The last time I had lived overseas was in 2003, so I was looking forward to being out of the country again. I have lived before in Colombia and Ecuador, both nations with similar cultures to that of Mexico, and even the same language.

When Troy and Kathy Johnson began ministering in Tanzania, they met a man named Habibu. Habibu, a Muslim man, was an outcast among his own people. No one would talk to him.

The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that an Egyptian Christian working in Saudi Arabia as a surgeon has been repeatedly blocked from going home for over two years. The Saudi government has intentionally run him in circles, promising he can leave, then refusing to let him go.

By Ed Thomas, OneNewsNow.com The ACLU has failed to have opening prayer before school board meetings of the Tangipahoa Parish district of Louisiana declared unconstitutional. A ruling this week by the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allows for the prayer and overturns a two-year-old district court opinion barring it.

On July 28, a personal friend of Pope Benedict XVI will publicly defend the Pope’s recent controversial remarks in support of the traditional Mass in Latin and calling non-Catholic communities “defective” and not truly churches.

The Ivorian Civil War was a civil war in Cote d’Ivoire that began on September 19, 2002. Although most of the fighting ended by late 2004, the country remains split in two with a rebel-held north and a government-held south.

The Christian Defense Coalition will lead an historic prayer delegation to Baghdad, leaving Tuesday, July 24. This Christian prayer delegation has been officially welcomed by the Iraqi government and will be their guests in Baghdad.

The Prayer Delegation will present to the Iraqi people an engraved stone display of the Ten Commandments as a gift from the Christian community of America.

The timeless and eternal truths enumerated in the Ten Commandments provide inspiration and direction to both our countries and cultures.

The Coalition has worked for months to arrange this trip, and in a letter hand-delivered to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Rev. Patrick Mahoney, speaking for the Coalition, says, “What happens in the next few months will have a profound impact on the future course of Iraq, the United States, and the entire region. In response to this critical hour, it is essential that we urgently humble ourselves and look to God for His sovereign grace, blessing and wisdom in all that we do.”

Rev. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, comments, “Now is the time for Americans to lay our political differences aside concerning the war in Iraq and humbly seek God for His direction.

Although there has been much debate, discussion and disagreement in our country regarding events in Iraq, there are many things Americans are united on — such as justice and mercy which will always triumph over terror and fear. We can also agree that the violence and bloodshed in Iraq must come to an end. This historic prayer initiative offers a unique opportunity to come together in one voice before God and leave our political differences at the water’s edge.

“It is important for the people of Iraq to know that the faith community of America stands with them during these challenging and difficult times.”

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(Source: Christian Newswire)

DISCLAIMER: Church of God and Faith News does not necessarily endorse or sanction all or any part of this news item.

“Over the past three years, a handful of communities quietly conducted a breakthrough pro-life campaign called 40 Days for Life, creating extraordinary results,” said Shawn Carney, spokesman for the 40 Days for Life campaign.

The eyes of the world will be on China in the year leading up to the Olympic Games which will be held Aug. 8-24, 2008, in Beijing.

It’s not too early for Christians in the West to blanket China in prayer while counting down to this historic event.