Showing posts with label social media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social media. Show all posts

Monday, February 15, 2016

VIDEO: A Messianic Jew and Muslim Arab Discuss Israel - Israel Today Staff

VIDEO: A Messianic Jew and Muslim Arab Discuss Israel

Sunday, February 14, 2016 |  Israel Today Staff
Hananya Naftali is a young Messianic Jewish soldier in the IDF who has established a solid social media presence in recent years. Mohammed Zoabi is a Muslim Arab teenager from Nazareth who became something of a household name due to his bold and outspoken stand for Israel.
The two got together to make the above short video explaining where Mohammed is coming from, why he has taken such a daring stand, and his motivation for volunteering to join Hananya in the IDF.
This is a must-watch for those who think Jews and Arabs can’t coexist peacefully in the Jewish state.
Want more news from Israel?
Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates from ISRAEL TODAY.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Life. Unborn. Beautiful.





Do something. To show you care.

Even just sharing this on your social media
makes a difference to someone.
(Use the links.)


Tuesday, November 17, 2015

This Post Won't Go Viral - JESSILYN JUSTICE CHARISMA NEWS




The Islamic State martyred these Ethiopian Christians on Libyan soil. (Reuters)

This Post Won't Go Viral Because That Would Mean You'd Have To Do Something About Your Faith

I put my heart on the line every day as I write about the Islamic State torture,crucifixions, beheadings, shootings and child abuse.  
I hold back the tears as I type out the words, pull horrific quotes and sort through photos to use with my articles to protect the innocent but draw attention to the violence.  
But readers don't care. Sometimes, even my co-workers don't care. I've spent nearly a year working at what I consider my dream job, writing stories that I think matter, hoping to raise awareness about the tragedy of what's happening to my brothers and sisters, only to realize people would rather talk about Paula White's Halloween costume.  
How do I know? My post about her Instagram photo garnered a whopping 28,000 shares and calls and comments from co-workers about my gifts.  
A week earlier, my story about "Christians" maliciously abusing child "witches" netted 546 shares. I'm not a math person, but my calculator tells me White dressed as Little Red Riding Hood was over 5,000 percent more successful for site traffic.
This is horrifying.  
We would rather gossip about a controversial evangelist than put our money where our faith should be and try to stop the evils of this world. More recently, our breaking news story about the heart-aching violence against Paris received just over 700 shares, which means White got 4,000 percent more shares.
My soul aches for the men and women involved, and yet some outrage creeps in. Outrage because believers care about Western attacks, but not the violence facing our brothers and sisters who endure persecution every day. Internationally, refugees are fleeing the very men who attacked Paris, but some are blaming the refugees for ushering in the violence. 
Social media-wise, few of us cared about the suicide bomber in Turkey who took out 90 last month. What about the 43 killed in Beirut the day before Paris? But when the city of love is attacked, we draw a line?
Just imagine how our world could change if we would breach our comfort zone and stand up to evil.
Though I'm throwing accusations, I am just as guilty of wanting to clear my mind of what burdens my heart and watch a fluffy Hallmark movie to avoid reality. I share funny Facebook memes before I share stories about Coptic Christians forgiving the men who slaughtered their husbands, fathers and brothers.  
As believers, we are called to be set apart (Deut. 14:2, Heb. 10:10-12), but we buy into what culture propagates as entertainment because it seems easier than letting our hearts do the talking.  
How often do we as Christians let the Holy Spirit guide our social media habits? How many people spent even 30 seconds praying before firing off some comment about Starbucks red cups (I'll raise my hand, as I opened my mouth before I considered what God would want from me).  
While your feed may have been filled with complaints about the complaints about Starbucks, comedian Bill Dixon tweeted, "If you're mad about Starbucks coffee cups, wait until you hear about sex trafficking!" 
I'm pretty sure he isn't a believer, but his comment highlights an unfortunate truth in the Christian community: We get up in arms about situations that don't actually impact the Kingdom. 
We complain about persecution but we largely ignore the devastation happening across the world. If we did, Real Housewives of Orange County's Vicki Gunderson's boyfriend's cancer scandal wouldn't be the one of the top stories of today.  
Thanksgiving's coming up. So I have a challenge for us: Take the next week and share a post about something that's happening in the Christian community outside the United States and think of reasons why they might be grateful. Share it on your platforms and use your social media standing to make a difference. 
Help us rebrand Christianity to be something Jesus would be proud of—as in something that would look like the Acts 2 church and not a quick hit for Internet traffic.
Jessilyn Justice is the assistant news editor for Charisma. Born and raised in a pastor's family in Alabama, she went to Lee University and the Washington Journalism Center. She's passionate about the church, jogging, news and cupcakes not necessarily in that order. Tell her what you think of this story on Twitter@jessilynjustice.
For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!
NEW - Life in the Spirit is your Spirit-filled teaching guide. Encounter the Holy Spirit, hear God speak to you, and enjoy timeless teachings on love, mercy and forgiveness.LEARN MORE!

Monday, October 12, 2015

Know the truth about Israel and share it!

YM to know

Know the truth about Israel and share it!

Monday, October 12, 2015 |  Israel Today Staff
Given the media reporting of what is happening in the Holy Land, do you have the material to know the truth?
Violence has been raging in Israel for the last two weeks. It has been dubbed "the lone-wolf intifada". Israelis, people in Israel with first-hand knowledge and those that are informed, cringe at the mainstream media reporting. 

Overt anti-Semitism is being skilfully packaged as one-sided, biased and fictional reporting.  

We read of:
"pistol packing Israelis"
"Israel bombs Hamas positions"
"5 Palestinians killed in recent clashes"

The mainstream media seems to have intentionally missed - Israelis being murdered in cold-blood, daily stabbing attacks, hundreds of stone throwwing attacks, attempted lynchings and dozens of wounded Israelis (some critically)!
Stop being indifferent - know what is taking place in Israel and become an ambassador of the truth!
Want more news from Israel?
Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Arab Youth Turn to Social Media to Bless Israel

Arab Youth Turn to Social Media to Bless Israel

Sunday, May 03, 2015 |  David Lazarus  ISRAEL TODAY
Young people from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Yemen and many other Arab countries are turning to social media to tell the world that they love Israel.
The trend began, according to Al-Monitor, a popular pan-Mideast media outlet, when an Israeli Arab Muslim who served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) wanted to convince other Israeli Arabs that the (IDF) are not an “army of evil” and that its soldiers are not as bloodthirsty as they tend to be portrayed in Arab propaganda films.
But instead of messages from the Israeli Arab audience he was targeting, he began receiving messages of peace and love from young Arabs all across the region.
M., who told his story to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, noticed that the Arab-Israeli political parties were putting up billboards protesting against recruiting Israeli Arabs into the IDF. “I saw the signs that were hung in Arab villages being run by activists of Balad and the other Arab parties under the banner 'The IDF isn’t worth it'. It infuriated me,” he said.
“I decided to respond to them on Facebook, so I made a page called 'The IDF is worth it', but instead of getting responses from the young Israeli Arabs to whom I was directing my personal campaign, I started to get photos and texts from young people around the Arab world. My jaw dropped,” M. told the website.
One young woman from Saudi Arabia posted a video holding a green Saudi passport against a street scene in Jeddah, saying in the background: “Good evening. I am a young woman from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. I am a member of one of the better-known tribes of the Hijaz, and I am showing you Darajeh Square, a famous landmark in Jeddah. I’d like to send a message of peace and love to Israel and its dear citizens. I know it is surprising that a Saudi Arabian citizen sends a message to the people of Israel, but it is a basic principle of democracy that everyone is free to voice an opinion. I hope the Arabs will be sensible like me and recognize the fact that Israel also has rights to the lands of Palestine.”
A young man from Iraq posted a picture of his passport along the Tigris River. “I want to send a message of peace and love to the dear Israeli people,” he said. “I decided to shoot this video and tell you, ‘True, we are two countries that do not have friendly relations, but that doesn’t matter. I believe that the number of people who support Israel here will grow consistently.’”
Other young people send M. photos of their passports with handwritten messages in Hebrew, Arabic and English. It is always the same: “We love Israel.”
M. also engages the senders in private conversations. “After I got a video from Baghdad, I asked the person who sent me the clip what it was that caused him to express support for Israel.” The Iraqi man responded, "You’d be surprised. I’m not the only one. There are a lot of young people here who think like me. Everything that is happening to us here in Iraq — the killings, the terrorism, the veritable bloodbath — showed us that Israel has nothing to do with it. There are many young people... they are fed up with the religious wars between Sunnis and Shiites.”
Of course, there is also a growing pro-Israel sentiment among young Israeli Arabs, especially Christians. Ehab Ashkar, an Arab believer from Nazareth, had this to say when Israel Todayasked him about the phenomenon:
"As an Arab who lives in Israel, it is a great honor for me to live side by side with my brothers the Jews. I bless them and love them and it is a privilege to tell them about my faith in their book, the Bible. There is a real way that we can live together in love, unity and peace, Arabs and Jews - through our prince of peace, Jesus Christ."
Want more news from Israel?
Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates from ISRAEL TODAY.

Friday, March 13, 2015

How Can Anyone Support 'Evil' Israel?

How Can Anyone Support 'Evil' Israel?

Thursday, March 12, 2015 |  Israel Today Staff
Israel is the Middle East’s only full democracy. Israel shares cornerstone values with most of the West. But how can one possibly support Israel with all that negative press floating about?
Of course, the question is whether or not those reports can be trusted.
Earlier this week, we reported on how a number of mainstream media outlets had jumped the gun on reporting allegations that Israel had purposely flooded the Gaza Strip. Simple fact checks later revealed that Israel has no major dams capable of flooding Gaza. Some of the guilty media outlets offered retractions and apologies, but the damage had already been done.
As bad as mainstream media bias can sometimes be, anti-Israel bloggers and social media activists frequently take this nonsense to a whole other level.
These are the voices that are keen to portray Israel as an oppressive, racist and apartheid state. But apparently there is a dearth of evidence supporting such a conclusion, forcing these same voices to turn to “evidence” such as the following image, which purportedly shows two Israeli police officers brutally detaining a Palestinian Arab woman.
False Evidence

As Israeli blogger Aussie Dave pointed out in a quick analysis of the photo, these are not authentic Israeli police uniforms, and in fact resemble cheap Purim costumes. It would seem it takes very little to convince those who are predisposed to think the worst of Israel.
Want more news from Israel?
Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates from ISRAEL TODAY.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

An Arab Pastor Speaks Out on Gaza - Shmuel Aweida

An Arab Pastor Speaks Out on Gaza

Thursday, July 24, 2014 |  David Lazarus  ISRAEL TODAY
The following is an open letter from Shmuel Aweida to all those "peace activists" rising up against Israel. Listen carefully, Awieda is an Israeli Arab Christian pastor who knows of what he speaks!
Dear so-called "peace-seeking people", "pro-ceasefire people" and "peace and reconciliation activists",
Forgive me for not taking your nice dreams and peace demonstrations and wishes so seriously... People who didn't care about the suffering people in Gaza under the Hamas regime for years can't really be considered morally superior to any IDF soldier that's on the ground there now. You might seem to be better and kinder, but not really... Sorry...
If you really care, then free Gaza from Hamas and other Islamic jihadist organizations! How can you feel sorry for the innocent children hurt accidentally by Israel when you don't care that the same children grow up to learn to hate intentionally? You claim to feel sorry for the hungry children while ignoring the poison they are fed every single day at Hamas and Fatah schools and on TV.
How can you feel sorry for the women crying now when you didn't care that they've been humiliated, discriminated and even raped and killed regularly for years?
Here's another thing I don't get:
These kind, sympathetic, peace-loving people who automatically want and pray for a ceasefire in Israel's war(s) against the evil, anti-Semitic, anti-human, blood-thirsty terrorist organizations like Hamas (not against the Palestinians) - they make Israel never finish "the job" and then on the top of it all, their governments and NGOs send billions of dollars of "aid" to this corrupt evil system.
And guess what happens time and again - instead of feeding the hungry with food, they feed themselves with weapons. Instead of teaching the children math, they teach them hate and jihad against the Jews. Instead of building houses and hospitals above the ground, they build terror-tunnels under the ground.
The tunnels found in the past days have cost hundreds of millions of US dollars to build! The IDF blew up millions of your money, dear nice people in the naive West!
I'm not saying that Israel is without any fault here, but sometimes I really wonder if the Palestinians' best friends are in reality the ones that maintain their oppression under this Islamic regime?
I simply don't get it! Someone here needs to get a better grasp of reality!
As much as I hate this war and the price that's being paid by our dear soldiers and the innocent civilians on both sides, I hate the fact that it's necessary! May the needed pain of war bear good fruit of peace for all! May the Lord of Hosts and Armies give us His Shalom!
There has been quite a lot of activity in the social media in the past month. I was disappointed and frustrated of some my Facebook friends and the level of naiveté and blindness with regard to the real situation and the roots of the conflicting the Middle East.
Do they really not see what the Hamas is all about or what Islam really is? Are they all so blind to what's happening around us in Syria, Iraq and all over? Don't they see what Hamas is doing to the poor population that lives under this terror daily? I don't know why I keep being surprised...
To my anti-Arab friends:
But what really surprised me was that, with regard to this operation in Gaza, the hatred, revenge and racism that filled the [Facebook] statuses of those who support Israel.
They expressed such joy over going to war and causing destruction (a joy I'm glad our leadership doesn't have). The fact they quoted Bible verses didn't make it any less stinking. So I threw those people out of my Facebook just like I did with others that posted pornography and other disgusting stuff. Trash is trash is trash.
Praying that God may protect our soldiers who are serving us and giving their lives for us - proud of the moral code of the IDF and the legitimacy of this necessary operation. Praying for those making the tough decisions - but with much more humility.
I guess we need to pray that we'll all guard our hearts from hatred, revenge, racism, pride and other destructive things that do not honor us, nor the God of Israel.
Want more news from Israel?
Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates from ISRAEL TODAY.