NEW LIFE
MARCH 2013 Issue 229
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PRAYERS FOR JESUS TV ACTOR ANSWERED
GOOD NEWS STORIES
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WHY BOXING STAR’S WIFE FORGAVE HIM FOR CHEATING
SITCOM STAR REVEALS HOW HE BEAT DRUG ADDICTION AND TURNED HIS LIFE AROUND – PAGE 9
SURFER BELIEVES ESCAPE WAS MIRACLE
VICTORY JOY... Nadia Eweida
Victory for woman in cross row
A BRITISH Airways employee who claimed she suffered religious discrimination at work because she was told to stop wearing a cross has won a landmark legal battle. The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Nadia Eweida, 60, suffered discrimination over her Christian beliefs after the airline said the religious item was in breach of company uniform codes. Her case had been rejected in Britain’s courts. Nadia said: “I’m very happy and very pleased that Christian rights have been vindicated in the UK and Europe. “I’m pleased that after all this time the European Court has specifically recognised that I have suffered anxiety, frustration and distress.
joy “I was very selfish initially when I heard the verdict because I was jumping for joy and saying ‘thank you Jesus’. It’s a vindication that Christians have a right to express their faith on par with other colleagues at work visibly and not be ashamed of their faith,” she said. Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed the news, tweeting: “Delighted that principle of wearing re l ig ious sy m bols at work h a s been upheld – ppl shouldn’t suffer discri m i nation due to rel ig ious beliefs.”
God saved me from shark attack horror A SURFER believes God rescued him after an encounter with a great white shark just two days after his wedding. Nick Williams was surfing with a friend in South Africa when he spotted a huge fin coming towards him. He told New Life how he frantically paddled to safety and
STUNNED... Nick Williams, right, with Eric Stedman who witnessed the amazing escape
by Becky Barlow
believes he was given supernatural strength to catch a wave three metres in front of him. He said: “When I turned to look at the beach I saw a giant fin coming towards me. I shouted to ● Continued on Page 3
UNEXPLAINED WAVE PUSHED MAN TO SAFETY
Issue 229 NEW LIFE 3 NEW LIFE
NEW BIBLE TV SERIES TO AIR OVER EASTER Miracle as I was saved from shark
Prayer helped us find Jesus actor
● Continued from Page 1 my friend, Eric, that it was a shark and he shouted, ‘Paddle!’ The fin was about two feet high which gave me some idea of the size of the body underneath – I knew it was a great white. “As he shouted I realised that there was no way I could paddle away from this thing but I knew I had to try. “As I began to paddle, it gave two giant thrusts and lunged onto my position. “As I frantically paddled I saw a wave that had already passed me about three metres in front and I managed to catch it – that is physically and scientifically impossible – nobody can paddle faster than a wave. “I looked around for the shark and it was nowhere to be seen.” A stunned Nick, who works for Q u iver su rf boa rds i n Newquay where he lives with his wife, Nadine, returned to shore where a crowd had gathered to watch the unfolding drama. “As they began to question him about what had happened, he realised that a miracle had taken place. Nick, 48, added: “It was like the hand of God picked me up and put me onto that swell. It was not even a wave; it was a miracle. “There is no other explanation, other than that God saved me. Even if I had not been a believer before I would have been after that!
invisible
BIG ROLE... Diogo Morgado as Jesus in the new TV series The Bible, which will air in the run-up to Easter
AN ACTRESS who has helped produce a new television series about the Bible has revealed how prayer helped find the actor who plays Jesus. Roma Downey and TV producer husband Mark Burnett – the creator of The Apprentice – have put together the Scripture-based series ‘The Bible’, which will air on the History Channel in the build-up to Easter. The actress, who plays Jesus’ mother Mary in the series, said: “I’ve loved Jesus all my life. It’s a passion project for Mark and myself. “Casting began with prayer. We had been scouting locations in Morocco and were ‘looking for Jesus’. Six weeks before filming began, we still didn’t have Jesus.” Fortunately, the couple, who conceived the idea three years ago, came across the name of Portuguese actor Diogo Morgado. Mark added: “He is a beautiful person. He has a gentleness and humanity about him. The Bible is going to be seen by millions of people, and it looks like a $100 million feature film. “To us, as a family, we love the Bible. This is not a TV show to us.It’s images and sound and sacred text that people will still watch, way after our grandchildren are old people.” Since
the entire Bible can’t be covered in ten hours, the mini-series, which was filmed in Morocco, focuses on a select group of stories and features such compelling figures as Abraham, Moses and David. Some stories had to be compressed for artistic purposes. Mark said: “In the end, what we’ve done is a meta-narrative, a grand narrative of emotionally connected stories. “We know we’re not qualified to teach the Bible. We’re qualified to be good television producers and storytellers. “By telling these emotionally connected, big stories, hopefully millions of people will reopen their Bibles.” Roma explained that husband Mark needed perseverance to raise the cash to make the programmes. She sa id: “My husba nd t h i n k s that the word ‘no’ means ‘new opportunity’. This will go out into the corners of the world and we are very humbled by it.” The series sees stars such as Sean Bean cast in leading roles. ‘The Bible’ is set to air on The History Channel following its current and final stage of editing, with the last episode in the series airing on Easter Sunday.
PRAYED... The Bible producer Roma Downey also stars in the show as Jesus’ mother Mary
Lawyer call on festival
Charity boss issues Easter challenge George Verwer
THE veteran founder of Christian missions organisation Operation Mobilisation has challenged Brits to understand the meaning of Easter. George Verwer, 74, said: “Easter is about more than the Easter bunny. It’s a great time to remember what Christ has done for us and the hope the resurrection brings. He’s our great and only hope and that’s the message we want to
be getting across at this time.” Verwer, whose organisation shares the gospel throughout the world, told how he was a night clubber and a criminal before he became a Christian. He sa id: “I was brought up i n a non-Christian family in the US. One grandfather was an atheist and the other was a drunk. I was having fun in the nightclubs in New York with my
“I knew what I had seen – the shark should have been on me but it was like it had evaporated. Two well known surfers were on the beach watching all this go on and they’d seen the shark charge and said that my board hadn’t even wobbled. “Eric said it was like an invisible hand picked me up and put me on the wave. He kept asking me how I caught the wave and I still don’t know to this day. “The only way I can explain it is like if you stepped into the path of a car and it suddenly disappeared. “I rang Nadine to tell her and she laughed, ‘Trust my God to make himself known to you in such an extreme way.’ “I thought back over my life in the previous few months and how I’d given my life to the Lord. “As the shark charged I remember thinking, ‘I can’t believe I’m going to die when I’ve only been married for two days.’”
girlfriends when I broke into a house and got arrested. A woman across the street from my school found out about me and prayed for me for two years, that I would become a Christian and a missionary. “On March 3, 1985 in Madison Square Garden, at the age of 16, I gave my life to Jesus at a Billy Graham crusade. I never could have dreamed at that point what God had planned for me.”
A CHRISTIAN lawyer believes Britain needs to understand the message of Easter once again. Andrea Minichiello Williams, of Christian Concern, said that more needed to be done to educate people about Christianity. “We have a great and rich Christian and biblical heritage and not so long ago all our children would have been steeped in it from a young age,” she said. “We lose the knowledge of such things at our peril. It anchors us in who we are and gives us a sense of meaning, belonging and a common identity. “We need to recapt u re t hese th i ngs before they are lost and understand that they bring exactly what the message of Easter brings – hope, salvation and love for all.”
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EXCLUSIVE: CHAPLAIN TELLS OF MIRACLE AFTER STAR ‘DIED’
It looked bleak at Fabrice’s bedside... But God had other plans that left doctors stunned
FOOTBALL club chaplain Phil Mason’s role at Bolton had never been more important than on Saturday March 17. Midfielder Fabrice Muamba had collapsed and ‘died’ while on the pitch in Bolton’s FA Cup quarterfinal tie at Spurs. “I was actually at home at the time because I’d been working with the academy lads in the morning,” says Phil. “But obviously I was listening to it on the radio at home, immediately realised something terrible had happened. “I got the call and went to London to offer support and be with Fabrice, Shauna (Muamba’s wife) and the rest of the team.” The call that Phil received came from the Bolton chairman Phil Gartside – emphasising the importance of his role at the club – but when he arrived at the London Chest Hospital that night and began to pray at Muamba’s bedside, he realised that th ings looked extremely bleak. Muamba had been technically dead for 78 minutes and it had taken 16 defibrillator shocks to get his heart working again. Survival without lasting damage to Muamba’s heart or brain looked virtually impossible.
This time last year, Phil Mason had no idea he was about to be thrust into the national football spotlight. Andy Evans spoke to the Bolton Wanderers club chaplain
Newspapers featured Fabrice and wife-to-be Shauna’s faith on their front pages at that moment – apart from Marcel and Shauna because their faith was incredibly strong. They stuck with it all the time.” The faith of
Shauna Muamba has now become part of popular folklore. Her tweets the following morning asking for prayer and stating that God was in control spread like wildfire over Twitter. In the meantime, the phrase ‘Pray for Muamba’ became the most talked-about slogan on the planet. A few days later, this was replaced by ‘Miracle of Muamba’, wh ich summed up the player’s extraordinary recovery – one that highlighted the miraculous power of prayer. “The very fact that he was alive in the way that he was at the end was God,” explained Phil. “I mean, yes, there was the skill of all the physicians involved and the right expertise, but even they described the whole event as an absolute miracle. “And there’s no doubt that Fabrice himself feels that it’s an opportunity for him to witness in lots of ways. I described it to Fabrice like this: ‘Jesus did his most powerful
Bolton Wanderers Chaplain Phil Mason at his most vulnerable on the cross, and at his most still, and you, in your Christian witness, have done your most powerful at your most vulnerable and at your most still, because you have managed to get God, faith and prayer on every headline in every British newspaper in the country, and I don’t think that’s ever happened before – certainly not in my lifetime.’” Phil has been working closely with Muamba since his release from hospital last April. And even though the player has had to retire from football, his future appears to be extremely bright. Phil added: “He wants to give back in lots of different, positive ways and is very keen on opportunities to share his faith. “I get hundreds of letters still from people who are telling their story – often from people whose family members have had cardiac arrests – so we tend to catch up on letters like that and look at how we can carefully write back. “I tend to write back on his behalf because he’d be overwhelmed by it and he’s still a recovering man from all that he’s gone through. So that in itself has become quite a ministry.”
SERIOUS Phil said: “It was like any pastoral role. You’re there to support, to pray with, to listen, and to try and help in any way possible – for Fabrice and Shauna first and foremost, his dad, Marcel, and then other friends and family who came along. “But as in any pastoral role, you see people and you think, ‘Gosh, this is serious. This is very bad news.’ I don’t think any of us really imagined such a positive outcome
SAVED BY A MIRACLE... Fabrice Muamba in hospital, left, after surviving the cardiac arrest on the pitch, right
Issue 229
NEW LIFE NEW LIFE
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Manny: I was floored after hearing God!
● Continued from Back Page accept Jesus Christ in your life as your Lord and Saviour, you have eternal life.” Pacquiao has never forgotten where he came from – the povertystricken area of Sarangani Province on the Phillipine island of Mindanao. Despite his star status, the welterweight has dedicated his life to helping people from his home region by giving away large sums of cash and food, believing he is fulfilling the call of Jesus to help the poorest. Bob A r u m, cha i r ma n of Top Rank, who has visited the Philippines several times, says the boxer’s outreach is genuine – and something he has witnessed. “It starts with the fact that he’s a very spiritual man,” explained Arum. “When I’ve talked to him, he’s expressed his belief that God has put him where he is for a reason — to benefit mankind, to do good. “He believes that whatever he does in life, whatever happens, is the will of God. Therefore when he goes into a ring, there’s a big smile on his face because in his mind, he will do his best. “But if he loses, it’s God’s will. That’s his whole philosophy of life. God has given him all this for being a poor kid living in a cardboard shack in order that he benefits mankind. He believes it, and it runs his life.” Pacquiao has said he wants to help those in greatest need because he’s been there. “I feel what they’re feeling because I’ve been there,” he said. “I’ve slept in the street. That was my life before. So hard. That’s why I feel what they’re feeling right now.” Some of those around Pacquiao fear he will give away his fortune, but Arum says it’s part of the plan. “He sits in front of his house giving money away to people; they go for blocks,” revealed Arum. “I’ve seen it. Food and money. Food and money. He believes that’s part of the higher purpose.” RHINO WHAT’S BEST... Jamie JonesBuchanan
How my faith Leeds me on RUGBY star Jamie Jones-Buchanan says God has helped him be a winner on and off the park. The Leeds Rhino player is a hero to fans and respected by players. But when it comes to getting his priorities right, Jamie insists he’d drop-kick everything for his love of Jesus. He said: “I believe everyone is attracted to God, it just comes out in different ways. I attend the City Evangelical Church in Beeston on Sundays and I am trying to set up a group with some lads at Headingley. “I’ve a great group of friends at the Rhinos. There’s a bit of banter in there too but Christianity is a big part of my life.”
SPORT
PLUS God has helped me on
EXCLUSIVE: IT LOOKED BLEAK FOR FABRICE
NE W L I F E
Bolton Wanderers Chaplain talks for the first time about the day Fabrice Muamba ‘died’ on the pitch
SEE PAGE 11
SEE PAGE 11
and off the pitch, says Leeds Rhino giant
TOP BOXER ON HIS RETURN TO CHURCH
I was left floored after I heard from God
STAR REVEALS A LIFE OF ADULTERY UNTIL HE HAD AN AMAZING DREAM by Matthew Murray
ONE of boxing’s greatest ever stars has spoken more about his Christian faith. The recently-named fighter of the decade, Manny Pacquiao, who has won an incredible ten world titles, told how he turned his back on God after his rise to fame. But the 34-year-old Filipino says faith in Christ is the most important part of his life. He said: “I went to church on Sunday, but from Monday to Saturday, I was in the bar drinking.
I was gambling. Careless words came out of my mouth. I committed adultery. I didn’t care.” Pacquiao said he felt guilty when he started reading the Bible. “I remember that night when I received a letter from my mother saying that my sister stopped going to school because I was not sending them money.
VOICE “And I was crying, blaming myself for spending all my money on alcohol. “On that night I heard the voice of God in my dream. His voice was ten times louder than thunder and
ONE OF THE TEAM... Wilfried Zaha
‘Proud I’m part of Team Jesus’ MANCHESTER United-bound football star Wilfried Zaha has dubbed himself a member of ‘Team Jesus’. The Crystal Palace forward is to join the Old Trafford giants in the summer and gives all the glory to God. Tweeting about his move, he declared: “I put my life in the hands of God and look how far it has brought me.” And on the description of himself on the social media networking system, he wrote: “#Team Jesus.”
excited
KNOCKED OUT BY FAITH... Manny Pacquiao
The youngster took to Facebook to announce his move to the English soccer giants, saying: “Want to say a big thanks to everyone who has helped me become the player and person I am today. “I am excited to announce my move to Manchester United in the summer and am looking forward to the challenge. “But until then all my efforts will be to help the team I have grown up with, and continue to love, Crystal Palace Football Club, fight for a place in the Premier League.”
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he said to me, ‘My child, my child, why have you gone astray?’” From there, the boxer started a deep, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Now, he studies the Bible everyday, memorising verses. He said: “The old Manny Pacquiao has gone. The new Manny Pacquiao has come. I have the Word of God in my heart. I want to obey his commands.” Pacquiao may retire from boxing soon but isn’t worried about his future. He added: “I’m happy right now to read God’s Word and meditate on it day and night. When you ● Continued on Page 11
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