Taliban in Nigeria, pledges to help free Chibok girls

ABUJA (Reuters) - Pakistani rights activist Malala Yousafzai, who survived being shot in the head by the Taliban for campaigning for girls' education, pledged while on a trip to Nigeria to help free a group of schoolgirls abducted by Islamist militants.

On Sunday, Malala met parents of the more than 200 girls who were kidnapped by the militant group Boko Haram from a school in the northeastern village of Chibok in April.

Boko Haram, inspired by the Taliban, say they are fighting to establish an Islamic state in religiously mixed Nigeria. The group, whose name means "Western education is sinful", has killed thousands and abducted hundreds since launching an uprising in 2009.
Some of the parents broke down in tears as Malala spoke at a hotel in the capital Abuja on Sunday."I can see those girls as my sisters ... and I'm going to speak up for them until they are released," said Malala, who was due to meet President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday, her 17th birthday.

"I'm going to participate actively in the 'Bring back our girls' campaign, to make sure that they return safely and they continue their education."

The girls' abduction drew unprecedented international attention to the war in Nigeria's northeast and the growing security risk that Boko Haram poses to Nigeria, Africa's leading energy producer.

A #BringBackOurGirls Twitter campaign supported by Michelle Obama and Angelina Jolie heaped pressure on authorities to act, and Jonathan pledged to save the girls, drawing promises of Western help to do so.

"I can feel ... the circumstances under which you are suffering," Malala said. "It's quite difficult for a parent to know that their daughter is in great danger. My birthday wish this year is ... bring back our girls now, and alive."

ABUJA PROTEST

Several weeks on, the hostages have not been freed and media interest has waned. Around 200 Nigerians gathered in the Unity Fountain park in central Abuja on Sunday to call on authorities to explain what they are doing to get the girls out.

"Nobody has told us anything about where the girls could be, what they are doing to try to rescue them. In three months, we've heard nothing," said Haruna Fetima, one of the parents at the gathering. "We live in Chibok, and we haven't seen any soldiers or police in the area since the attack."

Boko Haram, now considered the main security threat to Nigeria, is growing bolder. Police said on Saturday they had uncovered a plot to bomb the Abuja transport network using suicide bombers and devices concealed in luggage at major bus stations.

Pakistani Taliban militants shot Malala for her passionate advocacy of women's right to education. She survived after being airlifted to Britain for treatment, and has since become a symbol of defiance against the militants operating in the tribal areas along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

She has won the European Union's prestigious human rights award and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize last year.

Some see Nigeria's local #BringBackOurGirls campaign as a rare, albeit small, piece of civil activism in a nation famous for its shoulder-shrugging indifference in the face of atrocities or bad governance.

"The negative side of our resilience ... is that things that would compel other citizens to demand accountability, demand answers, wouldn't move the Nigerian," said Oby Ezekwesili, a chartered accountant who has spearheaded the campaign to get the girls freed.

"That has been broken ... People are saying 'We can't leave 219 girls and just get on with our lives'."

Source: news.yahoo.com

Recipes: TRY THIS YUMMY AND EASY RIGATONI PASTA PIE

To make this scrumptious savory pie with rigatoni pasta 

INGREDIENTS 

1. 1 tablespoon olive oil
2. ½ pound ground sirloin
3. 3 cloves garlic, minced
4. ½ an onion, finely diced
5. a pinch crushed red pepper flakes
6. salt and pepper, to taste
7. 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
8. 1 pound rigatoni pasta
9. 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
10. 2 cups mozzarella, shredded

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground sirloin and diced onion and cook until meat is browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, crushed red pepper, and season with salt and pepper then sauté for another minute. Add the can of tomatoes, crushing the tomatoes with your hands. Simmer on medium heat, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes.
3. In the meantime, cook the pasta until it’s slightly undercooked. Drain and set aside. Lightly oil a 9-inch springform pan. Spread a thin layer of sauce of the bottom of the pan, then tightly pack the rigatoni in the pan, standing the pasta on its ends.
4. Pour the sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle the top evenly with mozzarella cheese, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
5. Bake approximately 30 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbly. Top with fresh basil, if desired. Let sit 15 minutes before serving.

  Source: www.stylishboard.com & livelovepasta.com

 

A Worthy Sacrifice of Praise

TEXT: PSALM 118:27-29

Key verse: “God is the LORD, which hath showed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar” (Psalm 118:27).

Man has learnt to express his appreciation for kindness or favour received in different ways. For some, it is through a “Thank You” card, a text message or any other means by which they can thoroughly express how grateful they are. Towards the end of the year, we find people, corporate organizations, etc., sending out gifts, hampers and so on as a way of appreciating their numerous customers and stakeholders. These gift items are usually carefully chosen to match the personality to be given and equate the favour received.

Though this practice may have some selfish undertones as it is aimed at cementing relationships and securing future favours, and a form of marketing strategy and public relations, such kind gestures are well appreciated by those whom they are given.

The Psalmist in our text today calls us to consider what God has done for us and respond by binding our sacrifices on the altar. Many of us today have taken God’s goodness and mercies in our lives for granted that we do not care to express our thanks to Him in any form. We wake up each morning, go about our schedules, return home in the evening, and also go to bed at night without pausing, for once, to acknowledge and appreciate the mercies we have received. Apart from the daily mercies and goodness we enjoy from God, we are called upon to think about the special favour we have received from Him. He has shown us the light. So many people are still wallowing in deep darkness unable to find the light of salvation. How grateful we ought to be that we have the light and that we are saved!

As we think of all that God has done for us, is doing for us and will do for us, there is no better way to show how grateful we are than to make our lives living sacrifices bound with cords of consecration upon the altar of divine worship and service.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Match your praise with His mercy.

LOOKING AT YOUR OWN MIRROR

One day all the employees reached the office and they saw a big advice on the door on which it was written: “Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. 

We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym”.

In the beginning, they all got sad for the death of one of their colleagues, but after a while they started getting curious to know who was that man who hindered the growth of his colleagues and the company itself.

The excitement in the gym was such that security agents were ordered to control
the crowd within the room.

The more people reached the coffin, the more the excitement heated up. Everyone thought: “Who is this guy who was hindering my progress? Well, at least he died!”

One by one the thrilled employees got closer to the coffin, and when they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless. They stood nearby the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul.

There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see himself.

There was also a sign next to the mirror that said: “There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: it is YOU.”

• You are the only person who can revolutionize your life.

• You are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization and your success.

• You are the only person who can help yourself.

• Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your partner changes, when your company changes. Your life changes when YOU change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life.

• “The most important relationship you can have is the one you have with yourself”.

Reflection:

The world is like a mirror: it gives back to anyone the reflection of the thoughts in which one has strongly believed.

The world and your reality are like mirrors lying in a coffin, which show to any individual the death of his divine capability to imagine and create his happiness and his success.

It’s the way you face Life that makes the difference.

• If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?

• What is the difference between being alive and truly living?

• Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?

• If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?

• Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?

• If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?

• What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?

• Has your greatest fear ever come true?

• Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?

• Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?

• If you had all the money in the world but still had to have some kind of job, what would you choose to do?

• What do you regret most so far in life?

• If you were at heaven’s gates, and God asked you “Why should I let you in?”, what would you say?

• What small thing could you do to make someone’s day better?

• What impact do you want to leave on the world?

• When was the last time you tried something new?

• When was the last time you led somebody to Christ?

Let's share your views and comments with the rest of the world.

The Way to Turn a Messy Marriage Into a Meaningful One

Each one of us is unique. We have unique minds and personalities. We have different ways of seeing and processing things. We differ on how we interact with each other, our kids, and others.

My wife, Susan, and I are alike in some ways, but very different in others. So, our marriage can be messy at times. But throughout our years of marriage, we've found that our messiness often turns into something very beautiful and meaningful. Here are 4 areas of messiness in your marriage that can become meaningful:

1. Communication is one of the messiest parts of marriage. The Same Old Marriage Fights can create a big mess.

But, the messiness of conversation patterns can be a great opportunity to build a more meaningful and stronger marriage. Being able to move past the same scripted fights as a couple by using the Speaker-Listener Technique will enable you to work better as a team and will move you to greater intimacy in your relationship.

2. Conditional love. The mess of only doing something for your spouse "If" they do something in return can be cleaned up when you learn to love your spouse unconditionally ... no matter what. When you love your spouse without any conditions, you'll better understand the true meaning of marriage.

3. Parenting styles. When our kids were young, tucking them into bed each night was always an adventure. Susan would try to calm them down and read stories to help them unwind, only for me to burst through the door and tickle them until they were as hyper as ever. Obviously, our parenting styles created clashing moments like this.

But over time, Susan found meaning in this messy part of our marriage. She understood that even if it meant the kids getting to bed 15 minutes later than she'd wanted, they would go to bed knowing that their dad loved them deeply.

4. Conflicting paces. Husbands and wives don't always think and move at the same pace. Susan and I both move at a fairly fast pace. But here's the difference: Susan thrives on, and is energized by, being around people. While I enjoy being with others, I need to have alone time to recharge.

Susan will say "yes" to a lot more things than I will. So to keep our schedule from getting messy, I often have to forcefully pull in the reins when I see too many things crowding our calendar. This helps us to have some "clean space" on our schedule so that we can spend one-on-one time together with each other, and with friends, having meaningful interaction.

By Mark Merrill 

Recipes: AWESOME BOUQUET OF ROSES CAKE DECOR TUTORIAL

Do you often wonder how to decorate your cake with perfect rose decorations? If yes then try this tutorial and make roses in a quicker way. 

You Needed:

white sugar paste and red 
food coloring in green and pink gel 
food coloring powder: white 
rolling pin 
smoother 
scalpel 
glue food or water 
cutter, round and heart 
mold ejection leaf 
alcohol or vodka 
ribbon of cloth

To make each rose roll some pink fondant and cut a strip of it. Make cuts in the strip with a round cookie cutter in a scalloped manner but make sure not to cut till the edge of the strip. Then with the help of a ball tool press edges of the petals. Roll this scalloped strip to get a perfect ever rose ready. Make more and cover the top of the cake with a lot of roses. Now to make stems roll logs of green fondant in two tones and stick them to the sides of the cake with the help of a little water. Cut leaves of green fondant with a cookie cutter and stick them too around the roses. Tie a ribbon around the cake and voila!


SOURCE: www.stylishboard.com

Beware of False Prophets

TEXT: JEREMIAH 23:9-22

Key verse: “I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah” (Jeremiah 23:14).

The spread of apocalyptic literature purporting to tell us the exact dates of the rapture and the Second Coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ has taken on a frightening turn in our generation. None of the predictions made in the books by these “prophetic” authors has come to pass. And that is because they were made by those God did not send. They did not have the Bible as their source.

From the text before us, God condemned the priests and prophets of Israel for their profanity, adultery, swearing, lying, hypocrisy, and deception. He threatened to judge them. The people were exhorted not to hearken to them, nor accept their misleading promise of peace and safety; whereas the storm of God’s wrath would fall upon the head of the wicked. The Lord declared plainly that he had not sent these prophets. Their so-called prophesies were no other than dreams, and the deceits of their own hearts. So, the Lord declared Himself to be against these prophets, for stealing His word from their neighbours and using of His name to propagate their error with which they misled the people.

False prophets are chameleonic in appearance and character. Jesus says they will disguise to deceive others. Paul affirmed that false brethren among the Corinthian elders appeared as ‘angels of light’ or ‘messengers of righteousness’ (2 Corinthians 11:3,14,15). Jesus, our Lord and Master tells us that we shall know them by their fruits, not their leaves (Matthew 7:16). By their ‘fruits’, He meant their character and conduct, the converts they produce, and the overall results of their ministry. So, do not join those who peddle error. Beware!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Leaves may fade but the fruit is sure