From the Bishop of the Northeastern Caribbean
‘Dear brothers and sisters, Hurricane Irma has dealt a hard blow to our diocese and beyond. We are grateful to Almighty God for sparing our lives, and mourn for those whose lives were ended. I urge you to remember the Apostle Peter when he got out of the boat to join Jesus walking on the water. He was fine until he let the winds and waves distract him from the Lord. When he began to sink, he cried out, “Jesus, save me”. And He did. As we go through these difficult days of cleaning up after Irma and struggling with the loss of life and property, let me urge you to keep your eyes on Jesus. Please pray for one another and do not let Satan cause you to stumble. Many places of worship have been damaged, but few of the flock were taken from us. By God’s grace, we will rebuild and prosper in our Lord Jesus.’
Friday Focus: harvest - food with friends
Matthew 14:13-21 tells of Jesus feeding five thousand. It’s a stunning picture of God’s unrivalled generosity and provision for us. What does this tell us about His nature? Our God is a God of hospitality who welcomes each of us, an Incarnate God who sits at the table with us and fills us with good things. He makes his dwelling among us.
(Chine McDonald, World Vision UK/ Share a Meal)
Johnson’s vision of post-Brexit Britain
In a newspaper article, Boris Johnson made a stand against the pessimism and accusations surrounding Brexit, saying that there are people ‘woefully underestimating Britain and thinking that Brexit isn’t going to happen’. He added, ‘There are some media observers - in this country and abroad - who think we are going to bottle it. I detect scepticism about whether we have the stamina, guts or persistence to do it. They think the Brexit bill will get lost in a House of Commons crevasse or buried in legal proceedings. They think that we will simply despair of finding the way out of the EU and sit down on the floor and cry, like some toddler lost in the maze at Hampton Court. Well, insofar as they doubt our resolve, I believe they are wrong; and I tell you that this country will succeed in our new national enterprise, and will succeed mightily.’ He went on to speak patriotically about Brexit, but his article has divided public opinion.
Parsons Green terrorists
A boy of 17 is the sixth person to have been arrested in connection with the London Underground bomb at Parsons Green on 15 September. He was detained at a 'halfway house' for asylum- seekers, following police counter-terror operations in Dover, Hounslow and Newport. He is the youngest of the suspects being questioned over a homemade bomb blast that failed to detonate fully but still injured thirty people on a packed train during morning rush hour. IS claimed the attack was carried out by ‘soldiers of the caliphate’. The head of the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism command said, ‘This continues to be a fast-moving investigation. A significant amount of activity has taken place, and searches are continuing at five addresses. Detectives are carrying out extensive inquiries to determine the full facts behind the attack.’
