One of the world’s oldest and most destructive insects is wreaking havoc in Africa.

Hundreds of millions of locusts are eating their way through the continent, putting crops, food security and millions of lives at risk.

It’s almost like a page out of the Bible’s Old Testament book of Exodus. Authorities are calling it the worst outbreak in decades as billions of desert locusts swarm across a large part of East Africa.

“Today locust swarms are as big as major cities and this is getting worse by the day,” warned Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations. “I ask the international community to respond with speed and generosity to ensure an effective response and control the infestation while we still have the chance.”

Experts say the average swarm can contain up to 150 million locusts, travel 100 miles in a single day and grow as large as 250 football fields.

“That swarm in one day can eat the same amount of food as the entire population of Kenya,” said Keith Cressman, an expert with UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). “That swarm in one day can eat the same amount of food as everybody here in the tri-state area—New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York.”

SOURCE: CBN News

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Two “Cs” that most people connect with Valentine’s Day are Candy and Cards. With love in the air, approximately $2 billion will be spent on candy and nearly $1 billion on cards in the hope of making your spouse or a significant other feel special.  However, after one week, the gifts of candy and cards are simply one day of romance and actual ongoing marital life becomes a reality.

Although candy and cards have their place, the Seven “Cs” are what keep a marital relationship healthy on a consistent basis.  The Seven “Cs” create satisfaction and bring about regular contentment and happiness. Think of the “Cs” in this article as daily vitamins for the successful well-being of your relationship both on Valentine’s Day and everyday.

1.  COMMUNICATION 

Have a daily dialogue with good give-and-take communication. Ask two consecutive questions of each other to promote an exchange of information. Share the activities of your day and personal feelings about what went well. Give your spouse excellent focused attention which means wonderful eye contact and reflective listening, echoing what they share with you. Talking is sharing, but listening well is truly caring and that defines the heart of communication.

2.  COMPLIMENTS

In relationships, there is the sowing and reaping principle of “what we give, we usually receive.”  When a spouse sows compliments, they will usually reap compliments in return. Praise or a compliment also creates positive energy and a stronger connection between a husband and wife. The best way to compliment or praise is to give an “Appreciation Vitamin” with the words, “I appreciate . . . “ Please remember to always appreciate both internal qualities as well as external activities.  Never let a day go by without giving an “Appreciation Vitamin” to your partner.

3.  CARESSING

Consistent, meaningful touch is an essential component for a strong connection. Healthy couples practice small acts of touching on a daily basis. Scratch her back, lovingly squeeze his hand, give her quick kisses, rub his shoulders, stroke her hair, and frequently hold hands. A lack of initiating touch by both partners often leads to sexual intimacy struggles. On the positive side, view physical touch as the cement for your relationship.

4.  CLOSENESS

Create a close emotional bond by being a giver not a taker. God said the “two shall be one,” hence intently focus on strengthening your “Oneness” or closeness every single day. Two healthy partners do not ask “What am I getting out of this relationship?” but instead are asking, “What am I putting into this relationship?” in order to reinforce our closeness. Laughter is probably one of the top three ways to create closeness. Laughter is a powerful human emotion that diminishes stress and paves the wave for a more enjoyable relationship. So smile regularly and laugh with each other to enhance your cohesion.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Randy Schroeder

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Moody Bible Institute has entered into a preliminary agreement to sell off 10 acres north of the evangelical institution’s main campus in the Near North Side of Chicago to a prominent high-rise developer, according to The Chicago Tribune.

Citing real estate sources, the newspaper reports that the institution has entered an agreement with JDL Development in a deal that is expected to bring thousands of new apartments to the area. However, the deal hasn’t been finalized.

JDL Development was founded in 2003 and has gained a reputation as one of Chicago’s premier companies focused on developing high-rise luxury apartments, condominiums as well as single-family homes.

The price of the reported agreement or what Moody Bible Institute was asking for has not been disclosed. However, The Chicago Tribune reports that offers were expected to top $200 million since the available property is located so close to downtown Chicago.

Moody Bible Institute is a fully accredited Bible college with other campuses in Illinois, Washington state and Michigan. It was founded in 1886 by Dwight Moody. Since its founding, the institution’s main campus has been located in Chicago’s Near North Side neighborhood.

The sale of the 10 acres follows the 2017 closure of Moody Bible Institute’s Spokane, Washington, campus, a move made to preserve the institution’s financial standing at a time when many private higher education institutions are facing declining enrollment and financial difficulties.

At the time, Moody also cut faculty and staff at its Chicago campus and closed an extension campus in California. Moody also adjusted undergraduate and seminary programs for cost reduction. Moody still operates its missionary aviation school in Spokane.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Samuel Smith

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The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of BCNN1. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s).

On Valentine’s Day, stores raise their prices for a dozen roses, restaurants move their tables closer together, and couples proclaim their love and affection for one another. But this year, Google Assistant and a woman named Loretta help us remember the beauty of lifelong marriage. 

If you haven’t seen the 90-second commercial, it begins with a man googling the phrase “how to not forget.” You are then introduced – through photos and memories – to the lifelong love shared by this elderly man and his wife, Loretta.

The commercial is low-tech, but highly emotive. It’s simple but profound. And in a society that often promotes entertainment over engagement, this ad encourages the latter.

With nearly 50 million views on YouTube, and almost 7,000 comments, it’s clear that Loretta is striking a chord. Husbands and wives share about the impact of dementia on their spouses; children recount their memory-challenged parents crying during the commercial; others simply quote the commercial’s definitive words: “Remember I’m the luckiest man in the world.”

One woman offered this touching story: “My mother passed away Tuesday … My Dad and I were brought to tears by this commercial. And now he wants me to show him how to get his Pixel phone to pull up these kinds of things about my Mom.”

Why does this ad compel such a strong response? Because it illustrates a fundamental reality: we are made for relationship. When God created Adam, He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” The Google commercial resonates with us because we want what Loretta and her husband have: someone who knows us fully, values us greatly, and walks beside us faithfully.

We are designed for intimacy. Not a shallow connection that persists until physical attraction fades. And not the temporary blending of lives that eventually and consciously uncouples, but the lasting union of heart, mind, body, and spirit.

SOURCE: Christian Post, James Gottry

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I am Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International, and this is the “Strategic Christian Leadership” Podcast, Episode 62. The simple purpose of this podcast is to help Christian leaders understand how planning and strategizing is important to carrying out the Great Commission.

Our Bible verse for this episode is Proverbs 25:28 which says, “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.”

Our quote for this episode is from Max Lucado. He said, “A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.”

In this podcast, we are going through the fine books: “Advanced Strategic Planning: A New Model for Church and Ministry Leaders” by Aubrey Malphurs, “Deliberate Simplicity: How the Church Does More by Doing Less” by Dave Browning, and “Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership” by John Dickson. If you enjoy this podcast, please feel free to purchase a copy of these books from our website podcastpulpit.com.

Our topic today is part 3 of “Chapter 4: Multility: Keep it Cellular” from “Deliberate Simplicity: How the Church Does More by Doing Less” by Dave Browning. He continues as follows:

In 1999, through a series of God-directed events, I was able to implement a Deliberately Simple approach to church development with the founding of Christ the King Community Church of Skagit Valley, Washington. I told the core group that gathered then, “We’re not going to ask everyone to come to us. We’re going to ask us to go to them.” They all nodded their heads in agreement, but I doubt they knew what I was talking about. I didn’t even know what I was talking about. I just knew I wanted to find out what was down the road we hadn’t taken in Bellingham. I had a dream of a church that would multiply from one to two to three sites, and maybe beyond. I said, “We want to reach an unlimited number of people in an unlimited number of places.” In a few years, to my surprise and delight, this church expanded into other counties, states, and countries and changed its name to Christ the King Community Church, International.

A Hewlett-Packard television commercial pictures a man in a single scull, rowing smoothly through pristine water. All of a sudden his face lights up. The next scene shows him at a pay phone on the dock, saying excitedly, “Bill, what if …” And then his voice trails off. The commercial ends with a voice-over and a logo, aligning the advertised company with creative thinking and innovation. The commercial is memorable because I resonate with the question, what if? Those two words fire up my imagination. They stimulate my passion.

• What if a church became more outward focused than inward focused?

• What if, when a church outgrew its location, it started up in an additional location instead of building a bigger building?

• What if a church grew in an unlimited way — by multiplication instead of addition?

• What if a church took the resources it had been allocating toward buildings and put them into leader development?

• What if a church could aspire to become a movement instead of a ministry?

As I have reflected on these questions, a vision for the church has crystallized in my mind. (To say that I caught a vision for the church would be incorrect. It would be better to say that a vision for the church caught me.) It is a vision of a church growing exponentially, by multiplying believers, leaders, groups, services, and sites. It is a church characterized by multility.

————

— PRAYER —

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, here’s how.

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9-13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

God bless.

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Ahead of Valentine’s Day, a marriage and family expert discussed how to navigate conflict in marriage and shared biblical advice for couples who feel like conflict has become the norm in their relationships.

In a recent episode of the Crossway Podcast, Christopher Ash, author of Married for God: Making Your Marriage the Best It Can Be, admitted that the first few years of his 37-year marriage to his wife, Caroly, were “hard.”

“Rubbing off the sharp corners was pretty painful sometimes,” he said.

“It’s like bringing suitcases into marriage. You think you’re marrying someone and it’s just them, but there’s all sorts of suitcases that you bring and they are full of all sorts of clutter and clobber–some of it really good and some of it not so good,” Ash explained.

A seasoned pastor and counselor, Ash went on to identify some of the common problem areas for many Christian couples.

“Sometimes it relates to career … prizing their career perhaps above their marriage,” he said. “Sometimes that causes tensions and sometimes it’s just straight ungodliness that a husband needs to say to his wife, ‘Look, our marriage is more important than my getting promotions.’”

Another source of tension for many couples is the “physical side of marriage and sex,” he added.

“We live in a fallen world and it’s all messed up,” he contended. “The air we breathe in our culture is completely messed up. The portrayals of sex and intimacy that you get even in movies and things that don’t show anything — they’re not explicit — but the implications that are there in a rom-com or something are pernicious.”

“They’re just evil and they’re simply not true,” Ash stressed. “The implication is it’s easy and wonderful and great and everything else. And the truth is, at its best it’s wonderful. At its worst it can be deeply disappointing. And most marriages have a bit of both.”

Money is another source of tension for many couples, the pastor said, specifically citing debt and different approaches to saving and spending. Additionally, many couples struggle with child-rearing and the decisions that come with children.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Leah MarieAnn Klett

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We all make decisions, weekly or even daily, that mold us into people who are either well suited for deep, spiritually satisfying relationships…or not.

The degree of our own spiritual and emotional health has incredible impact on our friendships or marriage. Our willingness to address sin issues in our own personalities and unhelpful habits we’ve developed is almost always directly proportional to our success in relationships.

Obviously, there’s a degree of responsibility on the other side — you can’t make a partnership work with someone who’s unwilling to put in the effort on the other end —but by and large, the old adage holds truth: Be a good friend, and you will find good friends. Strive for spiritual maturity, and you will find spiritually mature people who will care for you and entrust their own care to you.

Don’t get me wrong. Good mentors, friends and spouses are always a gift from God. We have our part to play, though, in becoming people who can be trusted with these gifts. It’s a pattern that’s found more than once in the Bible too.

“After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king’s son. There was an immediate bond between them, for Jonathan loved David…. And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, because he loved him as he loved himself” (1 Samuel 18:1,3 NLT). This friendship would save David’s life more than once as Saul tried to kill him; but more importantly, Jonathan played a key role in encouraging David to trust God’s promises.

“One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him. Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ Jonathan reassured him. ‘My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware’” (1 Samuel 23:15-18).

This is an astonishing moment of friendship. Jonathan believes in God’s word to David so strongly that he’s taken a stand against his own family who are fighting this promise and does everything he can to see it come true.

I wonder if Saul ever looked at his son and David with a kind of wistfulness or wounded envy.

He was warped after years of entertaining jealousy, nurturing fear and ignoring God, and yet he had known the Holy Spirit’s power. He knew what it was like to see the Lord of heavenly hosts go ahead of him. He had prophesied in the grip of the Spirit. He had known true glory.

After all that, he chose his own security, ease and public image. He chose these things over and over, and each time he lost the one relationship that matters most and, as a result, every other personal connection in his life suffered.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Rachel Chimits

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Starting this weekend, City Harvest Church, a controversial 16,000-member megachurch in Singapore, has suspended all physical meetings and will instead meet online as the global coronavirus outbreak surged to more than 64,000 cases Friday.

The number of COVID-19 (formal name of coronavirus) cases in Singapore has risen to at least 58 cases.

“In view of the increasing number of cases of COVID-19 this past week, we have decided the best thing for our congregation is to bring service online. This means, we do NOT meet physically at Suntec for service, but stay home and worship online together through The CHC App or our website,” the church announced in a statement Thursday.

Mainland China, the epicenter of the new disease, which is accompanied by symptoms that may include a fever, coughing or shortness of breath, has recorded 5,090 more cases, bringing the global total to 64,435 CNN reported. At least 1,383 people, including three outside mainland China, have died from the disease.

Singapore, a nation of just 5.7 million, has one of the highest number of coronavirus cases outside of China. And while no one in Singapore has died yet from the disease, Janil Puthucheary, senior minister of state at Singapore’s Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Communications and Information, warned that the country should prepare for more infections.

“I think it’s really too early to talk about a peak. Cases are coming in on a daily basis and you have to have the expectation there are going to be more cases over the next few weeks,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia.”

“The issue is really whether these are going to be cases that are linked to the existing spread, existing cluster, links to China or whether we have an increasing number of cases that are unlinked community spread … At the moment, most of the cases can be linked back to known clusters,” he added.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Leonardo Blair

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