Country/Gospel Singer Charlie Daniels Dies at 83: He’s ‘Gone on to His Eternal Reward’

Country/Gospel Singer Charlie Daniels Dies at 83: He’s ‘Gone on to His Eternal Reward’


Charlie Daniels, the country/gospel singer and southern rocker who was best known for 1979 hit The Devil Went Down to Georgia and who also was an outspoken Christian, died Monday from a stroke. He was 83.

Daniels and his Charlie Daniels Band played a style of music that attracted fans of country, rock, bluegrass and gospel. He was a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Musicians Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry.

Daniels won Dove Awards, Country Music Association Awards and Grammys.

He died at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tenn.

Daniels spoke about his faith at concerts often, even if it wasn’t a predominantly Christian audience.

He discussed his faith during a 2017 appearance on The 700 Club.

“I believe that Jesus Christ was the only begotten Son of God, that He came to Earth, that He was nailed to a cross for my sins, that He left here. He ascended [and] He’s gonna descend one of these days. He’s gonna come back and pick us up,” he told The 700 Club.

His 2014 book, Never Look at the Empty Seats: A Memoir, was published by Thomas Nelson, a Christian publisher. It includes a section on Daniels’ Christian beliefs. It also includes an invitation for the reader to accept Christ.

“You have to believe that Jesus is the Son of almighty God,” he wrote. “… [I]t’s a ‘come as you are’ proposition. You can’t wait to clean your life up by…

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Hiker taking photo at Grand Canyon falls to her death: The fact of mortality and hope of eternity

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A woman was taking pictures near Mather Point in the Grand Canyon last week. She had been hiking off-trail near the famed lookout point with her family.

Then she accidentally stepped off the edge while trying to take a photo and fell one hundred feet to her death. Her body was recovered Friday afternoon.

The Grand Canyon can be deadly in other ways as well. Last month, a forty-nine-year-old woman died of apparent heat-related causes while hiking in 114-degree temperatures. The park said summer temperatures can reach 120 degrees in the shade.

About a dozen people die each year at the Grand Canyon, according to reports. Common causes include aircraft crashes, falls, heat, and drowning. The Canyon has been ranked America’s third-deadliest park, behind the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada and Yosemite National Park in California.

Beauty and danger often go together. Present safety is no guarantee of future security. In these days filled with pandemic fears and suffering, we should acknowledge this obvious fact: We are all one step from eternity.

That’s why we need to follow today the only Guide who can see tomorrow.

The fact of mortality and hope of eternity

As Joshua prepared to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land, their future was very much in doubt. Moses, the man who led them miraculously out of Egyptian slavery, across the Red Sea, and through four decades in the wilderness, had died. His young protégé was now their leader. The people were going to risk their lives, their families, and their future on his leadership.

To lead Joshua to lead them, the Lord gave him this injunction: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8).

A person who follows God is a…

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Kanye West Announces Possible 2020 Presidential Run

Kanye West Announces Possible 2020 Presidential Run


Rapper and award-winning artist Kanye West announced that he will be running for President of the United States in the November 2020 election.

The 43-year old musician made the now-viral announcement on Twitter over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

“We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future,” West wrote on July 4th.

“I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION.”

Further details on the rapper’s bid for the presidency have yet to be revealed, though this is not the first time West has announced that he would be running for President.

At the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, West asserted that he would be running for President in the year 2020, BBC News reports. Then. last year, at Fast Company’s Innovation Festival, West announced that he would be running in 2024.

The crowd who was present at the festival laughed at West’s declaration, but the musician asserted that he was serious.

“What are you laughing at?” he asked the crowd. “We would have created so many jobs that I’m not gonna run, I’m gonna walk.”

West even teased changing his name to “Christian Genius Billionaire Kanye West” for the presidential run.

So far,…

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‘God’s Going to Take Care of My Son’: Father of 19-Year-Old Believed to Be Killed in ‘CHOP’ Gives Heartbreaking Interview

‘God’s Going to Take Care of My Son’: Father of 19-Year-Old Believed to Be Killed in ‘CHOP’ Gives Heartbreaking Interview


The father of a 19-year-old man killed in Seattle’s “Capitol Hill Organized Protest” (CHOP) zone says he doesn’t know what happened to his son, but that he is trusting God.

“Somebody’s kids did that to my son,” Anderson said. “I wouldn’t wish that on nobody else’s kid. I’m being a Christian in my heart … ‘Lord, just bless me so I can be strong.’

“It’s in God’s hands. Everything’s in God’s hands. God’s going to take care of me, and he’s going to take care of my son,” he added.

Horace Lorenzo Anderson was talking with Fox News about the CHOP zone, an area in Seattle where police are not patrolling and protestors are governing the zone.

According to Faithwire, Anderson’s son, also named Horace, was killed in the area, but Anderson said authorities have not contacted him to tell him what happened.

“I’m numb; I’m still numb today,” Anderson said in an interview Wednesday with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “I got to bury my son tomorrow. It’s just been a lot going on.”

The roughly six-block area in Seattle was first called the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone. The area became police-free after officers left the area in front of the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct. Protestors and police had been clashing with one another for days before police left.

According to the Daily Mail, the…

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Some Question Replacing Mississippi’s Confederate Symbol with ‘In God We Trust’

Some Question Replacing Mississippi’s Confederate Symbol with ‘In God We Trust’


(RNS) — The Rev. Isiac Jackson Jr. was one of many Mississippi residents who took it as a spiritual victory when the state’s lawmakers voted Sunday (June 28) to remove the Confederate symbol from the state’s flag.

“God answers prayer,” said Jackson, president of the General Missionary Baptist State Convention. “He may not come when you want him, but he’s always on time.” 

Jackson was one of many Black faith leaders who had spoken out against the flag, which was adopted in 1894 as Mississippi’s whites tried to consolidate political power after Reconstruction. The bill’s passage, and Republican Gov. Tate Reeves’ signature two days later, closes the door on a debate that has long frustrated African Americans, who make up 37.8% of Mississippi’s population, the largest percentage of any state.

“Black folks in the state of Mississippi have been praying for the removal of that flag for over a hundred years,” he said of the former banner. “God fixed the hearts of former slaveowners’ children to bow to the will of God and remove that flag.”

But tucked inside the legislation changing the flag was a peculiar mandate. “The new design for the Mississippi state flag recommended by the commission shall not include the design of the Confederate flag, but shall include the words ‘In God We Trust,’” the act reads.

Requiring the phrase has drawn a range…

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Soccer Player Rachel Hill Shares Why She Stood during the National Anthem as Teammates Knelt

Soccer Player Rachel Hill Shares Why She Stood during the National Anthem as Teammates Knelt


Chicago Red Stars forward Rachel Hill recently released a statement explaining why she chose to stand during the national anthem on opening day of the Challenge Cup for the National Women’s Soccer League despite her teammates taking a knee in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

According to ESPN, in a Twitter post on Tuesday, Hill asserted that while she stood during the National Anthem out of respect for her military family, she “wholeheartedly” supports the Black Lives Matter movement.

“When I stood for the national anthem before the Chicago Red Stars’ most recent game, this was a decision that did not come easily or without profound thought,” Hill shared, noting that she sought out advice on what to do from family, friends and teammates.

“I chose to stand because of what the flag inherently means to my military family members and me. But I 100% support my peers.” She asserted.

Hill added that she tried to show solidarity with her Black teammates and the Black community as a whole by placing her hand on Defender Casey Short’s shoulder and bowing her head.

“I struggled, but felt that these actions show my truth, and in the end, I wanted to remain true to myself,” Hill wrote.

Hill went on to note that she spoke with several of her Black teammates, including Short and Sarah Gorden before and after the game, noting that she will…

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‘The luckiest man on the face of the earth’: Lou Gehrig and the triumph of character over circumstances

New York Yankees’ Lou Gehrig, the “Iron Horse,” wipes away a tear while speaking during a sold-out tribute at Yankee Stadium July 4, 1939. Gehrig’s record breaking career was cut short by neuromuscular disease. (AP Photo/Murray Becker)

Lou Gehrig was one of the greatest players baseball has ever seen, with a career average of .340 and a World Series average of .361.

In 1934, he achieved the “Triple Crown” of baseball, leading the league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in. He appeared in 2,130 consecutive games, setting a record that stood until it was broken in 1995.

Then, in 1939, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a horrific malady that has come to be known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. On May 2, he took himself out of the Yankees’ lineup and never played baseball again.

On July 4 of that year, Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day was held in his honor. At that event, the soft-spoken player made a memorable speech in which he claimed to be “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” He died two years later at the age of thirty-seven.

The triumph of character over circumstances

Lou Gehrig reminds us that our character is not dependent on our circumstances. Even in these difficult days, with coronavirus infections spiking and the recession continuing, we can find peace that transcends this moment and hope that lasts forever.

Such peace and hope, because they are not of this fallen world, are powerful witnesses to it. When people see us trusting Jesus in good times, they assume that such faith comes easily to us. But when we trust him in the worst of times, they know that our faith is powerful for us and relevant for them.

Across God’s word, we are invited to trust him for the peace that only he supplies. In today’s First15, Craig Denison cites these examples: “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3); “When I am afraid,…

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‘We Only Kneel to Almighty God’: Trump Pledges to Defend America’s History and Ideals

‘We Only Kneel to Almighty God’: Trump Pledges to Defend America’s History and Ideals


President Trump pledged in a pair of speeches over Independence Day weekend to defend America’s history and ideals and warned against a left-wing campaign that seeks to wipe out the “very blessing our ancestors fought so hard for.”

“Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children,” Trump said in remarks July 3 at Mount Rushmore prior to the annual fireworks display.

Trump referenced recent attacks on and removals of statues honoring George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant and various abolitionists.

“Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our Founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities,” Trump said. “Many of these people have no idea why they are doing this, but some know exactly what they are doing. They think the American people are weak and soft and submissive. But no – the American people are strong and proud, and they will not allow our country, and all of its values, history, and culture, to be taken from them.”

The left-wing campaign, he said, “threatens every blessing our ancestors fought so hard for, struggled [and] bled to secure.”

Trump also criticized the so-called cancel culture, which he blamed for “driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters, and demanding total…

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Joey Chestnut wins the Mustard Yellow Belt: A July Fourth like no other and the way to be a nation God can bless

Competitive eater Joey Chestnut celebrates after setting a new world record with 75 hot dogs to win the men’s division of the Annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, NY, July 4, 2020. (Anthony Behar/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

The National League was formed in 1876, the American League in 1901. In 1981, the players went on strike from June 11 until August 10. As best I can tell, that’s the only time in 144 years that the game was not played on Independence Day.

Until last Saturday, that is. 

But all was not lost: for the thirteenth time in the last fourteen years, Joey Chestnut won the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. He consumed about seventy-five hot dogs and buns in approximately ten minutes to win the coveted Mustard Yellow Belt. 

However, as a sign of the times, Saturday’s event was held at a private location rather than in front of large crowds as in the past. The judges wore masks; assistants handed buns and wieners to the contestants while using latex gloves. 

Can God bless America? 

This was a Fourth of July unlike any in living memory. But even with the pandemic and recession, I am grateful to be an American. Every time I travel overseas, when I return, I’m glad to be home. 

And I pray for my country to be a nation God can bless. 

The psalmist declared, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12). His statement assumes that every nation has a god of some kind. Theologian Paul Tillich was right: we all have an “ultimate concern”—something or someone that we trust above all others. 

Some trust the god of Islam, others the path to nirvana taught by Buddhism, the way of moksha (salvation) in Hinduism, or the laws of Judaism. Still others trust the gods of materialism, hedonism, or self-reliance. 

To be “blessed,” however, a nation must make their God the “Lord.” This rendering of…

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Fourteen Characteristics of Genuinely Friendly Churches

As churches begin to regather for in-person services, some areas of guest friendliness will change, at least for the short-term. For example, for precautionary reasons we likely will not be giving guests physical gifts.

As I have consulted with churches over the years, I have assembled data on what I called GFCs, genuinely friendly churches. I set certain parameters for GFCs; then I attempted to measure the guest return rates for those churches. A guest return rate is simply the percentage of guests who will return to the church for at least a second visit.

Here is the simple but profound difference I found in GFCs and all other churches: A genuinely friendly church has a guest return rate six times greater than other churches.

Did you get that? If a church meets the guidelines to be a GFC, the probability of a guest returning is six times higher than all other churches! Sadly, only about one of twenty churches meets the criteria necessary to be a GFC.

When I began as a consultant, I had 10 criteria, and the church had to meet at least eight of those criteria to be a GFC. I have since expanded the list to 15, and require churches to meet 12 of the 15 to be a GFC. Here are the 15 characteristics of genuinely friendly churches:

  1. They are intentional about being friendly. Warmth and friendliness are clear values of these churches. They are articulated regularly. All organizations, including churches, naturally drift toward an inward focus unless they are otherwise intentional.
  2. The leaders…

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