The True Hero on the Titanic

Many folks have watched the soul touching movie about the TITANIC, but not too many know the inside intricate revelations about what actually happened on-board the ship that night.
that is why i have decided to compile this article to let you all know about the real hero of the titanic that night.read on.........

John Harper was born to a pair of solid Christian parents on May 29th, 1872. It was on the last Sunday of March 1886, when he was thirteen years old that he received Jesus as the Lord of his life. He never knew what it was to "sow his wild oats." He began to preach about four years later at the ripe old age of 17 years old by going down to the streets of his village and pouring out his soul in earnest entreaty for men to be reconciled to God.
As John Harper's life unfolded, one thing was apparent...he was consumed by the word of God. When asked by various ministers what his doctrine consisted of, he was known to reply "The Word of God!" After five or six years of toiling on street corners preaching the gospel and working in the mill during the day, Harper was taken in by Rev. E. A. Carter of Baptist Pioneer Mission in London, England. This set Harper free to devote his whole time of energy to the work so dear to his heart. Soon, John Harper started his own church in September of 1896. (Now known as the Harper Memorial Church.) This church which John Harper had started with just 25 members, had grown to over 500 members when he left 13 years later. During this time he had gotten married, but was shortly thereafter widowed. However brief the marriage, God did bless John Harper with a beautiful little girl named Nana.
Ironically, John Harper almost drowned several times during his life. When he was two and a half years of age, he almost drowned when he fell into a well but was resuscitated by his mother. At the age of twenty-six, he was swept out to sea by a reverse current and barely survived, and at thirty-two he faced death on a leaking ship in the Mediterranean. Perhaps, God used these experiences to prepare this servant for what he faced next...
It was the night of April 14, 1912. The RMS Titanic sailed swiftly on the bitterly cold ocean waters heading unknowingly into the pages of history. On board this luxurious ocean liner were many rich and famous people. At the time of the ship's launch, it was the world's largest man-made moveable object. At 11:40 p.m. on that fateful night, an iceberg scraped the ship's starboard side, showering the decks with ice and ripping open six watertight compartments. The sea poured in.
On board the ship that night was John Harper and his much-beloved six-year-old daughter Nana. According to documented reports, as soon as it was apparent that the ship was going to sink, John Harper immediately took his daughter to a lifeboat. It is reasonable to assume that this widowed preacher could have easily gotten on board this boat to safety; however, it never seems to have crossed his mind. He bent down and kissed his precious little girl; looking into her eyes he told her that she would see him again someday. The flares going off in the dark sky above reflected the tears on his face as he turned and headed towards the crowd of desperate humanity on the sinking ocean liner.

As the rear of the huge ship began to lurch upwards, it was reported that Harper was seen making his way up the deck yelling, "Women, children and unsaved into the lifeboats!" It was only minutes later that the Titanic began to rumble deep within. Most people thought it was an explosion; actually the gargantuan ship was literally breaking in half. At this point, many people jumped off the decks and into the icy, dark waters below. John Harper was one of these people.
That night 1528 people went into the frigid waters. John Harper was seen swimming frantically to people in the water leading them to Jesus before the hypothermia became fatal. Mr. Harper swam up to one young man who had climbed up on a piece of debris. Rev. Harper asked him between breaths, "Are you saved?" The young man replied that he was not.
Harper then tried to lead him to Christ only to have the young man who was near shock, reply no. John Harper then took off his life jacket and threw it to the man and said, "Here then, you need this more than I do..." and swam away to other people. A few minutes later Harper swam back to the young man and succeeded in leading him to salvation. Of the 1528 people that went into the water that night, six were rescued by the lifeboats. One of them was this young man on the debris.

Four years later, at a survivors meeting, this young man stood up and in tears recounted how that after John Harper had led him to Christ. Mr. Harper had tried to swim back to help other people,yet because of the intense cold, had grown too weak to swim. His last words before going under in the frigid waters were, "Believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved." Does Hollywood remember this man? No. Oh well, no matter. This servant of God did what he had to do. While other people were trying to buy their way onto the lifeboats and selfishly trying to save their own lives, John Harper gave up his life so that others could be saved.
"Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends..." John Harper was truly the hero of the Titanic!

From this story it is easier for us to see that the true hero of the titanic wasn't leonardo(or whoever he tried to represent), but this English reverend gentle man, who gave up life to save a life.

Author Unknown. Sources for this article: "The Titanic's Last Hero" by Moody Press 1997," John Climie, George Harper, & Bill Guthrie from "Jesus Our Jubilee Ministries" in Dallas, Oregon

Hamas




Poll: Over two-thirds Palestinians say Hamas failed
By israelinsider staff March 26, 2007

According to a recent poll by An-Najah University, a significant number of Gaza Palestinians, more than two-thirds, believe the Hamas leadership has failed in its role as head of the government, reported Army Radio Monday. In response to the recent formation of a unity government, more than fifty percent of those polled agreed that Hamas had strayed from its core platform by joining Fatah, and less than one quarter said they would vote for Hamas again if the chance arose. According to a second poll, "Some 48 percent of respondents want the Hamas-Fatah coalition to meet the international demands - a step that would mean an end to a punishing year-long boycott of the Palestinian Authority, that has driven many Palestinians deeper into poverty," reported Haaretz. An equal percentage disagreed, claiming they wouldn't want the new government to modify its policies to gain international approval. Though Hamas and Fatah were successful in finally creating a unity government, causing the reinstatement of some international aid, the financial situation in the PA remains dire. The An-Najah University poll showed that almost one-third of respondents would leave the PA to live elsewhere if they could. According to the World Bank, 70% of the 1.4 million Palestinians residents of the Gaza Strip are living in poverty (living on less than $2.30 per day). After Hamas won elections over Fatah in early 2006, the international community chose to boycott the PA to pressure it to acquiesce to the Quartet's demands that it denounce terror, recognize Israel and accept former agreements. The economic sanctions crippled the PA, leaving many workers unpaid and aggravating the tense fighting which ensued between Fatah and Hamas. The first poll was conducted in the Gaza strip by An-Najah University in Nablus. The second poll was done by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, and surveyed 1,270 Palestinians last week with a three percent margin of error.

Nigeria: Sokoto State Stifles Growth of Church BuildingsAdded: Mar 21st, 2007 4:45 AM

Islamists take over or destroy structures; Christians prohibited from buying or building.SOKOTO, Nigeria March 20 (Compass Direct News) -- The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), one of the largest Pentecostal churches in Nigeria, is also one of the fastest growing churches in Africa. It is a cradle of miraculous healing, signs and wonders, but there is one miracle the church in this northern city has been unable to muster: keeping a Shiite sect from taking over its property. An Islamic sect called Izala has built a mosque near the denomination’s Kokeri parish and taken the church to court to force it relocate and take over its property, Pastor Abisona Michael told Compass. “We have been forcefully dragged to court out of our will, because we do not believe that a church should go to court,” Michael said. “We are waiting for the court to give its judgment on the matter, since all efforts we made for an amicable settlement with these Muslims have failed.” The Islamic sect has not even presented a legal pretext for taking over the property in Sokoto, capital of one of Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim northern states, Michael said. Muslims dominate the legal, government, and public service systems in the north, which Islamists use to harass and frustrate Christians, he said. The Izala launched the legal offensive simply because they believe that the court, being filled with Muslim judges, will seize the property from the church and give it to them, Michael said. “Such cases are very common in northern Nigeria, and the church is helpless about it,” he said. Area Izala leaders declined to speak with Compass on the issue, citing the pending court case. All efforts to encourage them to comment failed. “The problem is still there, and it has not been resolved,” Michael said. “The existence of this church is at the mercy of God.” Such disputes are not restricted to Kokeri parish – the denomination is also facing legal and bureaucratic tangles at parishes in the Binji and Silame areas of Sokoto. “At Binji, we are facing serious opposition,” Michael said. “We planted a church there, and when we needed to build a sanctuary, the local government administration there banned the community from selling land to us to build the church.” Even in situations where Christians are able to acquire lands and donate them to the denomination for building sanctuaries, Michael says, “approval of the building plan of the sanctuary is never granted.” In Silame town, the RCCG planted a church but the local government administration there also refused to allow building of a sanctuary, he said. “In addition, the Muslims there have intensified their opposition against our members, and many of them have been forced to relocate out of the area,” he said. “The few members remaining there now are not finding it easy.” The Gates of Hell Michael said the legal action against his church “has brought a lot of contention, a lot of strife, physically and of course spiritually too, to us.” The problem is prevalent in all local government areas in towns and villages of the state, he said. The Pentecostal pastor believes that his church’s ordeal is part of a plan and design by Sokoto state Muslims to persecute Christians. “There is religious discrimination here which has resulted from stiff opposition to Christianity,” he said. “For instance, the government here does not allow sale of landed property to Christian churches, and even if a church acquires land, it is always difficult for it to develop it because the laws regulating property development are very stringent for churches.” The pastor remains hopeful, though, that “the gates of hell can never overcome the church of Jesus Christ. Through practical love, which is an essential part of our ministry, we shall overcome these difficult times. That is why we need the support of other Christian brethren too.” The Rev. Reuben Yaro, chairman of the Sokoto district of the Evangelical Church of West Africa, agreed that it is problem common to many churches in the state. Getting land and permission to build has been painful for the ECWA’s churches, he said. “We’ve had problems getting lands in Kadiji, Farfaru, Akila, Gwadabawa, Mabera, and Old Airport areas to build sanctuaries for our local congregations,” he said. “At Kadiji, our church members built a sanctuary on a property donated by a member, but in 2005 the Muslims there went and destroyed the building and pews, thereby, forcing us to vacate the land.” The government has prohibited the Kadiji congregation to rebuild the church, he said. Likewise, he said, the ECFA bought a property at Farfaru, in Wamako local government area, but the Muslim-controlled local administration stopped construction of a church building after work had begun. “The same problems confronted us at Akila police barracks, in Gwadabawa, Mabera, and in the Old Airport areas,” he said. Pastor Tayo Atiniku, state secretary of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), further confirmed complaints of the government denying Christians’ land and build permits. “Building of new churches here is a major problem facing Christians almost on a weekly basis,” Atiniku says. “Acquiring land in this state for the building of churches is very difficult. And once an application for land contains the name of a Christian, it is rejected by government and its agencies.” If Christians try to ignore legal and bureaucratic roadblocks, Muslim opponents resort to force. After the PFN began building a ministry center called the Goshen Project last November, Atiniku said, “Muslims went to the place and destroyed the buildings there, and the blocks we had there were vandalized and stolen by them.” His ministry had applied for approval to build the center 10 years prior, without success. Islamic officials do not seem to discriminate among denominations. The experience of Kevin Aje, Roman Catholic bishop of Sokoto diocese, sums up a plight common to leaders across the ecclesiastical spectrum. “I have, through difficulty, been able to acquire two landed properties for our church,” said Bishop Aje, also chairman of the Sokoto state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria. “But up to this moment that I am talking to you, it has not been possible for us to get approval to build the churches.” Copyright © 2007 Compass Direct

ABOUT TOOKIE.

Hi guy's, i watched the movie "REDEMPTION", which was about the life and works of tookie williams and i was motivated to do a research about him, well here was some of what i found about him, hope it makes good sense to you.

The Beginning In the spring of 1971, when Tookie was 17, he was in a very different situation. He was a high school student from South Central Los Angeles. He had a fearsome reputation as a fighter and as a "general" of South Central's west side. And, around that time, Tookie, along with Raymond Lee Washington, created what would one day be a super-gang, the Crips.
Back in the day when Tookie and Raymond founded the Crips, many of the young people of South Central Los Angeles were involved with small gangs. Those gang members roamed South Central taking property from anyone who feared them, including women and children. To protect the community, Tookie and Raymond organized the Crips.
Growth By 1979, the Crips had grown from a small Los Angeles gang to an organization with membership spread across the State of California. By this time, Crips had also become just like the gang members they had once sought to protect themselves from -- Crips had become gangbangers who terrorized their own neighborhoods.
Soon the Crips lost both their leaders: in 1979, Raymond was murdered by a rival gang member, and, that same year, Tookie was arrested. He was charged with murdering four people. In 1981, Tookie was convicted of those crimes and placed on death row.
Life in Prison In 1987, Tookie began what became a 6 1/2-year stay in solitary confinement. After two years there, Tookie began to look at himself. He focused on the choices he had made in his life and then committed himself to make a drastic change. The long, difficult process he undertook to rebuild his character put him in touch with his true spirit, his own humanity. Only then could Tookie finally begin to care about the many children, mothers, fathers and other family members of this country hurt by the Crips legacy and by its explosive growth. The gang is now in 42 states and on at least one other continent: South Africa. Youngsters in Soweto and other South African cities have formed the Crips copycat gangs
Tookie Today Tookie greatly regrets the violent history of the Crips -- particularly how so many young black men have hurt each other -- and he wants to do what he can to stop it. The Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence book series for elementary-school-age children is the first fruit of his longing to prevent young people of every color from becoming gangbangers, from ending up in prison, crippled by bullets, or killed.
Tookie is determined to make amends for having been a co-founder of the Crips. He intends to try in every way he can to guide those youngsters who have imitated him away from the road that led him to death row where he faces State execution. "Don't join a gang," he tells children in his books, writing from his San Quentin cell. "You won't find what you're looking for. All you will find is trouble, pain and sadness. I know. I did."

THE JOY OF GIVING.

This lovely story was sent to me by a member of my alumni group and i found it interesting and decided to share it with my blog community, hope you learn the moral of the story. enjoy!!!!


Shola Adenugba,Account Executive,BatesCosse2340802584173323408038279873

"It is our task in our time and in our generation to hand down undiminished to those who come after us, as was handed down to us by those who went before, the natural wealth and beauty which is ours."
An unemployed graduate woke up one morning and checked his pocket. All he had left was $10. He decided to use it to buy food and then wait for death as he was too proud to go begging. He was frustrated as he could find no job, and nobody was ready to help him. He bought food and as he sat down to eat, an old man and two little children came along and asked him to help them with food as they had not eaten for almost a week. He looked at them. They were so lean that he could see their bones coming out. Their eyes had gone into the socket.With the last bit of compassion he had, he gave them the food. The old man and children prayed that God would bless and prosper him and then gave him a very old coin.The young graduate said to them "you need the prayer more than I do".
With no money, no job, no food, the young graduate went under the bridge to rest and wait for death. As he was about to sleep, he saw an old newspaper on the ground. He picked it up, and suddenly he saw an advertisement for people with old coins to come to a certain address.He decided to go there with the old coin the old man gave him. On getting to the place, he gave the proprietor the coin. The proprietor screamed, brought out a big book and showed the young graduate a photograph. This same old coin was worth 3 million dollars. The young graduate was overjoyed as the proprietor gave him a bank draft for 3 million dollars within an hour. He collected the Bank Draft and went in search of the old man and little children. By the time he got to where he left them eating, they had gone. He asked the owner of the canteen if he knew them. He said no but they left a note for you. He quickly opened the note thinking it would lead him to find them. This is what the note said: "You gave us your all and we have rewarded you back with the coin" Signed God the Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost. 1 Kings 17:10-16; Matthew 11:28-30.

Have you given all to Jesus Christ? If you haven't, do so today and he will surprise you.

INSIGHT IS ALL....................

Hi friends,in the space of a week i have been told this story twice, i believe it's for a reason, there is a lesson to be learned and i dont want to be the only one who learns it,that is why i share it with you my friends online.

Have you ever heard the story of the giant ship engine that failed? The ship's owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure out how to fix the engine. Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a youngster. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom. Two of the ship's owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed! A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars. "What?!" the owners exclaimed. "He hardly did anything!" So they wrote the old man a note saying, "Please send us an itemized bill." The man sent a bill that read: Tapping with a hammer ............ ......... ..... $ 2.00 Knowing where to tap ............ ......... ....... $ 9,998.00 GRAND TOTAL ……………………………………………$10,000.00 Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort in your life makes all the difference. I pray GOD to always give us the insight to know WHERE TO TAP whenever we are faced with the dangers and tribulations associated with the world of today. ...a man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven... Jn 3:27 Tanimowo Opeyemi A. Project AccountantSTWSSP Annex B,metro plaza Zakariya Maimalari street Central area,Abuja,Nigeria. Tel(office) +234-9-2344402 Fax: 2345559 Cell: +234-803-6148877(posted here courtesy rcfalumnigroup.com)

SHOW ME SOME LOVE.

have u ever heard of this sayin "some people are happy WHEREVER U GO but some are happy WHENEVER U GO"

this are 2 diffrent kind of people and i wish i could know which one u belong to. Do people feel good to see u around them or do they feel good when you are not there. we are all soppouse to make people happy every time. think about this "everywhere he went he was doing good" PEOPLE LOVE IT WHEN THEY SEE HIM. someone is in need of love today and it might be you they need.show some love to someone, send them a mail, call them, visit them,appreciate them and make them happy been with them.

let everyone know that you are there for them. LOVE IS THE GREATEST NEED OF HUMANITY AND IT REQUIRES THAT U SHOW IT. this week let this be in you dat you show some LOVE to some -ONE.

God bless u.

tunde ige