3 Reasons Why It's Tougher to Be a Teen in Today's Culture

I have always been a fan of Saturday Night Live. One of my favorite eras of SNL was the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Dana Carvey had so many memorable characters and catchphrases. There was a character he did called Grumpy Old Man who would complain about progress and lament about how easy things are today. He'd spout off:

"Today everyone's spoiled rotten. When I was a boy, we didn't have these video games. We made up our own games, like 'Chew the Bark Off the Tree.' You and your friends would find a nice oak tree and you'd start chewing the skin off of it. And there were no winners. Everyone was a loser. It rotted your teeth and left your intestines scarred and knotted. And that's the way that it was, and we liked it. We loved it!"

It's easy to look at today's generation of teenagers and say they are babied, oversensitive and have a sense of entitlement. In some ways, that criticism is accurate, but when I see a viral video of a Jeff Daniels character calling late adolescents, "The worst period. Generation period. Ever period."

'Pay for Prayer' Website Shut Down; Owner Ordered to Repay Consumers $7.7 Million

Washington's attorney general announced this week that the state will be shutting down the controversial pay-for-prayer website, Christian Prayer Center, with the site's organizer being ordered to pay up to $7.75 million in restitution fees.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Wednesday that Seattle businessman Benjamin Rogovy would be responsible for paying up to $7,750,000 to approximately 165,000 consumers for three businesses that, as Ferguson argues, violated state consumer laws.

One of Rogovy's three businesses included the for-profit website Christian Prayer Center, which promised visitors that their prayer requests would be passed on to "thousands" in an Internet-wide prayer circle.

"Local churches and small group prayer lists have been a wonderful way to share the blessings of prayer, but these methods are limited in their ability to rally the true power of thousands of voices all praying in agreement. The Internet has enabled us to build a massive congregation to lift your prayer requests to a whole new level," the center's website previously stated.

Kurdish militant group TAK claims Ankara bombing that killed 37

The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) militant group on Thursday claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in the Turkish capital Ankara that killed 37 people, and vowed to continue its strikes against security forces.

Separately, Germany said it had closed its embassy in Ankara due to indications that an attack could be imminent. The consulate and German school in Istanbul were also closed, it said.

TAK had previously claimed responsibility for car bombing in Ankara last month that killed 29 people. Ankara has now been hit by three bombings in a space of five months, ratcheting up security fears across the city and Turkey.

In a statement posted online, the group described the car bombing, which occurred on Sunday, as revenge for security operations in the mainly Kurdish southeast that have been under way since July, in which hundreds of civilians, security forces and militants have been killed.

TAK says it split from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Experts who follow Kurdish militants say the groups retain ties. At least 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK began its fight for Kurdish autonomy in the southeast three decades ago.

Spike in opioid-linked deaths demands action, Mass. bishops say

There’s a major increase in opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts – and it demands an urgent response, said the state’s Catholic bishops.

“We must offer help, support and comfort to those who have formed an addiction to prescription pain killers, as well as to those individuals who have formed an addiction to illegal drugs,” the Roman Catholic Bishops of Massachusetts said March 2.

“On average, four people lose their lives each day in this state, due to illegal and legal drug overdoses. It is a disturbing trend that must be stopped.”

Opioids are typically prescribed to relieve pain. They include Vicodin, OxyContin, morphine, codeine and related drugs.

At least 1,099 Massachusetts residents died from opioid-related causes in 2014, the state health department said. Another 74 deaths are estimated.

Catholic priest who rescued 1,500 Muslims from brutal massacre in line for $1m peace prize

A Catholic priest who sheltered 1,500 Muslims fleeing almost certain death in is in the running to receive a $1 million peace prize.

In 2013, Father Bernard Kinvi opened his church as a place of refuge for Muslims fleeing brutal sectarian violence in the Central African Republic (CAR).

The CAR has been beset by violence since the majority-Muslim Séléka drove out President Francois Bozizé in a coup in March of that year. Though the group has since disbanded, former members continued to target towns and villages across the country, which caused the uprising of an opposing Christian faction, the anti-Balaka. They attacked Muslims, massacring them and destroying their homes and mosques.

John Kerry Makes Surprise Announcement About ISIS

The Islamic State militant group has committed genocide against minority Christians and Yazidis as well as Shi'ite Muslims, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday, a finding that is unlikely to greatly change U.S. policy toward the group.

"The fact is that Daesh kills Christians because they are Christians. Yazidis because they are Yazidis. Shi'ites because they are Shi'ites," Kerry said, referring to the group by an Arabic acronym, and accusing it of crimes against humanity and of ethnic cleansing.

Vicar's wife jailed for stealing from vulnerable pensioner

A vicar's wife has been jailed for 10 months for stealing £6,400 from an elderly woman with learning difficulties.

Ann Smale, 43, was working as a home carer for Shirley Spiess, 80, when she took £6,400 of her money from cash machines over 18 months.

Smale had been pretending to be out buying essential goods for Spiess.

Her employers reported her to police after they noticed the unauthorised withdrawls.

Smale, from Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire, is married to the Rev Simon Smale, Vicar of Fylingdales and Hawsker. Also a chartered accountant, he advises the church on finances. He was ordained in 2011.

Smale, who had a previous conviction for theft and attempted fraud in 1999 for trying to cash a forged cheque, said she had "no explanation at all" for the crime, the BBC reported.

Recorder Mark McKone told Smale: "The strange feature of this case is that the money was not needed by you and it seems you have not spent the money on high living. But the public expects that carers who steal from the elderly are sent to prison."

UK's only Mennonite Christian church shuts for Sunday worship

The Mennonite church in the UK has shut its doors to Sunday worship after numbers dwindled to the point where the church can no longer keep going.

Fewer than 10 now turn up for services, compared to four times as many in the 1990s, the Guardian reports.

3 Myths That Keep People From Their Breakthrough

Many times we need to make small tweaks to make big changes. The adjustment is almost always in our thinking.

Our thoughts produce our beliefs and perspectives by which we view our life, struggles and future. In working with helping people for decades, I have noticed some things people believe that keep them trapped and limited in their breakthroughs.

Are Hindu Nationalists Implementing the Mark of the Beast?

India's parliament is set to pass legislation that gives federal agencies access to the world's biggest biometric database in the interests of national security, raising fears the privacy of a billion people could be compromised.

The move comes as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cracks down on student protests and pushes a Hindu nationalist agenda in state elections, steps that some say erode India's traditions of tolerance and free speech.

It could also usher in surveillance far more intrusive than the U.S. telephone and Internet spying revealed by former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden in 2013, some privacy advocates said.

The Aadhaar database scheme, started seven years ago, was set up to streamline payment of benefits and cut down on massive wastage and fraud, and already nearly a billion people have registered their finger prints and iris signatures.

ISIS forces sex slaves to have abortions

On March 12, the New York Times released a deeply disturbing article detailing the abuse of women captured by ISIS. According to interviews with 37 women who have escaped from the so-called Islamic State, the fighters believe Islamic law only permits them to rape their captives if the women are not pregnant. They cite medieval rulings which prohibit a man from having sex with his slave if she is pregnant.

As a result of this restriction, ISIS fighters routinely force their captives to take birth control pills or injection contraceptives before raping them. Furthermore, if the women are already pregnant when they are captured, the ISIS fighters sometimes force them to have abortions.

One woman, twenty years old and in the second trimester of pregnancy, described being forced to take abortion pills. She hid them under her tongue. Another woman, also twenty years old, described being beaten repeatedly in the stomach after refusing to have an abortion. She eventually managed to escape and gave birth to a healthy boy.

The use of abortion as a weapon against women is not limited to the so-called Islamic State. When Timothy Smith impregnated his 13-year-old stepdaughter, he took her to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado to cover up his crime. Instead of reporting the obvious abuse, Planned Parenthood performed the abortion with no questions asked and sent the child back to her rapist. Other child rapist including Luis Gonzalez-Jose, John Blanks, Jr., Adam Gault, Joseph Coles, Kevon Walker, Edgar Ramirez, and Grey David Woods also forced their victims to get abortions at Planned Parenthood to cover up their crimes.

Pro-life groups: GOP must reject Obama’s Supreme Court nominee

Too many issues – and too many millions of lives – weigh in the balance for the Senate to allow Barack Obama's Supreme Court nomination to move forward, pro-life and religious liberty groups say.

President Obama nominated Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court in a ceremony at the White House on Wednesday morning. The 63-year-old is the chief judge on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

“Judge Merrick Garland is President Obama’s pro-abortion pick to tempt some Republicans to act now to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court. The president’s commitment to unrestricted, unmonitored and taxpayer funded abortion is well known,” said Clarke Forsythe, acting president of Americans United for Life. “Pro-life Americans agree with the assessments of President Obama, Vice President Biden and even Sen. Chuck Schumer, all of whom urged the Senate to hold the line against Supreme Court picks late in a president’s term.”

Judge Garland has never ruled on abortion, sources told local reporters. However, observers say some of his actions betray support for abortion-on-demand.

Caritas Spain is helping more than 2,000 women leave prostitution

According to a recent report from Caritas Spain, more than 2,200 women are receiving help in exiting prostitution thanks to the group’s concentrated efforts in fighting human trafficking and supporting immigrants.

But, the group says that it’s the support of public officials that is still desperately needed.

“We are appealing to elected officials and the public authorities to not turn a deaf ear or look the other way from the shame of this modern slavery that is prostitution and that is in plain sight,” Caritas emphasized in its report.

Hilda Daems, who is in charge of the female prostitution program with Caritas, pointed out that the better part of the solution to this problem begins by focusing on the women and respecting their human rights.

Caritas Spain representatives presented their document entitled “Prostitution As Seen in the Experience of Caritas” at a recent press conference held at its Madrid headquarters.

Former vicar jailed for abuse of 12-year-old boy

A former vicar who sexually abused a boy from his church has been jailed for eight years.

Leonard Skinner, 79 and of Brighton Grove, Tyne and Wear, was a vicar in Grange Park, Enfield in London when the abuse took place in the 1970s.

He was sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court, which heard how he had befriended the boy and invited him to the vicarage for confirmation lessons before abusing him over a four-year period.

The boy was only 12 when the assaults began. They were reported on last October, when police began an investigation.

Skinner pleaded guilty at his trial last month. Police spokesman Detective Constable John Ritsema said: "Skinner used his role in a position of trust, as well as his friendly demeanour, to gain access to his victim. I would like to pay tribute to the courage of the victim in speaking out against Skinner. It was his testimonial that secured the charges and enabled this case to be brought to court."

In a statement the Diocese of London Safeguarding Team said: "We are aware that Rev Leonard Harold Skinner, a former member of the clergy in London, has pleaded guilty to several counts of indecent assault against a child. These are appalling crimes."

They added: "We treat all abuse allegations with the utmost seriousness and are working closely with the authorities on this case as well as providing support to those affected by Leonard Skinner's actions."

Pope Emeritus Benedict says Church is now facing a two-sided deep crisis

On March 16, speaking publicly on a rare occasion, Pope Benedict XVI gave an interview to Avvenire, the daily newspaper of the Italian Bishops' Conference, in which he spoke of a “two-sided deep crisis” the Church is facing in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. The report has already hit Germany courtesy of Vaticanist Guiseppe Nardi, of the German Catholic news website Katholisches.info.

Pope Benedict reminds us of the formerly indispensable Catholic conviction of the possibility of the loss of eternal salvation, or that people go to hell:

The missionaries of the 16th century were convinced that the unbaptized person is lost forever. After the [Second Vatican] Council, this conviction was definitely abandoned. The result was a two-sided, deep crisis. Without this attentiveness to the salvation, the Faith loses its foundation.

He also speaks of a “profound evolution of Dogma” with respect to the Dogma that there is no salvation outside the Church. This purported change of dogma has led, in the pope's eyes, to a loss of the missionary zeal in the Church – “any motivation for a future missionary commitment was removed.”

Pope Benedict asks the piercing question that arose after this palpable change of attitude of the Church: “Why should you try to convince the people to accept the Christian faith when they can be saved even without it?”

European ‘One of Us’ Coalition Reboots After EU Rejected 1.7-million-Strong Petition

On March 12, a new European pro-life initiative attracted some 1,200 participants to the Salle Gaveau concert hall in Paris for the public launch of the "One of Us Federation." All of the 28 countries of the European Union were represented as well as 31 national organizations, plus several ministers and politicians who want to break with Europe's continual slide towards the culture of death.

"One of Us" started as a European Citizens' Initiative Petition demanding that the European Commission protect all human beings by prohibiting EU funding of scientific research on embryos and embryonic stem cells. One million signatures from a quarter of the countries of the European Union were required for it to gain consideration. It finally gathered a record 1,721,626 endorsements hailing from all of the European nations, far beyond the organizers' expectations.

How Dare You Call a Church Dead!

Who is really qualified to declare that a church is dying?

When I ask people why they left a particular church, the answer I hear most often is that the church was dead.

There seems to be much discussion about dying or dead churches and so my concern is for the leadership of those headed for the church morgue.

The implication of what I've read from other blogs this week is that dwindling attendance is the most obvious measurement of a dying church.

Some people declare a church to be dead if they don't like the worship set or if the energy of the pastor seems low.

Obviously, church death is in the eye of the beholder. I believe that talk about a dying church is pathetic even if prophetic. I never want to see a church close its doors and believe that the damage done to some or all of the faithful few can and does lead to a stumble and fall.

Obama Nominates Moderate Liberal to Supreme Court

Wednesday morning, President Obama announced from the Rose Garden that he would be nominating Judge Merrick Garland, chief judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, to succeed the late Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court.

"To suggest that someone as qualified and respected as Merrick Garland doesn't even deserve a hearing would be unprecedented," he said. "I have fulfilled my constitutional duty. Now it's time for the Senate to do theirs.

Nigeria pleads for 'special status' for conservative Anglican Christians over homosexuality

The Anglican Church of Nigeria has pleaded for "special status" in the worldwide church to allow it to maintain its stance on homosexuality.

Nigeria has also announced it is to boycott the next meeting of Anglican Church leaders, further deepening the split over homosexuality.

The Nigerian primate, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, said the province, the largest in the worldwide Anglican Communion, will boycott next month's Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Lusaka, Zambia.

The Nigerians are angry that delegates from The Episcopal Church plan to attend the meeting and vote, in spite of having "consequences" imposed by the recent Primates Meeting over their approval of gay marriage and consecration of gay bishops.

North Korea court sentences US student to 15 years hard labour

North Korea's supreme court sentenced American student Otto Warmbier, who was arrested while visiting the country, to 15 years of hard labour for crimes against the state, China's Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.

Warmbier, a University of Virginia student, was detained by the North in January for trying to steal an item bearing a propaganda slogan from his hotel in Pyongyang and had confessed to crimes against the state, North Korean media said previously.

Warmbier, who is from Wyoming, Ohio, and was 21 at the time of his arrest, told a media conference in Pyongyang last month that his crime "is very severe and pre-planned."

7 Signs of an Unhealthy Soul Tie

Sex is a tridimensional experience: spirit, soul and body. Anytime you have sex with a person, you bond with them.

Dr. Daniel Amen writes in his book, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, "Whenever a person is sexually involved with another person, neurochemical changes occur in both their brains that encourage limbic, emotional bonding. Limbic bonding is the reason casual sex doesn't really work for most people on a whole mind and body level. Two people may decide to have sex 'just for the fun of it,' yet something is occurring on another level that they might not have decided on at all: Sex is enhancing an emotional bond between them whether they want it or not. One person, often the woman, is bound to form an attachment and will be hurt when a casual affair ends. One reason it is usually the woman who is hurt most is that the female limbic system is larger than the male's."

This is 'wrong,' bishop tells Notre Dame for awarding Joe Biden

Vice President Joe Biden's “gravely irresponsible” rejection of Catholic teaching on abortion and marriage should disqualify him from Notre Dame's Laetare Medal, the local bishop has said.

“We should seek to honor those who act to protect human life and dignity from conception to natural death, who respect true marriage and the family, who promote peace, justice, religious freedom, solidarity, the integral development of the poor, the just treatment of immigrants, and care for creation,” Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend said March 14.

“We should not honor those who may be exemplary in one area but gravely irresponsible in another.”

Pro-Sikh court ruling strengthens religious exemptions in Army

A federal court has sided with a Sikh soldier working to secure a religious exemption for his beard and headwear under U.S. Army regulations. The ruling affirms that religious groups cannot be targeted because of their faith, experts said.

“This is a huge victory for Sikhs and the first time a court has said the military cannot discriminate against an active duty Sikh. Sikhs must be treated on equal terms as other groups,” Eric Baxter, senior counsel with The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, told CNA.

The Becket Fund is representing Army Captain Simratpal Singh, who had requested a religious exemption to Army standards so that he could wear a beard and turban according to his religious practice.

Industry Agenda: Abortion on Demand While Survivors Are Killed

While physicians who testified today repeatedly referenced the science of fetal pain at 20 weeks, most of the abortion lobby's witnesses wouldn't address the issue. The abortion industry is indifferent to the fact that it is inflicting horrific pain upon—and ultimately killing—children who can feel pain and who have the potential to survive outside the womb.

Many babies born at 22 weeks gestation can survive, and the survival rate increases dramatically with each passing week of gestation. Yet these children are routinely killed in abortion facilities across America.  When asked about helping children born alive through botched abortions, the abortion lobby's witnesses testified that getting them medical help shouldn't be automatic, it should be up to the mother and her abortionist—a clear violation of federal law, the Hippocratic oath and every concept of humanity.

Pastor Sentenced to Half-Century in Murder-for-Hire Plot

 

A judge sentenced a former pastor for hiring someone to attempt to kill his wife, according reports.

  

Southeast Missourian reports former Pastor Donald Lafferty was sentenced to 50 years for hiring a couple to burn his home and kill his wife.

Lafferty hired Brandy Hicks and her husband, Christopher David Hicks, in a scheme to burn the house and collect insurance money, the Kansas City Star reports.

Brandy Hicks told an investigator that she and Lafferty started a sexual relationship after she attended his church.

Lafferty allegedly told the couple he would pay them to burn down the house, more depending upon the "outcome of the fire," if his wife died, according to VNews.
  
"I think that for all the things that the defendant did, it is very appropriate," Prosecuting Attorney Russell Oliver said, according to Southeast Missourian. "Especially, that count four was consecutive to the remaining counts. I felt that was necessary, because it was a separate transaction that occurred nearly a year after counts one through three."

World’s oldest man with Down’s syndrome celebrates 76th birthday

Kenny Cridge is the world's oldest living man with Down's Syndrome.
Born in 1940, he's described by staff at Wisteria House care home, near Yeovil, Somerset, as a 'true gent' and an 'absolute darling' who 'loves being with people'.
But it could have all been very different, as Kenny was so nearly just another tragic statistic.

Left at birth

He was left for dead at birth by doctors who thought he was stillborn.
When Kenny was born during the Second World War, his mother Iris was unaware she was having twins - only realising when Kenny's sister Dorothy was born moments later. Hospital staff initially thought Kenny was a stillborn and set him aside, focusing on the birth of his sister.
But as Kenny began to show signs of life he was resuscitated by doctors.
At the time Kenny was born, the average life expectancy for people with Down's was just 12 years. Yet remarkably, he recently celebrated his 76th birthday.

Mass murderer Anders Breivik gives Nazi salute in court

Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik made a Nazi salute when he returned to court today to argue that his isolation breaches human rights.

The right-wing extremist, who considered himself "to be 100 per cent Christian", killed 77 people in 2011 when he bombed central Oslo, killing ten people, before shooting 69 others on an island nearby, many of them teenagers attending a Labour youth camp.

The far right militant appeared in public for the first time since his 2012 trial, where he was sentenced to the maximum term of 21 years in prison, with possibility for extension.

Islamic State's senior military commander confirmed dead

A man thought to be ISIS' most senior military commander has been confirmed dead, after being injured in a US air strike last week in Syria, the Pentagon confirmed yesterday.

Abu Omar al-Shishani, also known as Omar the Chechen, was wounded in a targeted attack near the town of al-Shadadi, Syria on March 4. He was not immediately killed, but was moved to Islamic State's base of operations in Raqqa for treatment having been wounded, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR)

"We believe he subsequently died of his injuries," Navy Capt Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, told AFP.

The SOHR announced Shishani had been "clinically dead" for several days, on Sunday, and had been kept alive by machines.

Shishani was one of the most wanted ISIS leaders by Washington, who had put a $5 million bounty on his head. Although his exact rank was unknown, Richard Barret, of the US-based Soufan group, described him as ISIS' "most senior military commander."

Originally from Pankisi Gorge, a Chechen region of the former Soviet state of Georgia, Shishani was appointed ISIS' military commander for Northern Syria as early as May 2013, just as the group was emerging in Syria.

Pope announces Palestinian as winner of international teaching prize

A Palestinian school teacher on Sunday became the recipient of a US$1m international award for her work with children – and it was Pope Francis who announced the winner.

“A population that is not well educated because of wars, or by other reasons that exist in order not to get any education, is a population that decays,” the Pope said in a pre-recorded video message announcing Hanan Al Hroub as the winner of the Global Teacher Prize, awarded by the Varkey Foundation.

“That is why I would like to highlight the noble profession of a teacher.”

Is Looking for a Sign and a Wonder Wicked?

Teaching a little while back about "signs and wonders," I had an older Christian man approach me and challenge my message. Seeking to bring correction, he brought up what Jesus said:

"The Pharisees and Sadducees came and, testing Him, asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. ... A wicked and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah" (Matt. 16:1, 4a).

This old man vehemently argued, on the basis of this passage, that only wicked people seek signs and wonders. He sincerely felt that I had gotten my focus off Jesus. It was the classic "You're seeking His hand, not His face" argument.

TB Joshua mocked and dubbed a liar by President of Malawi

TB Joshua has been ridiculed by the President of Malawi who accused of him of being a fake.

The controversial Nigerian pastor has allegedly prophesied the death of both the Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe, and Malawian President, Peter Mutharika.

"I'm told there is a man in Nigeria called Joshua and he is saying that Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and Peter Mutharika will die before April 1," said Mutharika during a rally in Malawi's capital Lilongwe, according to Malawi's Nyasa Times.

Mutharika continued: "Let me tell you, I am not going anywhere, I am not resigning. I am here as president up to 2024 and in 2029 I will campaign for a DPP [Democratic Progressive Party] candidate."

In 2012 Joshua reportedly prophesied the death of a southern African leader within a given time frame. Mutharika's brother and Malawi's leader at the time did die shortly afterwards, giving the prophecy credibility.

"Let me tell you, Joshua... you will fail. What you did in 2012 will not happen again this year," said Mutharika at a rally in Malawi's capital Lilongwe.

He also said Joshua's failure to predict the collapse of his church's guesthouse in September 2014 proved he was a fake.

"Why did he not foretell this tragedy?

"This all shows that he is a liar. He just wants to raise money," said Mutharika.

The Synagogue Church of All Nations' guesthouse collapsed killing 116 people, mainly southern Africans, in September 2014. The Church has been sued for negligence but Joshua blamed a "hovering" aircraft for the incident.

Rare gold coin, nearly 2000 years old, discovered by hiker in Israel

A hiker in the Israeli countryside has found a rare gold coin that is nearly 2,000 years old.

It is one of a series dedicated by Emperor Trajan to Roman emperors of the past, in this case to Augustus, who was Roman Emperor at the time of the birth of Jesus. There is just one other coin in the world like it, and that is preserved in the British Museum in London.

Laurie Rimon, a member of Kibbutz Kefar Blum, who was hiking with friends in the countryside, saw the coin just lying in the grass during a trip to an archaeological site in eastern Galilee with a group of veteran hikers.

Walking in the Spirit vs. Walking in the Flesh

The New Testament presents a stark contrast between "walking in the Spirit" and "walking in the flesh." The first approach flows in the power of the Holy Spirit. The second approach is dominated by sinful desires. One way of living satisfies your soul and pleases God. The other way of living makes a person restless and is offensive to God.

Compare the nine qualities the apostle Paul lists for these two opposite ways of living:

A person walking in the Spirit experiences and demonstrates much: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22,23)

A person walking in the flesh is dominated by: anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and greed. (Colossians 3:5,8)

Man, by nature, is prone to walk in the flesh. Man, by virtue of the new birth through faith in Christ, is given the privilege to walk in the Spirit. When a believer refuses to give into sinful desires, the wellspring of the Holy Spirit continues to flow unhindered in your soul. On the other hand, whenever a believer gives into any of these characteristics of the flesh, it prevents you from living a Spirit-filled life and robs you of Christ's peace in your heart.

Texas Megachurch Transforms Once Popular Bar Into New Church Campus

 

A once popular Texas bar is being transformed into the newest campus of a Texas-based non-denominational megachurch.

Stonegate Fellowship Church, based in Midland, purchased the former Graham Central Station last month and is in the process of demolishing the former structure to make way for the space to become the new site for its Odessa congregation.

Study: Long-Term Stress Significantly Impacts Short-Term Memory

Research results on the first study to link long-term stress with short-term memory outcomes was recently released to the public. Sustained stress levels play a heavy role in memory challenges as well as immune system function. The Ohio State University's work was released in the Journal of Neuroscience.

The Intruder

Two groups of mice were trained to learn where an "escape hole" was in their environment. Then, the two groups were provided different situations over a period of time. Group one were allowed time in their natural habitat, and they always remembered where to exit via the escape hole when desirable. Group two were introduced to an intruder mouse with a very bad reputation, to say the least. The second group endured long-term stressors during this study.

Belarus Presented a New Translation of The New Testament into Belarusian

In Minsk (the capital of Belarus) was held a presentation of the new translation of the New Testament and the Book of Proverbs in Belarusian, held by the pastor of John the Baptist evangelical church, Antony Bokun, Christian Telegraph reports according to the Christian Megaportal invictory.com.

During the presentation a historical review of all published translations to Belarusian was also made, and most of these editions were shown in original.

The participants were able to go back to the past thanks to a theatrical production, which showed the main stages of the 500 years of Belarusian translation of the Scriptures from Francis Skaryna to Lukas Dekut-Maley, Vasily Semuha and the priest Vladislav Cherniavsky.

Some weeks ago in Belarus the Doctor of Theology Irina Dubenetsky announced a new initiative to translate the Bible into Belarusian language, because Belarus is the only country in Europe that does not have the original translation of the Scriptures into the nation's language.

Voice of the Family analysis reveals serious dangers posed by Synod final report

Voice of the Family is pleased to publish a comprehensive analysis of the Final Report of the Synod of Bishops to the Holy Father. Our analysis argues that the Final Report, which was approved by the Ordinary Synod on the Family on 24 October 2015, undermines the teaching of the Catholic Church on matters relating to human life, marriage and the family. By striving towards bringing Catholic moral teaching in line with the norms prevailing in the modern world, the report pursues an approach that runs contrary to divine revelation and the natural moral law.

Pope mourns 'tragic loss of life' after attack in Turkey

Pope Francis sent his condolences to the president of Turkey where a terrorist attack Sunday left dozens dead.

“Deeply saddened to learn of the injury and tragic loss of life caused by the bombing in Ankara, His Holiness Pope Francis assures the Turkish people of his spiritual closeness and solidarity,” reads the telegram, addressed to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and signed by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

“He prays for the eternal rest of those who have died and for all who mourn their loss, as well as for the recovery of those affected by this heinous act of violence.”

At least 36 people were killed March 13 after a bomb was detonated in the capital city of Ankara.

The female bomber, who was killed in the blast, was a member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (known as the PKK), the BBC reports. The PKK is a militant organization based in Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan.

Turkish media reports that four people are being held in connection with the bombing.

Sunday's bombing was the latest in a series of attacks in recent months, including attacks in Ankara, says the BBC.

Officials have imposed curfews on three towns in south-east Turkey.

“Mindful of the generous service being rendered by security and emergency personnel,” the telegram reads, “His Holiness invokes the divine blessings of peace, healing and strength upon the nation.”

Beulah Derstine, Wife of Charismatic Preacher Gerald Derstine, Dies

Beulah Derstine, wife of charismatic preacher Gerald Derstine, died over the weekend, daughter Joanne Derstine says.
 
"SO blessed and privileged to have been given so many years with my precious mom! Thanks for the outpouring of love and support for our family," Joanne Derstine posted to Facebook.

Gerald Derstine, a former Mennonite pastor, founded his ministry in 1953.

In 1955, after witnessing supernatural events such as exuberance in the Spirit, being slain in the Spirit, speaking in tongues and other charismatic manifestations during a revival in his Strawberry Lake Mennonite Church in Ogema, Derstine was removed from the Mennonite church, Charisma magazine previously reported.

"They thought we'd gone crazy, or that it had to be a work of the devil," Gerald said. "But there were too many confirmations that it was from God."

He, Beulah and their four children traveled in evangelistic ministry throughout the world. In 1965, Derstine founded Strawberry Lake Christian Retreat in Minnesota where the revival had taken place. In 1968, he established Christian Retreat on 110 acres in Bradenton, Florida, envisioning a Christian community where year-round conferences could be held, according to the Christian Retreat website.

Today, the ministry has a local church, Christian Retreat Family Church pastored by Phil Derstine; a TV program named Reality TV; a series of "extreme" evangelistic ministries such as its racetrack ministry—with a car that races for Jesus; the 10-week Institute of Ministry; missions work around the world; and a mobile semitrailer ministry to truck drivers.

This State's Legislature Considering Bill to Put the Bible Back in Classrooms

If approved, a bill currently working its way through the Kentucky Legislature could be the first step in reversing more than 50 years of educational policy in the U.S.

According to news reports last week out of the Bluegrass State, Senate Bill 278, which was approved unanimously by the Senate Education Committee, would allow "Bible literacy" courses to be taught in public schools. The elective course would be taught in the social studies domain.

The course would focus on the Hebrew Scriptures, Old Testament of the Bible, the New Testament or a combination of the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament of the Bible. It also would require that the course provide students with knowledge of biblical content, characters, poetry and narratives that are prerequisites to understanding contemporary society and culture, including literature, art, music, mores, oratory and public policy.

Disgraced Christian minister Paul Flowers in new sex and drugs scandal

The disgraced former head of the Co-operative Bank has been caught up in a new sex and drugs scandal.

More than two years after the previous revelations about his drugs use and other moral and ethical failings, film footage has emerged in a Sunday newspaper of Flowers taking class A drugs and entertaining male escorts at a hot tub party in his house in Salford, Greater Manchester.

Rev Paul Flowers, who was suspended indefinitely by the Methodist Church in 2013 but is still a Methodist minister, could now face disciplinary proceedings by the Church.

Islamic State jihadists set fire to hundreds of Christian books in Mosul

Hundreds of Christian books have been burned by Islamic State in Mosul, almost two years after jihadists took over the Iraqi city.

Video footage emerged last week showing militants throwing books onto a burning pile. Close-ups showed many of the books were emblazoned with crucifixes.

The video was titled "Diwan of education destroys Christian instruction books in Mosul". The Diwan Al-Hisbah is ISIS's morality police, responsible for enforcing the group's laws.

A local activist, Abdullah al-Mulla, told ARA News the books had been collected from schools and churches in Mosul, which was once considered the heartland of Iraq's Christian population.

If Jesus Defeated Satan, Why Do We Have to Fight?

Many who oppose spiritual-warfare practices say we don't have to fight because the devil is already defeated. Let's take a moment to remember the Good News.

We win! If you are born again, you have been delivered from the power of darkness (Col. 1:13). Yes, we win—but that doesn't mean we don't have to fight. Indeed, when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we effectively enlisted in the army of God. We're in a spiritual war whether we engage our enemy or not. If you don't understand who you are in Christ—if you don't understand your authority in Him—then you cannot successfully wage war against the enemy who is waging war against you.

17 suspected al-Qaeda militants killed in Yemen

Air strikes killed at least 17 suspected al-Qaeda militants overnight in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, witnesses, medics and a security official said on Sunday.

The air strikes hit al-Mansoura district, a stronghold for militants and an area which has witnessed several attacks against local security officials since the Saudi-led coalition retook Aden last July from the Iran-allied Houthi militia.

The sources said at least 20 civilians and militants were wounded as well as three members of the security forces. The strikes targeted the militants who were sitting atop vehicles and one of the strikes hit a local government building. Intermittent clashes were still going on, they said.

Pope praises grandparents who transmit the faith

A group of elderly persons and the “grandparents of Rome” distributed copies of Luke’s Gospel at the Vatican on Sunday after Pope Francis delivered his Angelus address, which touched on the human dignity of the sinner.

“How deserving grandfathers and grandmothers who transmit the faith to their grandchildren!”, the Pope said as he introduced the elderly men and women, who were assisted by volunteers of the Vatican’s Santa Marta pediatric dispensary.

Fight in Italy over saint's jewels 'completely misleading'

Reports that the valuable treasure of St. Januarius will be placed in the hands of the Vatican rather than the city of Naples are inaccurate, says a monsignor who oversees the assets.

“The information given by newspapers is completely misleading. The decree of the Italian Ministry for Internal Affairs is intended to heal a legal problem that has not been fixed until now,” Msgr. Vincenzo De Gregorio, Abbot prelate of the Chapel of the Treasury of San Gennaro told CNA.

People are Being Euthanized in Europe…For Autism

Euthanasia in Europe has become horrifying in its extremism. In countries where euthanasia is legal, it seems there is no shortage of reasons doctors will find to kill people. Belgium allows the euthanasia of children. In London, parents can kill their disabled children. People who are physically healthy but mentally ill can be euthanized at the Swiss euthanasia clinic Dignitas. Assisted suicide clinics regularly practice without any oversight or regulation. And it leads to horrifying abuse, some of which is under scrutiny in the Netherlands, where it has been found that people are being euthanized for mental disorders like autism.

4 Keys to Sustaining a Move of God

These are four lessons, gems of wisdom, which I learned over the last twenty-plus years of serving and loving Jesus under Pastors Steve and Kathy Gray.

1. People are our treasures.

Of the things on this earth, people are the only things that we will see in heaven.

Our family, our friends, our children — we cannot leave them behind in pursuit of a spiritual experience with God. While the experience may be good, it is even better if you can share that experience with those you love.

Obama to urge Britain to stay in EU in UK visit

U.S. President Barack Obama will come to London in April and urge British voters to back continued membership of the European Union, The Independent on Sunday newspaper reported.

Britons vote in June on whether to remain part of the world's biggest trading bloc and Obama has previously said he wants Britain to stay in the EU and help maintain the post-war transatlantic partnership.

Most opinion polls show voters are split with a large number of people as yet undecided.

Obama is due to attend a technology fair in Germany in late April and a source told the Independent on Sunday he would visit the British capital around that time.

"It would be pretty shocking if he didn't ask voters to stay in the EU," the source was quoted as saying.

The White House declined to comment and Prime Minister David Cameron's office did not offer an immediate comment when contacted by Reuters.

Car bomb in Turkey kills at least 34

A car bomb tore through a crowded transport hub in the Turkish capital Ankara on Sunday, killing at least 34 people and wounding 125 in the second such attack in the administrative heart of the city in under a month.

The blast, which could be heard several kilometers away, sent burning debris showering down over an area a few hundred meters from the Justice and Interior Ministries, a top courthouse, and the former office of the prime minister.

"These attacks, which threaten our country's integrity and our nation's unity and solidarity, do not weaken our resolve in fighting terrorism but bolster our determination," President Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement.