Tennessee residents devastated by last Tuesday’s powerful storms are still picking up the pieces of their shattered communities.
In the aftermath, churches across Nashville were destroyed – leaving clergies wondering where to hold upcoming Sunday services.
Members at Mount Bethel Missionary Baptist Church announced that their service would be a “Worship in the Rubble” where the congregation would gather in a parking lot next to their building.
They wrote in a Facebook post, “Despite the effects from the tornado that swept through our areas, we will continue to praise and worship the Lord God in Spirit and in Truth.”
OPERATION BLESSING is on the ground to provide disaster relief in Tennessee. Click Here to Help.
East End United Methodist Church encouraged their congregation to bring lawn chairs and worship in a park near their building.
“It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Come join us for worship at the East End UMC Park.”
The Church at Lockeland Springs held an outdoor community prayer and worship service where the community was encouraged to rise up and rebuild Nashville.
“We have a long road ahead, but God is still in control and He is still on the throne. Our strength comes from Him, and we will rebuild as a family. We are going to be okay, Nashville. Stay strong, keep praying, and continue loving your neighbor.”
United Nations staff in the U.S. are observing International Women’s Day today ahead of the annual March 8th designation. Supporters observe this day globally to advocate for women’s rights. IWD began in the U.S. at the turn of the century and quickly spread throughout Europe and beyond.
More about International Women’s Day here.
Despite progress in key areas, one-third of all women and girls worldwide suffer gender-based violence. Peggy Banks heads up Trans World Radio’s Women of Hope program, which helps women find their place in God’s story.
“We are encouraging them to see themselves from God’s perspective, to see that they have a purpose and a plan,” Banks says.
“We have teams on the ground in 125 different countries that connect with these listeners, do Bible studies. We do events… we have prayer groups. There are many ways that we touch and connect the lives of women, ultimately having them come to know Jesus.”
The Lord led Banks from working in local churches to the helm of Women of Hope’s ministry in 2016. “My passion is biblical counseling, so God opened up this door to really bring hope and Jesus to women around the world and across generations,” Banks says.
As described here, Women of Hope educates, encourages, and equips women to pray, listen, learn, grow, and give through media, small group interaction, and leadership development.
This year, Banks and her team want to help even more women find freedom and meaning in Christ.
“We hope to enhance our content, enhance presence on social media, maybe translate more languages so that women in other countries – especially closed countries – can hear a message of hope about a God Who loves them,” she explains.
Give to support Women of Hope’s work.
As an example, Banks describes the story of a young Farsi listener who wrote to Women of Hope staff. This young woman grew up in a Muslim home and “didn’t attend school because [her parents] didn’t believe that girls needed to attend school. So, she never had the opportunity to learn how to read and write,” Banks says.
This listener, and others like her, learn who God is through Women of Hope’s 30-minute radio broadcasts. The program also provides practical life lessons like “how to live with depression, how to live your identity, how to love your husband if you’re married, how to feed your children if you’re a mom, how to grow a garden.
“She says, ‘through your programs I’ve understood more about God’s love for me’.”
Duchess Meghan made a surprise stop at a London school in support of gender equity.
Prince Harry’s wife continued her “farewell tour” with an unexpected appearance Friday at Robert Clack Upper School in Dagenham, where she celebrated the achievements of women ahead of Sunday’s International Women’s Day.
The couple and their baby son, Archie, are moving to Canada as they officially step back as working senior royals on April 1. They’re in England for a final round of royal engagements.
Meghan’s visit commemorated Britain’s 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act in 1970, which prohibited workplace discrimination against women. The act was prompted when female sewing machinists at the Ford Motor Plant went on strike in Dagenham for equal pay in 1968.
“No matter how small you might feel, how low you may feel on the ladder or the totem pole, no matter what color you are, no matter what gender you are – you have a voice, and you certainly have the right to speak up for what is right,” Duchess Meghan told the 700 students assembled to hear her speech. “It’s not just an opportunity to continue that, it’s a responsibility. I encourage and empower each of you to really stand in your truth, to stand for what is right – to continue to respect each other.”
She urged the young men in the room “to continue to value and appreciate the women in your lives, and also set the example for some men who are not seeing it that same way. You have your mothers, sisters, girlfriends, friends in your life – protect them. Make sure that they are feeling valued and safe.
“Let’s all rally together to make International Women’s Day something that is not just on Sunday – but frankly, feels like every day of the year.”
The duchess, dressed in slim black trousers and a fringed cream blazer, was joined onstage by Geraldine Dear, one of the striking Ford workers who helped spur the legislation.
A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on
On Sunday, the royal couple were photographed driving to Sunday morning church service at Windsor. Harry wore a dark suit and striped tie, and Meghan donned a black fascinator, a white-collared dress and what looked like square-cut emerald earrings.
Their last engagement will likely be Monday when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to join Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the royal family, including Prince William and Duchess Kate of Cambridge, for the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.
The Wycliffe Discovery Center, which highlights decades of Bible translation work around the world, has been recognized as one of the top five religious museums in the United States by USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards for 2020.
“We’re passionate about celebrating cultures, educating people about language groups and highlighting the need to continue this important (of Bible translation) work until all people have access to Scripture in the language they know best,” John Chesnut, president and CEO of Wycliffe USA, said in a statement.
The center, which opened in Orlando, Florida, in 2002, came in fifth. The awards were based on the input of a panel of subject-matter experts and a public voting period.
The center regularly hosts youth events to “reach students outside normal school hours, and guests can schedule tours led by active missionaries who can offer first-hand insights into the displays,” Wycliffe USA said in the statement.
USA Today readers were asked to make their choice based on the stories, collections, and message at 20 U.S. museums, each dedicated to sharing the history, culture, art, and traditions of the world’s diverse religious groups and faith communities. The religious museum category included the country’s best Jewish museums, religious art collections, heritage centers, and other sites, from 14 states and the District of Columbia.
The center “tells the story of the Bible from an interesting perspective, its translation and distribution to cultures around the globe. Visitors learn what goes into translating scripture and hear talks from missionaries and linguists involved in the work,” USA Today said.
“Whether you’re 5 or 75 years old, you’ll enjoy learning about people, languages and cultures all over the world. You’ll also come face to face with the staggering number of people who are still waiting for a single word of the Bible in their own language,” the center says on its website. “Hear amazing stories of how lives are being changed as God’s Word is made accessible to those who still need it, and find out how you can be a part of what God is doing all around the world through Bible translation.”
J’Den Cox has won wrestling matches at the highest levels, including a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games — but he believes the battles he wrestles with himself often usher in the greatest victories.
Cox, 24, is a three time NCAA Division 1 wrestling champion, and an Olympic bronze medalist who also won 4 state titles while in high school, amassing only three losses in that time-frame.
He also won gold medals at the 2018 and 2019 World Championships, and a bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships. These are just a few of his accolades.
Still, it is Cox’s internal matches that have truly ushered in his most transformative victories.
In his freshman year at the University of Missouri, he found himself struggling to the point where he wondered if he should just throw the towel in all together — and not on a wrestling match, but on his very life.
Listen to Cox reveal his incredible faith journey:
The climax came one day when Cox was in the midst of battling the demons from his past; he found himself on the edge of a highway, considering ending it all. A chance phone call from his coaches at that very moment helped save his life.
Years later, he’s better and has no problem opening up about his past struggles.
“For a long time, I was ashamed to talk about it because people struggle to show empathy for things they can’t see and understand,” Cox said of his past emotional struggles. “I was afraid to ask for help, and I think that’s something I try to preach now.”
Cox began to go to therapy and changed his mindset, as he worked on bettering his mental health — all while not missing a step on the wrestling mat.
SOURCE: Christian Post; Pureflix.com, Billy Hallowell
Jonathan Evans, son of pastor Tony Evans and the late Lois Evans, shared how his mother’s faithfulness and perseverance in the face of incurable cancer taught him the importance of staying focused on God’s purposes despite setbacks.
Evans, managing director at The Urban Alternative, spoke at the opening session of the NRB 2020 Christian Media Convention on Feb. 25, just months after his mother died from an incurable form of cancer.
Evans shared how Lois Evans received her cancer diagnosis just a year ago, around the same time Tony Evans was given the NRB Hall of Fame Award. While the Evans family was devastated, Lois encouraged them to refrain from despair and instead stay focused on furthering the Gospel.
“I have every expectation that you will love me and care for me and pray for me and be there with me,” Jonathan Evans recalled his mother saying. “I have every expectation that you will do that as my family, but God has an expectation that you always remember, through thick and thin, that you are here to serve the purposes of God.”
“[She said], ‘Everything from pain and anguish … opposition that comes against you is all a distraction from the reason why you are here,’” he shared. “So will you stand up and hold your head up and you will continue the work of the ministry.”
Every Christian, Evans stressed, would do well to learn from his mother’s faithfulness in the face of suffering.
“Everybody here is facing something where you need to hear a word that says that you are here no matter what you’re going through, no matter what you face. You’re here to serve the purposes of God,” he said. “Do not turn to the left or to the right, we are too close. The Promised Land is right here.”
Evans, who played in the NFL for five years, said that every football player plays on Sunday “thinking about Monday.”
“Why? Every time a player is playing the game they’re thinking about the next day because the next day is where you have to watch the film and be accountable for your previous performance,” he explained.
“You better stay focused, because one day your coach will pull down the screen and turn on the overhead projector and pick up the red pointer and all he would wonder is, ‘Are you out there bearing image of the uniform that I gave you, based on the playbook that I wrote for you? Or were you out there doing your own thing, serving your own purpose?’”
The Apostle Paul says the “exact same thing” in 2nd Corinthians 5:10, Evans said. The passage reads: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
“We all will go before the judgment seat of Christ,” he declared. “We cannot lose focus no matter what we face because we’re supposed to play today, thinking about tomorrow. Whether it’s for millions or for one, the focus is on Christ.”
The existence of evil, while sometimes put forth as evidence against the existence of God, is actually evidence for the existence of God, said Christian apologist Frank Turek.
Turek, author and president of the apologetics website Cross Examined, gave a speech last Saturday at the reTHINK Apologetics Student Conference, held at Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, Texas.
Turek focused on the existence of evil and suffering, putting forth an argument that some atheist intellectuals have made, which is that evil proves there is no God, for “if there is a good God, why is there evil?”
He replied to his own question by declaring that “evil actually shows God does exist,” because to believe in evil “pre-supposes an objective good and objective good requires God.”
“In other words, evil doesn’t exist on its own. Evil only exists as a lack in a good thing. Evil is like cancer: If you take all the cancer out of a body, you’ve got a better body,” said Turek.
“What happens if you take all the body of the cancer? You got nothing, it doesn’t exist on its own. Evil is like rust in a car. If you take all the rust out of a car, you got a better car. If you take all the car out of the rust, you just got a rough spot on the pavement. There’s nothing there.”
Turek added that “if you’re going to say something’s evil, you’re presupposing something’s good. But something good can only exist in an objective way if God exists.”
“If there is no God, everything is just a matter of opinion, it’s just your opinion against, say, Hitler’s opinion. Or your opinion against some kid who’s bullying your opinion,” he said.
“If there is no God, you can’t say bullying is wrong, you can’t say murder is wrong, you can’t say rape is wrong, you can’t say slavery is wrong, you can’t say anything is really wrong. It’s just your opinion that’s wrong.”
Turek then quoted famed Christian author C.S. Lewis, who once wrote: “My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?”
Kati Metro, 74, was hiking near Phoenix, Arizona, when she fell, injuring her face, wrist, and hip. A rescue helicopter flew in, and workers strapped her to a stretcher. Unfortunately, the winds were fierce, and a line failed that was supposed to prevent the stretcher from spinning as they pulled it up to the helicopter. The incident, which was caught on camera, was terrifying. Kati, suspended horizontally on the stretcher, started spinning around faster and faster, like the runaway hands of a clock — over 170 times in two minutes. She survived the ordeal, although she was dizzy for several days. The video transfixed social media, and I wonder if it was because, as horrifying as the experience was, it’s a bit of an analogy about how a lot of people feel right now.
They trudge through life, have a fall, encounter difficulties, and suddenly their lives spin out of control. They feel they’re at the end of their ropes, dangling dangerously in high winds. Life can be truly dizzying if you lose your perspective.
Anchored in Christ
Two things make all the difference in keeping life in perspective. First, we have to be anchored in Christ. Kati started spinning out of control when the line became disconnected that anchored her rescue basket. Hebrews 6:18-20 says that we — who know Christ — can lay hold of the hope set before us. “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus.”
When we come to Christ, we’re throwing the rope of faith into the heavenly place, and our anchor snags onto Christ, the immovable Rock.
Warren Wiersbe said, “The anchor was a popular symbol in the early church. At least sixty-six pictures of anchors have been found in the catacombs…. However, this spiritual anchor is different from material anchors on ships. For one thing, we are anchored upward — to heaven — not downward. We are anchored not to stand still, but to move ahead! Our anchor is “sure” — it cannot break — and “steadfast,” it cannot slip. No earthly anchor can give that kind of security!” This is the wonderful experience of being totally committed to Jesus Christ. We have to come to Him and say, “Lord, I want all of You to have all of me. You gave Your life for me, and I am anchoring my life in You.” That’s the starting place for maintaining a healthy perspective.
Focused on Scripture
The other element is staying focused on Scripture. Our world is forcing too much clutter into our brains. The world is screaming at us. We obsess over social media. The all-news stations open every story with “breaking news” banners. People are more polarized than ever; and, on top of all that, we have mindless entertainment flowing like polluted streams across our devices and into our minds.
How can we keep our perspective in the midst of it all? We begin by learning to focus on Scripture. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.”
Pushana gently brushes soft kisses across her daughter’s brown cheek. Her toddler turns and gazes up at her. She reaches out her tiny hand, which her mother covers with another kiss.
I first met Pushana four years ago in the Banchara community of India. She was still a teenager at that time, and she was one of the first girls who taught me about the horrific reality of nari mata — the tradition that forces girls to sell their bodies to pay for their brothers’ dowries.
This year, I got to speak with her again and meet her beautiful little girl. Pushana wants to boldly speak out about this abuse so her own daughter won’t have to suffer. And today on International Women’s Day, you can help give a voice to women like Pushana and fight for their freedom from sexual slavery.
Pushana’s family doesn’t approve of her speaking out against this work. They believe it’s simply a normal part of their culture. So, Pushana asked that I not tell you her real name or show you her picture.
I’ve chosen to use the name “Pushana” for this brave young mom because it means “protector” and “provider,” and that’s exactly what she is for her two children.
Pushana doesn’t want her daughter, whom I’ll call Angel, to follow in her footsteps someday. She dreams of her 2-year-old growing up, graduating from school, and having a beautiful wedding and a compassionate husband — everything Pushana did not.
She dreams of her little girl living in a nice house, not the tiny, one-room dwelling they now call home. The colorful paint on the walls is faded and peeling. A few dishes sit in the kitchen, located only a few feet from the bed. And in this small space, Pushana tries to give her children everything.
Pushana holds Angel on her lap as the afternoon sun casts a sliver of light in the dark room. They sit on the bed, a subtle reminder of the work that dominates Pushana’s entire life.
She is paying off the debt of three brothers’ marriage dowries. What she owes totals around $9,500 — an astronomical amount for someone living in poverty. And the interest compounds daily. Her brothers do nothing to help her with the debt, although they are aware their sister works in the sex industry to pay for their security. It will take Pushana most of her life to pay the debt.
She looks down at Angel and kisses the child’s head. Her daughter’s life could easily mirror her own if Angel doesn’t escape the traditions that her community has followed for generations.
“I don’t want her to suffer like I do,” Pushana says.
The single mother is doing her best. Her 8-year-old son goes to a good school thanks to child sponsorship, and she hopes her daughter will follow in his footsteps.
But there’s one problem. When her brother is old enough to marry, it’s Angel who will be expected to go thousands of dollars into debt for him — and to repay it with her body.
For now, though, Angel is tired of sitting on her mother’s lap. She slides off and wobbles into the sunlight.
When I ask Pushana how she will make sure her daughter doesn’t have to suffer, she doesn’t hesitate.
Ballarat Christian College in southeast Australia can now retain its Statement of Faith defining marriage as a union between a man and woman as a result of a settlement it reached with a former pro-same-sex marriage teacher.
As part of the settlement, the Christian college in Victoria will pay an undisclosed amount as payout and give a positive employment reference to Rachel Colvin, who filed the lawsuit backed by LGBT rights group Equality Australia, according to The Australian.
Colvin claimed she was forced to quit when she refused to adopt the school’s stance on traditional marriage.
The college’s principal, Ken Nuridin, said, “Our College provides high-quality Christian education in accordance with our beliefs. The claim has taken an enormous cost in time and resources already – detracting from the ability of a small school like ours to focus on what is important, the education of our students.”
In the 2017 Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, more than 61 percent of voters approved a change to the law to legalize same-sex marriage.
The Ballarat Christian College case has highlighted the need for religious freedom for those who believe in traditional marriage, some Christians have argued.
Christian Schools Australia’s director of public policy, Mark Spencer, said that there was a need for the government to bring in its religious discrimination bill, which was introduced last year by Australia’s Attorney General Christian Porter and Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
