O God of compassion, who didst open the eyes of thy servant Thomas Bray to see the needs of the Church in the New World, and didst lead him to found societies to meet those needs: Make the Church in this land diligent at all times to propagate the Gospel among those who have not received it, and to promote the spread of Christian knowledge; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

The Church of England also commemorates Thomas Bray, Priest, Founder of the SPCK and the SPG, 1730 https://t.co/myjc59dc3K

Icon of Rev Thomas Bray by Louise Shipps, from the Saints of Georgia page on the @GA_Episcopal website pic.twitter.com/xHmuTdaJ9X

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) February 15, 2022

Almighty God, whose sovereign purpose none can make void: Give us faith to stand calm and undismayed amid the tumults of the world, knowing that thy kingdom shall come and thy will be done; to the eternal glory of thy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

—Daily Prayer, Eric Milner-White and G. W. Briggs, eds. (London: Penguin Books 1959 edition of the 1941 original)

Glorious sunrise over snow covered Nauset Lighthouse this morning. Eastham, Cape Cod National Seashore. #capecod #sunrise pic.twitter.com/v4Wregg9An

— Darius Aniunas (@dariusaniunas) February 15, 2022

My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He who says “I know him” but disobeys his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps his word, in him truly love for God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: he who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment which you had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new commandment, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness still. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and in it there is no cause for stumbling. But he who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

–1 John 2:1-11

Morning all! I think I got the best of the day this morning. Have a good one, whatever you're up to. 😊🌅📸#BushyPark @theroyalparks #loveukweather @metoffice @itvweather @sallyweather @StormHour @ThePhotoHour pic.twitter.com/0A0i1i1go6

— Scot Down South (@LesleyAM13) February 15, 2022

In a debate which heard powerful accounts of how Christians maintain their faith amid threats, violence, imprisonment and murder, members were told that 360 million Christians – about one in seven around the world – face persecution.

The Bishop of Truro Philip Mounstephen, who carried out a review of Persecution of Christians across the Globe for the Foreign Office in in 2019, said the situation has deteriorated even in the last year.

He highlighted the “disastrous fall” of Afghanistan to the Taliban, “now making it the most dangerous country on earth to be a Christian”, and the “outrageous murder” of Pastor William Siraj returning home after Sunday service in Peshawar on January 30.

“The wholesale denial of freedom of religion or belief in today’s world is a great evil,” he said.

Read it all.

The General @Synod has unanimously condemned the persecution of Christians around the world.

The Bishop of Truro, @pmountstephen, warned of the "monstrous evil" of denying freedom of religion of religion or belief.

Read more at https://t.co/yTbRKqyXio.

— The Church of England (@churchofengland) February 11, 2022

It had only been about six months since Katie Ripley finished radiation therapy for Stage 4 breast cancer. But now the 33-year-old was back in the hospital. This time, it wasn’t cancer – she was still in remission – but she’d come down with a nasty respiratory infection.

It wasn’t COVID, but her immune defenses had been weakened by the cancer treatments, and the infection had developed into pneumonia.

By the time Ripley made it to Gritman Medical Center, the local hospital in Moscow, Idaho, on January 6, her condition was deteriorating quickly. The illness had started affecting her liver and kidneys.

Her father, Kai Eiselein, remembers the horror of that night, when he learned she needed specialized ICU care.

“The hospital here didn’t have the facilities for what she needed,” he says. “And no beds were available anywhere.”

Read it all.

Small rural hospitals — also known as critical access hospitals — have struggled with an influx of critically ill COVID-19 patients during the omicron surge.

Staff at small hospitals often have to scour the region for available beds while patients wait. https://t.co/GlPyOjeGQl

— NPR (@NPR) February 11, 2022

It’s hard not to pay attention to what the winner of the Most Valuable Player award has to say after the Super Bowl.

Thus, a few mainstream media features after the Los Angeles Rams’ victory focused on a bit of very personal testimony by superstar wide receiver Cooper Kupp. In a way, what he said resembled the kind of stereotypical Godtalk that filters into the news when believers are asked to express their first reactions after a major event — glorious or tragic — in their lives.

Long ago (pre-Internet), I interviewed the late, great Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry about all of this. People tend to think that believers pray to win football Games and either God hears them or not, he said. The reality is more complex than that and, most of the time, players and coaches are trying to make sense of these events — wins and loses — in the context of how God is working in their lives.

In the case of Kupp, this win in The Big Game linked into what he claimed was a vision after a Super Bowl loss. Here is the top of a story from The Athletic: “How the Rams’ Cooper Kupp’s quiet vision became reality in front of the whole world.”

Read it all.

One of the greatest seasons by a WR ever ends with a ring and Super Bowl MVP.

Fairytale ending for @CooperKupp. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/j5bF7ef4gZ

— NFL (@NFL) February 14, 2022

The world will be watching in horror if Russia invades Ukraine this week — but just watching. Ukraine will fight alone, as Russian tanks roll across the flat, frozen terrain; precision bombs destroy key targets near Kyiv and other cities; and the country becomes a killing field unlike anything Europe has seen since 1945.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will quickly win the initial, tactical phase of this war, if it comes. The vast army that Russia has arrayed along Ukraine’s borders could probably seize the capital of Kyiv in several days and control the country in little more than a week, U.S. officials believe.

But then Putin’s real battle would begin — as Russia and its Ukrainian proxies try to stabilize a country whose people largely detest them. If just 10 percent of Ukraine’s 40 million people decided to actively resist occupation, they would mount a powerful insurgency. Small bands of motivated fighters subverted America’s overwhelming military power in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Read it all.

“Ukraine might seem a triumphal victory for Putin at first, but it’s unlikely to have a happy ending. When leaders fight unnecessary “wars of choice” without a clear endgame, they often confront catastrophic unintended consequences.” https://t.co/uwf5q3HrmV

— John Sipher (@john_sipher) February 14, 2022

February 14 honors the memory of St. Valentine of Rome, a priest who was martyred on this day in the year 270.

A brief biography of St. Valentine is featured in Butler’s Lives of the Saints.

Valentine was a holy priest in Rome, who, with Saint Marius and his family, assisted the martyrs in the persecution under Claudius II. He was apprehended, and sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome; who, on finding all his promises to make him renounce his faith ineffectual, commanded him to be beaten with clubs, and afterwards to be beheaded, which was executed on the 14th of February, about the year 270.

Generally speaking, this is most of what we know about the real St. Valentine with any certainty. After his death many legends were composed about him.

Read it all.

Who was the real St. Valentine? ⁦@AleteiaEN⁩ https://t.co/J7SWZHLvEd

— Jeff McLean (@mclean) February 14, 2022

Almighty and everlasting God, who by the power of the Holy Spirit didst move thy servant Cyril and his brother Methodius to bring the light of the Gospel to a hostile and divided people: Overcome, we pray thee, by the love of Christ, all bitterness and contention among us, and make us one united family under the banner of the Prince of Peace; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Today the Church of England celebrates Cyril and Methodius, Missionaries to the Slavs, 869 and 885 https://t.co/BHnAftUHzl

Image: Window in the chapel of Mundelein Seminary, IL. Photo by Fr. Gaurav Shroff, CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0, via Flickr pic.twitter.com/5OvxmfR8F6

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) February 14, 2022

O God, fountain of love, pour thy love into our souls, that we may love those whom thou lovest with the love thou givest us, and think and speak of them tenderly, meekly, lovingly; and so loving our brethren and sisters for thy sake, may grow in thy love, and dwelling in love may dwell in thee; for Jesus Christ’s sake.

Hello Monday!
Seabrook Island SC pic.twitter.com/yA15E1hnRK

— Glen Cox (@GQCOP45) February 14, 2022

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing this that our joy may be complete.

–1 John 1:1-4

Gorgeous Valentine's Day sunrise over the Charleston Harbor! ❤️ @stormhour #chswx pic.twitter.com/vzRTxyLTjU

— JoeyLive5 (@JoeySovine) February 14, 2022

FINAL: The @RamsNFL win Super Bowl LVI in LA! #SBLVI #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/o69uCPhaJC

— NFL (@NFL) February 14, 2022

Take the time to listen to it all. It is simple but inspiring.

Almighty and eternal God, who in thy Son Jesus Christ hast revealed thy nature as Love: We humbly pray thee to shed thy love abroad in our hearts by thy Holy Spirit; that so by thy grace we may evermore abide in thee, and thou in us, with all joyfulness, and free from fear or mistrust; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Winter. #Photography #StormHour #ThePhotoHour pic.twitter.com/83g4bjTjN6

— Sharon Welby (@sharonwelby1) February 13, 2022

Blessed be God,
because he has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me!

–Psalm 66:20

Good morning from Downeast – Steuben sunrise 2/13/22 #MyDayInMaine pic.twitter.com/POesfGnXNC

— Upatsunrise (@ElinMac) February 13, 2022

….in rationalizing our gambling regime by making it ever more universal, we’re following the same misguided principle that we’ve followed in other cases. With pornography, for instance, where the difficulty of identifying a perfectly consistent rule that would allow the publication of “Lolita” but not Penthouse has led to a world where online porn doubles as sex education and it’s assumed that the internet will always be a sewer and we just have to live with it. Or now with marijuana, where the injustice and hypocrisy of the drug war made a good case for partial decriminalization, but stopping at decriminalization may be impossible when the consistent logic of commercialization beckons.

The reliability of this process doesn’t mean that it can never be questioned or reversed. Part of what we’re witnessing from #MeToo-era feminism, for instance, is a backlash against the ruthless logic of an unregulated sexual marketplace, and a quest for some organic form of social regulation, some new set of imperfect-but-still-useful scruples and taboos.

But it’s a lot easier to tear down an inconsistent but workable system than it is to build a new one up from scratch — and the impulse to rebuild usually becomes powerful only once you’ve reached the bottom of consistency’s long slope.

I’m not sure where we are with gambling’s cultural trajectory. But every time this playoff season served up another ad for Caesars Sportsbook, it felt like a sign that we’ve accelerated downward, with a long way yet to fall.

Read it all.

The damage from a growing gambling industry "is likely to fall disproportionately on the psychologically vulnerable and economically marginal, the strong preying on the weak,” writes @DouthatNYT. https://t.co/yST3quRFMM

— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) February 13, 2022

Gracious God, who didst call Charles Freer Andrews to show forth thy salvation to the poor: By thy Holy Spirit inspire in us a tender concern, a passionate justice, and an active love for all people, that there may be one Body and one Spirit in Jesus Christ, our Savior; who with thee and the same Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

We remembering the Social Reformer and Educator Shri. CHARLES FREER ANDREWS on his birth anniversary. He popularly known as DHEENABANDHU or FRIEND OF THE POOR, a name given by GANDHIJI for his contributions during the india's freedom struggle#Dheenabandhu🇮🇳#CharlesFreerAndrews pic.twitter.com/emZq7gFTsf

— VIJAY KUMAR CHIRUTHALA 🐅 (@VChiruthala) February 12, 2022

Blessed are you, Sovereign God, creator of all,
to you be glory and praise for ever.
You founded the earth in the beginning
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
In the fullness of time you made us in your image,
and in these last days you have spoken to us
in your Son Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.
As we rejoice in the gift of your presence among us
let the light of your love always shine in our hearts,
your Spirit ever renew our lives
and your praises ever be on our lips.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Wow what a sky this morning 😍
Ely, Cambridgeshire pic.twitter.com/hKOMt8MVw7

— Veronica in the Fens 🧚🏼‍♀️ (@VeronicaJoPo) February 12, 2022

On the holy mount stands the city he founded; the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.

–Psalm 87:1-3

Good Morning Cape Cod! Superb Saturday sunrise at the Salt Pond in Eastham. #capecod #sunrise #nationalparks pic.twitter.com/9OrpjCNy6I

— Darius Aniunas (@dariusaniunas) February 12, 2022

The Biden administration warned on Friday that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia could mount a major assault on Ukraine at any time, having built up formidable land, sea and air forces on three sides of its smaller neighbor.

U.S. intelligence officials had initially thought Mr. Putin was prepared to wait until the end of the Winter Olympics in Beijing before possibly ordering an offensive, to avoid antagonizing President Xi Jinping of China, a critical ally. In recent days, they say, the timeline began moving up, an acceleration that Biden administration officials began publicly acknowledging on Friday.

“We continue to see signs of Russian escalation, including new forces arriving at the Ukrainian border,” Jake Sullivan, the president’s national security adviser, told reporters on Friday, adding that an invasion could begin “during the Olympics,” which are scheduled to end on Feb. 20, and warned that all Americans should leave Ukraine in the next 24 to 48 hours.

U.S. officials still do not know whether Mr. Putin has decided to invade, Mr. Sullivan insisted. “We are ready either way,” he said. “Whatever happens next, the West is more united than it has been in years.”

Read it all.

"U.S. intelligence officials had initially thought Mr. Putin was prepared to wait until the end of the Winter Olympics in Beijing to avoid antagonizing President Xi Jinping of China, a critical ally. In recent days, they say, the timeline began moving up" https://t.co/RimygMIB6A

— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) February 11, 2022

With a mandate to make a positive change, religious organisations are among the richest asset owners and investors, and are increasingly looking at impact investments to make market returns. Unique to these investments are faith values, which decide the sectors, regions, and projects that receive the funds. In many cases, those values fit comfortably within the SDG puzzle. However, overall, faith-based investors have yet to develop major impact investing portfolios.

While there are no publicly available figures for the value of the assets owned by religious organisations, they are estimated to own over 7% of the Earth’s land surface. The Islamic finance industry was estimated to be worth $2.4 trillion at the end of 2017, according to the 2018 Global Islamic Finance Report, and in 2020 was almost $3 trillion, a figure that is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5% until 2024.

“What we do see is a big trend where faith-based investors have woken up and now understand that a lot of their assets are stuck in very traditional investment vehicles, as they need those revenues and returns from those investments to maintain churches, pay pensions, etc. So it is important for them to make sufficient returns, but they are also realising that in some cases there is a complete misalignment between their values and those funds they have been investing in,” says Maarten Toussaint, COO of FIIND Impact, an investment consultant and advisor, working with faith-based investors.

Even though faith-based investors have noble intentions, their investments are not bereft of returns. “We target market rate with our returns,” says Aaron Pinnock, senior impact investment analyst at the Church Commissioners for England. The portfolio’s target is returns of CPIH +4%. “So, in the last 30 years, our returns have averaged just over 9%, and that’s the kind of target that we are looking for going forward. We are not looking at impact as taking financial returns off the table, but it has to meet the kind of return requirement that will make other investments possible.”

Read it all.

Is faith based finance making a dent in impact investing?https://t.co/CaGUYYtSc0@OperationNoah @EpiscoClimate @greenfaithworld pic.twitter.com/SB0PG36rhy

— Green Anglicans (@Greenanglicans) February 11, 2022

In early february Jim McIngvale, a businessman from Houston, crossed Texas’s border with Louisiana to place a $4.53m bet on his phone. In making America’s biggest-ever online bet, Mr McIngvale is pinning his hopes on the victory of the Cincinnati Bengals, the underdogs, in the Super Bowl on February 13th. He is the boldest among tens of millions of Americans who will place bets this weekend. His staggering wager reflects a broader trend: the market for legal betting is surging in America—along with attendant risks.

Since the Supreme Court struck down a law that banned sports gambling outside Nevada in 2018, 33 states as well as Washington, DC have legalised it. Seven more states have legislation in the works. The betting landscape is rapidly changing: 45m more Americans than last year can now legally bet on the 2022 Super Bowl in their home state. Many more, like Mr McIngvale, can travel to a neighbouring state to do so.

In less than four years, $97bn has been wagered in legal bets across America, yielding over $7bn in revenue for gambling operators and $923m in taxes. In October 2021 alone, Americans put down a record $7.5bn, 87% of it online. That was an eight-fold increase on the same month in 2018. Experts anticipate that the sports-betting market will keep growing. By 2028 it is expected to be worth $140bn.

Read it all.

A new post in 'That Was The Week'
Sports betting in America is explodinghttps://t.co/fVYn1SeWj2

— Keith Teare (@kteare) February 10, 2022

A reduction in the number of dioceses, and reforms to the shape of episcopal ministry, are part of the “significant change” to which “God is calling” the Church of England, a paper produced by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and the Bishop of London suggests.

In the confidential paper, presented to the College of Bishops in September and seen by the Church Times this week, the three authors write of their conviction that “God is calling us to embrace significant change.” This will entail being prepared to “surrender much that we have held dear, but which we now believe may well now be hindering our mission. . .

“We believe that there will need to be significant changes to how dioceses are structured, the number and nature of them as well as serious consideration being given to the behaviours and ways of working of bishops as we move beyond the events of 2020 and 2021.”

Entitled A consultation document: Bishops and their ministry fit for a new context, the paper draws on a “listening exercise” conducted by a task group commissioned by the Archbishops and the Bishop of London.

Read it all (registration).

In the confidential paper, presented to the College of Bishops in September and seen by the Church Times this week, the three authors write of their conviction that “God is calling us to embrace significant change” https://t.co/Vl3NKET17B

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) February 11, 2022

Our section of the universe has been mapped into the “most accurate simulation to date” by scientists using a supercomputer.

The simulations, which were unveiled at Durham university, capture the Big Bang to the present and the entire evolution of the cosmos.

Scientists used advanced statistical techniques so that the simulations were conditioned to reproduce our specific patch of the universe – therefore containing the present-day structures in the vicinity of our own galaxy.

At the centre of the simulation is a pair of galaxies – virtual representations of our own Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy.

Read it all.

Scientists Unveil 'Most Accurate' Virtual Representation of Universe, Backing Cold Dark Matter Modelhttps://t.co/KpIhWN5EX1

— Kataeb.Org in English (@Kataeb_Eng) February 10, 2022

O God, the blessed assurance of all who trust in thee: We give thanks for thy servant Fanny Crosby, and pray that we, inspired by her words and example, may rejoice to sing ever of thy love, praising our Savior; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

#OTD February 5, 1864
Fanny Crosby writes her first verses for composer William Bradbury, “A Home Beyond the Tide,” the beginning of a long and fruitful hymnwriting relationship. pic.twitter.com/B49HVSfmyh

— Today in Christian History (@LizBrown217) February 5, 2022

O God, who hast sown in our hearts the precious seed of thy truth: Grant us to nourish it by meditation, prayer and obedience, that it may not only take root, but also bring forth fruit unto holiness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

View down the east Kyle in the #KylesofBute at sunrise. @BBCScotWeather @WindyWilson88 @ThePhotoHour pic.twitter.com/UQ1hha72BL

— Mark Gardner💙 (@mjgardner73) February 11, 2022

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of him who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be subject, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.

–Romans 13:1-7

Good morning. Frosty Friday. Lovely colours before sunrise. @angie_weather @ThePhotoHour #StormHour pic.twitter.com/cO1hAdW9Hz

— Sharon Welby (@sharonwelby1) February 11, 2022

The laity are now more confident in expressing their faith, and there is “strong evidence” of a change in culture, according to a progress report on the implementation of recommendations made five years ago.

In a debate in the General Synod on Wednesday afternoon, members told stories of encouraging initiatives from around the country before voting overwhelmingly to take note of the report.

Introducing the progress report, the Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, said that the implementation of the Setting God’s People Free initiative, commissioned by the Archbishops’ Council and presented to the Synod in February 2017 (News, 27 January 2017), had helped the whole Church to focus on its identity. Every baptised Christian was a unique follower of Christ, irrespective of their background, ability, or age, she said: “It is about who we are.” Nor was it simply about greater social action. “That’s really important, but only part of it.”

After a short film telling stories of what faith meant to a handful of Christians in different contexts around the country, Dr Nick Shepherd, the project director spoke. The aim of Setting God’s People Free was better enabling the whole people of God to live out their faith, he said; and this was becoming “a firmer reality”.

Read it all.

“I want to encourage members of Synod: this works. It doesn’t cost anything. Anyone can use it. And it is as encouraging to the encouragers as for those coming for the process. The important dynamic of being called and sent is central to the model.” https://t.co/HRguMLLpsc

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) February 10, 2022

John the Baptist was not being unreasonable when he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (Luke 7:20) And when the disciples on the road to Emmaus said to their traveling companion, the recently crucified Jesus, “We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel” (24:21)—Jesus revealed to them that their hopes has been met in ways they couldn’t have imagined until that very moment.

The question is not whether we will deconstruct, but what we will deconstruct.

Will it be the wood, hay, and stubble that is destined to burn up and burn out? Or will it be our own souls? Sometimes the people we think are “deconstructing” are just grieving and asking God where he is at a moment like this. That has happened before.

By contrast, sometimes the people who appear most confident and certain—who are scanning the boundaries for heretics—are those who have given up belief in the new birth, in the renewal of the mind, and in the judgment seat of Christ. For them, all that’s left is an orthodoxy grounded not in a living Christ, but in a curated brand.

And that may be the saddest deconstruction of all.

Read it all.

"If our moral ideals are strong but we reassure ourselves with a false version of reality, we will end up seeing through our own delusions—and others certainly will." –@drmoore https://t.co/gCdgiAAF3m

— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) February 11, 2022