Lois Evans, a speaker and teacher and the wife of pastor and author Tony Evans, passed away Monday, nine months after it was revealed her gallbladder cancer – a rare condition in the U.S. – had returned. She was 70.

“Just before the sun came up this morning, the love of my life, Lois Irene Evans, transitioned from earth and watched her first sunrise from heaven,” Tony Evans wrote Monday in a note posted on multiple social media accounts. “I had the privilege of holding her hand as she was lulled into eternity. Our four children surrounded her as well. As she slipped away, we told her how much we love her, how proud we are of her, and how thankful we are for the life she has lived.

“We are what we are because of her,” he added.

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Just before the sun came up this morning, the love of my life, Lois Irene Evans, transitioned from earth and watched her first sunrise from heaven. I had the privilege of holding her hand as she was lulled into eternity. Our four children surrounded her as well. As she slipped away, we told her how much we love her, how proud we are of her, and how thankful we are for the life she has lived. We are what we are because of her. Thank you so much for praying for my wife and for my family. God answered our prayers this morning by relieving her of suffering. But the truth is, He has been answering our prayers all along. Lois…

A group affiliated with the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a vicious mass execution that claimed the lives of eleven Christian aid workers.

The killings were carried out as a retaliation against the killing of leader Bakr al-Baghdadi, who blew himself up after being cornered during a raid by U.S. special forces at the end of October.

The militant group known as the Islamic State in West Africa Province released a gruesome minute-long video of the shooting of one man followed by the beheading of 10 others.

“This message is to the Christians in the world,” a man featured in the video explains, as reported by the New York Times. “Those who you see in front of us are Christians, and we will shed their blood as revenge for the two dignified sheikhs, the caliph of the Muslims, and the spokesman for the Islamic State, Sheikh Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir, may Allah accept them.”

The murders, which took place the day after Christmas, were strategically planned in order to distress the Christian community, according to experts.

Several reports indicate that the men were taken hostage in Maiduguri and Damaturu in Nigeria’s northeastern state of Borno, which has been the epicenter of an increase in Islamic militia-led violence over recent years.

In response to the killings, President Muhammadu Buhari tweeted that Nigerians should “under no circumstance, let the terrorists divide us by turning…

Actor Tom Selleck told BeliefNet that his success is because of his faith in Jesus. 

According to CBN News, Selleck said God has guided him over the years.

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps,” he said. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.”

Selleck had originally planned to work for United Airlines after college. His acting work started when he appeared in a few commercials. Twentieth Century Fox even offered him an acting contract, but he said God called him to serve in the U.S. Army.

He served in the California National Guard in the 160^th infantry regiment from 1967 to 1973.

“I am a veteran, I’m proud of it. I was a sergeant in the U.S. Army infantry, National Guard, Vietnam era. We’re all brothers and sisters in that sense.”

After his time in the army, he went to Hollywood to begin acting again. He soon landed the lead role of Magnum, P.I.

The show ran from 1980 to 1988. It consistently ranked in the top 20 of U.S. television shows during its first five years, according to Nielsen Ratings.

“As good as this business has been to me, that’s not what life is about,” he said. “Life is about more important things. You know, we’ve all struggled as we get successful in this business to balance that, I certainly have.”

Selleck also volunteers with the National Guard to promote recruitment and support. He is also the…

On Christmas Eve, pop megastar Justin Bieber delivered some long-anticipated news that delighted his legions of loyal fans: he will be releasing a new album in 2020. In a video introducing his latest project – a first release in five years – Bieber teased a new song, “Yummy,” and even spoke openly about his faith.

“As humans, we are imperfect. My past, my mistakes, all the things that I’ve been through, I believe that I’m right where I’m supposed to be and God has me right where he wants me,” the singer said in the video. “I feel like this is different than the previous albums just because of where I’m at in my life. I’m excited to perform it and to tour it. We all have different stories… I’m just excited to share mine.”

Bieber has become increasingly open about his faith in recent years, often posting about his experiences with God on Instagram.

“Even when the odds are against you keep fighting,” the “Purpose” singer wrote in an Instagram post on September 2. “Jesus loves you. Be kind today…be bold today… and love people not by your standards but by God’s perfect unfailing love.”

Earlier, in August, Bieber even led worship at a church in LA.

“Sang at church last night,” he wrote on Instagram following the service. “God is pulling me through a hard season. Having trust in Jesus at your worst times is the absolute…

An outgoing California mayor is standing behind the addition of “In God We Trust” decals to the city’s police cars, calling it one of the council’s biggest accomplishments of the year. 

The Delano (Calif.) City Council voted 3-1 in April to add the stickers to the city’s patrol cars. In June, Bakersfield’s City Council followed Delano’s lead and voted 4-2 to add “In God We Trust” stickers to its police and fire vehicles. Both cities are located within Kern County, Calif.

“Delano has a strong faith-based background and I admire the show of support to place the ‘In God we trust’ motto on our Delano Police vehicles this year with the support of our community,” Delano Mayor Joe Aguirre told The Record newspaper this month. “We have so much to be proud of and so much to get done … and with the grace of God, we will get it done.”

The decals are paid for by private donations. 

Several county pastors were behind the movement.

“We think this will set a precedent that will hopefully catch on in other cities. We want every city in our county to follow Delano’s lead,” David Vivas, a pastor with World Harvest International Church, said earlier this year. “This sends a strong statement to the community.” 

The decals are constitutional, Vivas said. “In God We Trust” is the national motto.

“As a patriotic American, I believe it…

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence says he relied on Scripture during his team’s last-second victory in the College Football Playoff semifinals Saturday.

The No. 3 Tigers edged No. 2 Ohio State 29-23 in the Fiesta Bowl thanks in part to Lawrence’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Travis Etienne with 1:49 left.   

After the game, Lawrence told a national audience that he relied on a Bible verse – Ephesians 3:20 – written on his left wristband.

“I have Ephesians 3:20 and it says, ‘God can do immeasurably more than any of us can because of Him within us.’ And that’s just so true,” Lawrence said, paraphrasing the verse. “Me, what we did tonight – it ain’t us. It’s about this program and who we are. And just our brand.”

Clemson trailed 23-21 with 3:07 left when Lawrence led the Tigers on a four-play, 94-yard touchdown drive. Asked what he told his teammates before the drive, Lawrence said, “Let’s go win it. We were built for this.”

Lawrence – who finished seventh in this year’s Heisman Trophy voting – is known for his Christian faith. His Twitter bio reads, “Pursuing Him at all costs.” In 2018, he told media members, “I put my identity in what Christ says, who He thinks I am and who I know that He says I am.” 

“Football is important to me, obviously, but it is not my life,” he said in 2018. “It is not like the biggest thing…

Two churchgoers were killed on Sunday when a gunman entered a Texas church and opened fire. The gunman was also killed after armed parishioners returned fire.

According to local news station KIRO 7, more than 240 parishioners were gathered inside West Freeway Church of Christ near Fort Worth, Texas, when a gunman began firing upon them. The gunman shot two members of the church before two members of the church’s security team drew their own weapons killing the shooter. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told the Associated Press that the church security team “responded quickly and within six seconds, the shooting was over.” He added, “Two of the parishioners who were volunteers of the security force drew their weapons and took out the killer immediately, saving [an] untold number of lives.”

According to MedStar spokeswoman Macara Trusty, the gunman and one victim were initially pronounced dead at the hospital. Dallas Morning News reports that after going into cardiac arrest en route to a hospital, the shooter’s second victim was initially resuscitated. Unfortunately, later that evening, news stations reported that the second victim, too, had died.

Authorities have yet to release the names of the shooter or the victims, though one family member told NBC 5 affiliate KXAS-TV that her father was one of the victims killed.

Tiffany Wallace recalled the moment she noticed her father, Anton “Tony” Wallace, had been…

A former Nike employee who identifies as “transmasculine” filed a $1.1 million lawsuit against the company last week, claiming gender identity-based harassment due to the use of wrong pronouns.

Jazz Lyles was a computer engineer at Nike from May 2017 to September 2018 and was often “misgendered” by employees, according to the lawsuit. Lyles prefers the pronouns “they/them/their,” according to CBS News.

“When someone refuses to acknowledge a person’s gender identity or insists on referring to them by a gender to which they do not identify (called misgendering), this causes real and significant harm,” the complaint says, according to CBS News. “This is particularly true when a person is misgendered repeatedly on a daily basis.”

Lyles, the suit says, was given the responsibility of educating fellow employees about the preferred pronouns. One co-worker refused to use the preferred pronouns due to religious reasons. Another worker allegedly said, “I know I’m not supposed to call you ‘she-male.” Still, another worker did not want to work with Lyles. 

“Nike allegedly fostered a ‘boys-club ‘jock mentality’ work culture that was hostile to people who do not fit gender stereotypes, which the complaint said is contrary to the progressive reputation the sporting goods company enjoys with the public,” CBS News reported.

Lyles reported the incidents to Nike, which often…