Pop star Jessica Simpson made an appearance on “Today” recently and broke out in worship after opening up about her past struggles with alcohol and sexual abuse.
Simpson sat down with Hoda Kotb last week to discuss her new memoir, Open Book. In the interview, the singer opened up about being molested as a child and not immediately speaking about it to her parents, who were in ministry at the time, because of the shame she felt.
She also talked to Kotb about her addiction to alcohol, which Simpson overcame a couple of years ago. The new author admitted drinking as early as 7 a.m. at times. Everything changed in 2017, however, after being unable to participate in Halloween with her kids and family. The next day Simpson sought therapy and has been sober ever since.
“I just realized that I had to surrender,” she said. “I just want to continue on the path that I’m on and at this point in my life, now I’m strong enough to deal with anything that comes my way because I don’t have something to retreat to that will numb me from actually going through it.”
At the close of her interview with “Today,” Kotb requested the singer sing the song that brings Simpson peace since faith is such an important part of her journey. She then sang a verse from the popular hymn, “Amazing Grace.”
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Recently, I attended a worship service in a small rural church in North Carolina with a segment of our country’s citizens, who, by the standards of many today, would be deemed as rednecks, uneducated buffoons, bigots, and deplorables. Because of their support for President Trump and other alleged faults, they would unquestionably be thrown into that same broader category of people CNN’s Don Lemon, Rick Wilson, Wajahat Ali laughed to scorn on Lemon’s television show.
But let me describe to you what contrasts these people from the elitists who think of them as a joke. They may not have several degrees behind their names. They might not know where Ukraine is located on a map. Still, they possess a depth of wisdom that makes the elitists look shallow and foolish.
Generally, they discern well between the truth and a lie, good and evil. They trust every word of the Bible to be fully inspired by God – the definitive source for measuring every truth claim. They take the Bible literally, wherever it’s clear it should be taken literally. They believe its principles are sufficient for providing direction in the great questions of life, ethics and morality, personal and corporate.
They reject man-made utopian visions of the world. They believe Jesus is the Savior – there are no more Messiahs, whether perceived in men or systems of government.
Yet they are earnest patriots and law-abiding citizens. They participate in their government. They love the flag and would die for their country, even though they know it’s currently on a trajectory that marginalizes them and could result in its national implosion.
They believe God made humanity in the dual fixed sexes of male and female, and their gender roles are quite different, equal in importance and complimentary.
Although they struggle in some of the same ways all families struggle, they are committed to the preservation of traditional family life. They believe a husband and wife (one man and one woman), who in marriage love and cherish each other for a lifetime and rear their children in eternal verities, is what constitutes God’s plan for the home. They believe children, whether born or unborn, are God’s greatest gift.
The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration kicked off the highly anticipated Super Bowl 2020 weekend Thursday, and along with star-studded performances the event honored NFL stars Quinnen and Quincy Williams for their work with the American Cancer Society.
Quinnen, who plays for the New York Jets, and his brother, Quincy, of the Jacksonville Jaguars, were awarded the 2020 Faith in Action award at the James L. Knight Center.
The Williams brothers sadly lost their mother to breast cancer a decade ago and decided to turn their tragedy into something positive by working with the American Cancer Society to ensure that people of color in the United States receive proper cancer screenings in urban communities.
The Figgers Foundation awarded the American Cancer Society with a check for $2,500 during the celebration.
The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration along with the BET Network will highlight the American Cancer Society during its broadcast of the event at 7 p.m. Eastern time Saturday. The brothers stress the “critical importance of cancer prevention and awareness,” said organizers in a statement to The Christian Post.
After the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 at Super Bowl LIV, their CEO, Clark Hunt, praised God for the team.
“I want to thank the Lord for blessing our family with all these incredible people who helped us bring this championship home,” Chiefs Chairman Hunt said, according to Major League Soccer. “To the Chiefs kingdom, you guys are world champions once again.”
The last time the Chiefs won a Super Bowl was 50 years ago in 1970.
Hunt said last week that he found Christ at age 10, while at a Christian camp, according to The Tyler Morning Telegraph. He also said that he makes faith a top priority for his staff.
“We want our employees to develop spiritually,” Hunt was quoted as saying. “In the National Football League, Christ is really glorified. My identity is my faith in Christ.”
The team partners with local ministries and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to provide chapel worship services for their fans before home games. The Sports Spectrum reports that the pre-game chapel services have been offered since 2014 and are the first recurring onsite faith event in the NFL.
WhenLin-Manuel Mirandatweeted the news Monday that the movie adaptation of his groundbreaking Broadway showHamiltonwas set for release by Disneyin fall 2021, he omitted one of the most breathtaking parts of the deal.
According to sources, Disney beat out other suitors and paid $75 million for worldwide rights to the show that won 11 Tony Awards in 2016, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Disney won the deal with a commitment for a wide global theatrical release for the 2 hour, 40 minute movie, which was shot two weeks before the original cast left.
I can’t think of an acquisition of a finished film that has gone for more money than this one. It is, however, a seminal cultural zeitgeist event and, as Miranda himself has said, the movie allows people to avoid having to pay $500 a seat, which they were before the original cast and he moved on. You could hardly call this profligate spending, given that when Hamilton finishes its traditional theatrical run, it will then become a major title on the Disney+ streaming service.
Tim Tebow and his new wife Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters have shared several loved-up photos from their luxury honeymoon in the Maldives.
The former NFL footballer, 32, and his pageant queen wife, 24, are currently honeymooning at the Maldives’ five-star Soneva Jani resort.
The newlyweds have shared several photos on Instagram of themselves soaking up the lavish resort and island sunsets.
Their luxurious honeymoon comes after they tied the knot in a glamorous South African wedding.
Tebow, a devout Christian who vowed to stay abstinent until marriage, married his South African beauty at the La Paris Estate in Cape Town.
Their wedding followed a weekend of glamorous pre-wedding celebrations that the pair documented on social media.
Nel-Peters, who is a spokes model for David’s Bridal, wore a custom gown by the wedding dress giant and accessorized with Marion Rehwinkel Jewelery.
Meanwhile, Tebow suited up in Antar Levar.
The couple, who became engaged last January, met back in 2018 at an annual special needs charity event Tebow hosts.
His Night to Shine event is essentially a prom for people with special needs.
His future wife’s younger sister, Franje, was born with special needs. She passed away in May.
Nel-Peters attended the charity event and the pair quickly started emailing back and forth.
Tim, whose Christian beliefs convinced him to remain celibate until marriage based on Hebrews 13:4, detailed how the couple kept to that promise.
‘It’s just a choice that we made that we both wanted to do that together and just try to make it as special as possible,’ he said prior to the wedding.
Before meeting his now-wife, Tebow previously dated Camilla Belle and Olivia Culpo.
Currently, the ESPN college football analyst is playing baseball in the minor leagues.
The New York Mets extended a spring training invitation to Tebow.
He has spent the past three seasons in the Mets’ organization and has a collective .223 average with 18 homers and 107 RBIs in 287 games across all levels.
Tebow had four homers and 19 RBIs at Syracuse last season and struck out 98 times in just 239 at-bats. His season was cut short by a hand laceration suffered on July 21.
He was a star quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy at Florida in 2007. He spent four seasons (2006-09) with the Gators and passed for 9,285 yards, 88 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, while also compiling 2,947 rushing yards and 57 touchdowns.
He played in 35 NFL games with the Denver Broncos (2010-11) and New York Jets (2012) and passed for 2,422 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions while rushing for 989 yards and 12 scores.
Tebow was one of eight non-roster players invited to spring training by the Mets.
Forever and Always @timtebow • • 📸 @hanrihumanweddings
A post shared by Demi-Leigh Tebow (@demileighnp) on
I get to thank God each day the rest of my life that He gave me you. 1 Corinthians 13:7 – “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” @demileighnp, the best is yet to come and I can’t wait to charge after life head on with you as together we love, we hope, we believe and we endure whatever life brings. • Wedding Designer: @zavionk 📷: @hanrihumanweddings
The Super Bowl halftime show is being panned for its explicit content.
Super Bowl LIV, which was held in Miami this year, featured Latin pop artists Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. Featuring several of their most well-known songs from over the years, the artists danced with lots of hip-shaking and were at points barely clothed around stripper poles.
Commenting on his Facebook page Sunday, evangelist Franklin Graham noted that he did not expect the world to act like the church, but the nation nevertheless should have the decency to protect children during prime time television.
“We see that disappearing before our eyes. It was demonstrated tonight in the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show — with millions of children watching. This exhibition was Pepsi showing young girls that sexual exploitation of women is okay. With the exploitation of women on the rise worldwide, instead of lowering the standard, we as a society should be raising it. I’m disappointed in Pepsi and the NFL,” Graham said.
March for Life President Jeanne F. Mancini tweeted: “Ugh. We can’t have something that little kids can watch? Embarrassing for everyone I’m with — looking away, etc. Friends son got distracted by smart dad so he wouldn’t see it. We can do better!”
Some connected the performance to widespread social scourges and the grim reality of sex trafficking that frequently occurs at major sporting events.
“We wonder why the Super Bowl is a hotbed of sex trafficking…meanwhile we applaud for literal pole dancing during the halftime show. Degrading women has tragic cultural consequences,” commented One American News Network host Liz Wheeler.
While several venues have canceled events planned for Franklin Graham in the United Kingdom, citing objections to his views on homosexuality, the evangelist is not calling off his eight-date tour of the country and has instead asked his supporters to pray that the doors remain open for the Gospel.
Graham, the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, was booked to speak at the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport on June 14, but the event has been canceled, according to WalesOnline.
Jayne Bryant, Assembly Member for Newport West, said Graham has “a long record of preaching hate, prejudice and intolerance” and called for the event to be canceled due to her concerns and those raised by LGBTQ charity Pride Cymru.
Earlier, Liverpool ACC and Glasgow SEC also pulled out of hosting events for Graham. So did Sheffield City Trust for a planned event at Sheffield Arena.
Despite some cancellations, Graham, who leads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said on Saturday that he’s “looking forward to preaching the Gospel across the UK in late May & June.”
“Hundreds of churches are praying & planning to be a part of these evangelistic outreaches. People everywhere are searching for something to fill the void in their lives. Jesus Christ is the answer.”
Earlier last week, Graham wrote to the U.K.’s LGBTQ community, explaining his stand.
“It is said by some that I am coming to the UK to bring hateful speech to your community. This is just not true. I am coming to share the Gospel, which is the Good News that God loves the people of the UK, and that Jesus Christ came to this earth to save us from our sins,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
“The rub, I think, comes in whether God defines homosexuality as sin. The answer is yes,” he continued. “But God goes even further than that, to say that we are all sinners—myself included. The Bible says that every human being is guilty of sin and in need of forgiveness and cleansing. The penalty of sin is spiritual death—separation from God for eternity.”
While several venues have canceled events planned for Franklin Graham in the United Kingdom, citing objections to his views on homosexuality, the evangelist is not calling off his eight-date tour of the country and has instead asked his supporters to pray that the doors remain open for the Gospel.
Graham, the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, was booked to speak at the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport on June 14, but the event has been canceled, according to WalesOnline.
Jayne Bryant, Assembly Member for Newport West, said Graham has “a long record of preaching hate, prejudice and intolerance” and called for the event to be canceled due to her concerns and those raised by LGBTQ charity Pride Cymru.
Earlier, Liverpool ACC and Glasgow SEC also pulled out of hosting events for Graham. So did Sheffield City Trust for a planned event at Sheffield Arena.
Despite some cancellations, Graham, who leads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said on Saturday that he’s “looking forward to preaching the Gospel across the UK in late May & June.”
“Hundreds of churches are praying & planning to be a part of these evangelistic outreaches. People everywhere are searching for something to fill the void in their lives. Jesus Christ is the answer.”
Earlier last week, Graham wrote to the U.K.’s LGBTQ community, explaining his stand.
Two Killed in Shooting Outside of Church following Funeral Service
A shooting broke out on Saturday afternoon outside of a Florida church, leading to the death of two people and the injury of two others.
According to NBC News, around 2:30 pm Saturday, a 15-year-old boy and 47-year-old man were killed when gunfire broke out following a funeral service held at Victory City Church in Riviera Beach.
A woman also sustained a gunshot wound and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The identities of the shooter(s)and the teenage victim have not been released, but the 47-year-old victim has been identified as Royce Freeman.
According to police, “This shooting was not a random act of violence. While the motive for the shooting is still being investigated, it is believed it was a result of a dispute between relatives of the deceased whose funeral had been held.”
Victory City Church released a statement on Facebook noting that church members were not involved in the shooting and that it did not occur inside of the church but instead across the street. Still, the church congregation is mourning the loss of “two young black men to a senseless shooting.”
The church’s senior pastor, Tywuante D. Lupoe, also took to Facebook Saturday night to add some clarity to the situation as well as to stress that this was not a church shooting. Lupoe noted that the church was aware of the possibility of violence breaking out at the funeral. As such, he noted that the church…
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