Faith News Network

Betsy DeVos, the U.S. secretary of education, who is known to be a strong evangelical, met with several pastors recently to pray for safety as the school year begins. Entrepreneur Kenny Koldenhoven of Lake Mary, Florida—a longtime friend of the DeVoses—set up the meeting in Washington, D.C., with DeVos and his pastor, Shaddy Soliman of Lake Mary Church, along with two other local pastors. They met for 45 minutes specifically to pray.

Last weekend, I preached in a small but growing church in central Sri Lanka. There was no sign outside the building because it’s a private residence located in a crowded neighborhood. Most of the people who came to this meeting either walked or arrived in motorized rickshaws, so no parking lot was needed. The worship team consisted of two young men playing guitars and a third guy on a box drum.

To the consternation of the haters and antichristian bigots, Fox reports that, “Chick-fil-A is officially America’s favorite fast food restaurant.”

A friend of mine from England recently asked me for counsel regarding a serious dilemma. His pastor had been involved in extramarital affairs, yet the man never stepped down after the scandal. My friend grew increasingly uncomfortable. Then he became alarmed when the embattled pastor announced he was going to lay hands on every church member during a weekend service to impart “special revelation.”

President Trump has never launched a nuclear attack, but his words this week triggered a virtual war. Responding to four Democratic congresswomen who have been critical of his immigration policies, Trump tweeted on July 15 that the women—Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Rashida Talaib of Michigan and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York—should “go back” to the countries they came from.

I’m sure you’ve never heard of Mary Larios. For years she ran a small cantina near Rio Hondo, Guatemala. But after her conversion to Jesus Christ, she went back to the community of Sunsapote, 20 miles from her house, to share her faith with relatives.

It’s holiday travel time in the USA and beyond. Over the past weeks of summer multiplied millions of Americans have made their annual vacation treks and family getaways. Starting with our Memorial Day weekend, continuing with the long Independence Day weekend and regularly scheduled vacation breaks, we’ve been “road trippin.”

During one of the darkest times in ancient Israel, Midianite invaders began a campaign of terror. Everybody was hiding in caves and mountain strongholds. They had seen the Lord do miracles in the past to deliver Israel, but this time, they lost all faith.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 7-2 decision, rendered an important First Amendment victory by upholding the right of patriots to erect a Christian symbol on public lands. Militant secularists, led by the American Humanist Association, wanted it demolished.

A few days ago, I was dreading the upcoming weekend. I didn’t want to think about Father’s Day—partly because it was the second year since my father had died, and partly because my elderly mother’s health is failing. I honestly felt like crawling in a hole. But instead of stuffing my pain, I asked some of my friends to send me an encouraging text or video to cheer me up.