It said 105 prisoners were freed in the pre-dawn raid in Bama, Borno state. Bama's police station, military barracks and government buildings were burned to the ground, said the military and witnesses. Correspondents say extremist attacks are common in the region but the scale of bloodshed makes this raid stand out. This strike - coming on the back of other deadly attacks - undermines the suggestion that the military operation against the militants has diminished the threat they pose, says the BBC's Will Ross in Lagos. President Goodluck Jonathan has set up a committee to agree the terms of an amnesty for the rebels but Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau, has so far rejected the idea. Tuesday's raid in the remote town began when some 200 heavily-armed suspected members of Boko Haram arrived in buses and pick-up trucks at about 05:00 (04:00 GMT), said Musa Sagir, a military spokesman based in Maiduguri, some 70km (44 miles) from Bama. "Some of the gunmen attacked the military barracks but they were repelled. Ten of them were killed and two were arrested," he told AFP news agency. "But the gunmen broke into the prison, freeing 105 inmates, and killed all prison warders they could see except those who hid in a store where cooking utensils were kept," he said. Some of the attackers wore army uniforms for the assault, which continued for almost five hours, he added.

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It’s not that we should never invite people to church, but too much of the time, it’s the first thing we do when we encounter someone new.

We Christians have a remarkable talent
for sticking our feet in our mouths. When
searching the words most commonly
associated with “Christian,” the list ain’t
pretty. I think part of this can be
attributed to a handful of phrases that, if
stricken from our vocabulary, might make
us a little more tolerable. Yes, these
things may mean something to you, but
trust me, non-Christians don’t share your
love for these tried-and-true cliches.
So in no particular order, here are ten
phrases Christians should lose with a
quickness:
1. “Everything happens for a
reason.” I’ve heard this said more
times than I care to. I’m not sure
where it came from either, but it’s
definitely not in the Bible. The
closest thing I can come up with is
“To everything, there is a season,”
but that’s not exactly the same.
The fact is that faith, by definition,
is not reasonable. If it could be
empirically verified with facts or by
using the scientific method, it
wouldn’t be faith. It would be a
theory. Also, consider how such a
pithy phrase sounds to someone
who was raped. Do you really mean
to tell them there’s a reason that
happened? Better to be quiet,
listen and if appropriate, mourn
alongside them. But don’t dismiss
grief or tragedy with such a
meaningless phrase.
2. “If you died today, do you know
where you’d spend the rest of
eternity?” No, I don’t, and neither
do you. So stop asking such a
presumptuous question as this that
implies you have some insider
knowledge that the rest of us
don’t. And seriously, if your faith is
entirely founded upon the notion of
eternal fire insurance, you’re not
sharing testimony; you’re peddling
propaganda.
3. “He/she is in a better place.” This
may or may not be true. Again, we
have no real way of knowing. We
may believe it, but to speak with
such authority about something we
don’t actually know is arrogant.
Plus, focusing on the passing of a
loved one minimizes the grief of
the people they left behind.
4. “Can I share a little bit about my
faith with you?” Too often,
Christians presume we have
something everyone else needs,
without even knowing them first.
Ask someone about their story, but
maybe not the second you meet
them. Christian evangelism often is
the equivalent of a randy young
teenager trying to get in good with
his new girlfriend. When your
personal agenda is more important
than the humanity of the person
you’re talking to, most people can
sense the opportunism from a mile
a way.
5. “You should come to church with
me on Sunday.” It’s not that we
should never invite people to
church, but too much of the time,
it’s the first thing we do when we
encounter someone new. My wife,
Amy, and I started a new church
eight years ago, founded on the
principle of “earning the right to
invite.” Invest in people first.
Listen to their stories. Learn their
passions, their longings, and share
the same about yourself. Then,
after you’ve actually invested in
each other, try suggesting
something not related to church to
help you connect on a spiritual
level. If the person really gets to
know you and wants to know more
about why you live your life the
way you do, they’ll make a point to
find out. Then again, if you come
off as just another opinionated,
opportunistic Christian, why should
they honor your predatory approach
with a visit to the church that
taught you how to act that way in
the first place?
6. “Have you asked Jesus into your
heart?” As many times as I’ve
heard this, I still don’t really know
what it means. why my heart? Why
not my liver or kidneys? This also
makes Christianity sound like a
purely emotional experience,
rather than a lifelong practice that
can never entirely be realized. But
yeah, asking someone if they’re
engaged in a lifelong discipline to
orient their lives toward Christlike
compassion, love and mercy
doesn’t exactly have the same ring
to it.
7. “Do you accept Jesus as your
personal lord and savior?” Again,
this is not in the Bible. Anywhere.
And for me, it goes against the
whole Christlike notion of the
suffering servant. People tried to
elevate Jesus to the status of Lord,
but he rejected it. So why do we
keep trying? Plus, the whole idea of
a lord is so antiquated, it has no
real relevance to our lives today.
Be more mindful of your words, and
really mean what you say.
8. “This could be the end of days.”
This is one of my favorites. We
Christians love to look for signs of
the end of the world; we practically
have an apocalyptic fetish. It’s like
we can’t wait until everything
comes to a smoldering halt so we
can stand tall with that “I told you
so” look on our faces, while the
nonbelievers beg for mercy. Yeah,
that sounds like an awesome
religion you’ve got going there.
Sign me up!
9. “Jesus died for your sins.” I
know, this is an all-time Christian
favorite. But even if you buy into
the concept of substitutionary
atonement (the idea that God set
Jesus up as a sacrifice to make good
for all the bad stuff we’ve done),
this is a abysmal way to introduce
your faith to someone. I didn’t ask
Jesus to die for me, and if I’m not a
Christian, I really have no concept
of how that could possibly be a
good thing. he whole idea of being
washed clean by an innocent man’s
blood is enough to give any person
nightmares, let alone lead them
into a deeper conversation about
what Christianity is about.
10. “Will all our visitors please
stand?” If someone finally is brave
enough to walk through the doors
of your church, the last thing they
want is to be singled out. They
probably don’t know the songs
you’re singing or the prayers or
responsive readings you’re reading.
Depending on the translation of the
Bible you use, the scripture may
not make much sense, and they
probably have no idea where the
bathroom is. So why add to the
discomfort by making them stand
so everyone can stare at them?
Also, calling someone a visitor
already implies they are simply
passing through, that they’re not a
part of things. Instead of “visitor”
or “guest,” try something less
loaded like “newcomer.” Better
yet, walk up to them, introduce
yourself and learn their name.

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Ex-Super Eagles star Chidi Odiah denies being a taxi driver in the US

Former Super Eagles defender, Chidi
Odiah, 30, has released a statement
denying recent reports that he now drives
taxis in the US to survive after being let
go by his Russian club, Cska Moscow. See
his statement below...
My attention has being drawn to the
slandering news going round the online
media that I was spotted driving a Taxi
somewhere in the United States of
America.
I am taking this rebuttal path due to the
hurt that story has caused my friends and
family members. With due respect to taxi
drivers who means of livelihood are
through that means, I state, emphatically,
that I am not a taxi driver neither am I in
the United States of America . I am a
professional footballer who loves my
profession and yet to resign from playing
football.

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Today matches

5 MAY 2013
« Previous Next »
SOCCER
1624 matches today
England - Premier League (2 matches
today)
Spain - Primera División (4 matches today)
Germany - Bundesliga (2 matches today)
France - Ligue 1 (3 matches today)
Netherlands - Eredivisie (9 matches
today)
AMERICAN FOOTBALL
20 matches today
Austria - AFL (1 match today)
Netherlands - Eerste Divisie (4 matches
today)
Switzerland - NLA (2 matches today)
Poland - PLFA (2 matches today)
Czech Republic - ČLAF (1 match today)

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Premier League Preview: ManchesterCity v West Brom

Manchester City will look to gain
momentum ahead of the FA Cup final
when they take on West Brom in the
Premier League on Tuesday.
Zola dejected after shock Leeds win
Ferguson regrets not signing
´unbelievable´ …
Reus eager for Hummels to stay
Benitez vows to ´fight´ against rival
Ferguson

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Stop using Boko Haram to blackmail Jonathan – Activist

Abuja - Mr James Erebuoye, a
Europe-based Human Rights and
Anti-Corruption Activist, on Sunday
advised Northern Elders to stop
using Boko Haram to blackmail
President Good luck Jonathan.
Erebuoye, who gave the advice in an
interview in Abuja, however,
stressed the need to bring the
insurgency in the north to an end.
He blamed the insurgency on the
inability of the Elder Statesmen who
had led the country in the past to
economically empower the youth.
The activist said the situation had
made many of the youth to become
instruments for perpetrating
violence.
Erebuoye decried the incessant loss
of lives and property in the region,
noting that this had depleted human
resources on a daily basis.
According to him, the only solution
to the insurgency is to engage the
Elders in an intensive dialogue and
compel them “to call their boys to
order.”
He said the idea of giving amnesty
to Book Haram was not the best
solution, and advised government
not to make amnesty as a business
for some politicians.
Erebuoye cautioned the government
against indiscriminate issuing of
amnesty to “killers”, pointing out
that other parts of the country could
eventually use the amnesty as basis
for negotiating insurgencies.
He noted that amnesty could be
misunderstood as basis for
bargaining for both economic and
political recognition.
He urged the government to
explore other areas of resolving
crises in the country other than
amnesty.
“If the amnesty given to Niger Delta
militants is to be used as a
reference point to other
insurgencies, I think it is a total
misconception of the whole issue
and as such, we have gotten it
wrong.
“The people of Niger Delta had a
genuine course which is
internationally recognised, whereas
Boko Haram have not yet come out
to put their demands in such a way
that Nigerians will begin to
appreciate their plight.
“When you talk of giving amnesty,
the first thing that should come to
our mind is who are these Boko
Haram.
“Who are you going to offer
amnesty to.
“These are the kind of questions
that Nigerians have to structure
first.”
The Niger Delta born activist said
that the threats by Boko Haram
would not stop Jonathan from
recontesting in 2015, if he so
wished, adding that the group also
would not stop Nigeria from moving
forward.
Erebuoye, who is also an anti-
corruption crusader, said the
position of the president was not a
right to a particular group of people,
pointing out that Nigerians should
decide who rules the country. (NAN)

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NRA's LaPierre says gun rights struggle a 'long war'

NRA executive rallies supporters; says
"we will never surrender our guns"
Says membership in group up since
the Newtown massacre, at record high
LaPierre goes after President Obama,
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Says ill-fated background check
proposal in Senate was ineffective

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