Worthy News
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law Saturday a bill mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom across the state, a move that has sparked national debate over religious freedom and constitutional boundaries.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dispatched his foreign minister to Moscow on Monday in a bid to secure stronger support from Russian President Vladimir Putin, following devastating U.S. airstrikes that targeted Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend.
Officials say Russian drones and missiles have killed at least five civilians in nighttime attacks on Ukraine, including in the capital Kyiv, while injuring at least 20 people. The impact of Monday’s air raids reverberated while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Britain to discuss issues such as improving Ukraine’s defense capabilities.
In a powerful message to Iran’s leadership, Israel announced Monday that it had successfully destroyed the so-called “Israel doomsday clock” during a wave of precision strikes deep inside Tehran. The clock, a provocative symbol of Iran’s long-standing calls for Israel’s destruction, was targeted alongside key regime and security sites as part of Israel’s intensifying military campaign.
The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency session on Sunday to address the fallout from U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, as Russia, China, and Pakistan proposed a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire across the Middle East. The draft resolution, which also condemns attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites, stops short of naming the United States or Israel but is expected to face strong opposition from Washington.
The communist regime in Cuba is reportedly seeking a ten-year prison sentence for Alexander Verdecia, a 51-year-old Christian dissident and member of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), over Facebook posts critical of the government, according to Martí Noticias. Verdecia, who has long denounced poverty and repression in his hometown of Río Cauto, was arrested in February and charged with “propaganda against the constitutional order.”
A mentally troubled white man opened fire outside a church filled with worshippers in the U.S. state of Michigan before being struck by a vehicle and then fatally shot by security staff, local police said Sunday.
Ukrainian Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko has been freed after four years in Russian custody “in occupied Crimea,” the U.S.-backed network said.
A federal appeals court has once again sided with secular activists over America’s religious foundations, striking down a Louisiana law that requires public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. The decision, issued Friday by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, upheld a lower court ruling that blocked implementation of the law.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Sunday that Israel is operating at “full tilt” in both Iran and Gaza, as joint U.S.-Israeli military actions continue to target Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and Hamas strongholds. In a prerecorded address, Netanyahu vowed that Israel would not be drawn into a prolonged conflict but would press on until its strategic objectives are met.
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In the 4th century lived a Christian named Telemachus, in a remote village, tending his garden, and spending much time in prayer. One day, he believed he heard the voice of God telling him to go to Rome, so he obeyed, setting out on foot. Some weeks later, weary from his journey, he arrived in Rome about the time of a great festival.
One of my heroes of the faith, Watchman Nee, once said something profound about entering the rest of God. He said, “Carnal Christians crave works; yet amid many labors, they are unable to maintain calm in their spirit. They cannot fulfill God’s orders quietly as can the spiritual believers… their hearts are governed by outward matters. Being “distracted with much serving” (Luke 10:40) is the characteristic of the work of any soulish believer. They have not yet entered the rest of God.”
Thousands are gathering in Washington D.C. today to pray for the inauguration of the new president of the United States. I know a number of people who will be there and I think it’s a good thing, but this reminds me of a story I heard once.
We arrived at the airport late Thursday night with our bags and our kiddos only to find out that our flight was canceled because of a freak accident — a tractor ran into the plane, of all things! So we repacked our ourselves tightly into a small rental car to make the two hour drive to get back home to Arad in the middle of the night. Our flight was postponed till Sunday.
The Hebrew letter mem, equivalent to our English letter “M,” has a fascinating characteristic: it has two forms. The “open mem” appears at the beginning or middle of a word, with a small opening in its design. The “closed mem,” however, is used exclusively as the final letter in a word, fully sealed in its appearance. This distinction is consistent throughout the Hebrew language—except for one extraordinary exception found in the Bible.
Yeshua (Jesus) gave a remarkable parenthetic instruction in the middle of His Olivet discourse on the time of His coming and the end of the age. While it is unlikely that He himself said this, He certainly inspired Matthew to insert, “..let the reader understand”, concerning this critical event prophesied by Daniel, the Abomination of Desolation. His exhortation intended us (the readers of Matthew’s gospel) to learn what this means.
In John Bunyan’s best-selling book, Pilgrim’s Progress, the central character, Christian, begins his journey leaving the city of Destruction and ventures on his way toward the Celestial City. Early on his journey, Christian decides to depart from the narrow path onto an easier one which leads him to the territory of Despair and its stronghold, Doubting Castle.
The United States is currently experiencing a polar vortex—a surge of frigid air from the Arctic circle that blankets the country, bringing massive winter storms in its wake. As of now, over 350,000 people are without power. This sudden and unexpected cold snap brought to mind a story I’d like to share.
During this frigid weather across the United States and the devastating fires in California, millions have been grappling with widespread electricity blackouts. Thousands of people across the country remain without power. Across the United States, many teens are experiencing life without electricity for the first time—an adjustment that also means living without their cell phones. Can you imagine?
Mount Ibu, a volcano on Halmahera island in Indonesia’s North Maluku province, erupted on Saturday, spewing hot lava and sending a column of smoke and ash soaring over three miles into the sky. It’s a reminder of how volatile Indonesia can be as it has nearly 130 active volcanoes. All of this volcanic activity reminded me of another explosion that took place in 1991.
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