am not a bully.”
Zimmer, a Democrat, said she is willing to take a lie detector test or testify under oath about the conversations.
RODMAN IN REHAB
Former basketball star and Kim Jong-un fan Dennis Rodman has checked into a rehabilitation centre to treat his long-time struggle with alcoholism. His agent said, ”He is embarrassed, saddened and remorseful for the anger and hurt his words have caused.”
Rodman won five NBA championships with the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls and was one of the NBA’s fiercest rebounders and most colourful personalities. Detroit selected Rodman in the second round of the 1986 draft out of Southeastern Oklahoma. The native of Trenton, New Jersey, also played for Chicago, San Antonio, the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas. He was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2011.
AP
ACTRESS HAS FIRST BABY AT 49
Laura Linney has become a first time mom! The actress, 49 gave birth to a baby boy on Wednesday, January 8, confirmed her reps to People.
Bennett Armistead Schauer is the first child for Linney and her husband Marc Schauer. The two wed in May 2009.
Linney is best known for starring in the Showtime series, ‘The Big C,’ and movies like ‘The Truman Show’ and ‘Love Actually.’ She has three Academy Award nominations and won four Emmy awards.
CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man charged with fatally shooting his 11-year-old daughter wants out of jail to attend her funeral.
Deandre Kelley’s attorney filed the motion Wednesday asking that his client be allowed to attend Saturday’s funeral of Shanti Lanza. Kelley is charged with reckless homicide in his daughter’s death.
Police say the 34-year-old Kelley fired shots into the air outside the house Sunday while arguing with the girl’s mother. One of them hit the girl in her bedroom, where she had fled when her parents started arguing. Kelley’s attorney says the shooting was accidental. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
Cincinnati Enquirer
TEENAGE RUSSIAN HIT TARGET
A 17-year-old Russian boy is believed to be the main developer of the malicious software responsible for allowing hackers to steal credit card numbers and personal data of approximately 70 million Target customers over the holiday shopping season. In a report released Friday, California-based cyber security firm IntelCrawler said that the so-called malware, known as BlackPOS, has infected the payment systems of six other retailers.
The IntelCrawler report said that the 17-year-old had “roots” in St. Petersburg, Russia and goes by the online nickname “ree4.”
The company’s CEO, Andrew Komarov, said that he began investigating the malware last March at the request of banking clients. Komarov stated that the malware had been downloaded at least 60 times since its creation and was being sold by its creator for approximately $2,000, with discounts offered to buyers who agreed to share any whatever they can steal
The 70 million customers were affected by their pre-Christmas data breach. That number is substantially more than the chain had previously reported. Last month Target announced that PINs (Personal Identification Numbers) were stolen from up to 40 million credit and debit cards. On Friday, that number went up. Phone numbers and email mailing addresses were also stolen.
Target is now offering free credit monitoring and identity theft protection to all its customers. People will have the chance to enroll during the next three months. Target stock fell by more than 3% yesterday.
WOMAN RECEIVES MILLIONS FROM MALPRACTICE SUIT
A woman who sued a hospital after complications from a laparoscopic procedure lead to the amputation of her legs and partial deafness has been awarded $62 million by a New York City jury. Stacey Galette was awarded $58 million for pain and suffering and another $4 million in special damages Friday following a 12-week trial in state Supreme Court in Brooklyn.
Galette sued Winthrop-University Hospital on Long Island and three doctors after the 2009 laparoscopic removal of an ectopic pregnancy. Galette’s attorney Sanford Rubenstein argued a punctured colon during the procedure lead to infections and blood poisoning.
A hospital spokesman says Friday doctors diagnosed the complication quickly and treated it as best they could but her condition deteriorated quickly. He says their efforts saved her life but left her disabled and rich.
THE CROSS STILL STANDS
Wildfires in Southern California near Azusa Pacific University have claimed at least 1,700 acres and destroyed at least two homes. But amid the flames, one iconic structure is still standing. A 10-to-12-foot cross on top of a mountain peak in the Azusa mountains is visible for miles. The cross was originally erected in 2007, and many local residents often hike up to the lookout spot where it stands overlooking the San Fernando Valley. This week, flames ripped through the area and the cross appeared to be lost, according to early local reports. But the wood structure, which has become a fixture on Azusa Peak, survived unscathed.
After houses were burnt down, hundreds evacuated and the city was covered in smoke. But there was one thing left, not only standing, but untouched. The cross.
“It’s almost shining through the smoke because the sun reflects off the white paint, thus increasing visibility even with all the smoke and ash in the air,” Talamo said.
A student from Azusa Pacific College said, “It’s common for groups of us students to hike the Garcia Trail to the top of the mountain and sit at the foot of the cross. It reminds us that, though we are a part of a specific university, we are also a part of a larger community, not only limited to Azusa, but the rest of the world as well,” he said. “It’s a symbol and a reminder that God watches over His children in every circumstance, all the time.”
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Are you failing as a Christian? Great!
Just like Peter, come boldly before the throne of God.
You’re just the kind of person Christ will use to the maximum.
Hebrews 4:14–16
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Sunday, January 19, 2014