While seeking direction from the Lord in prayer, Church of God World Missions Director Tim Hill was impressed to begin a special emphasis on finishing the Great Commission in the land where Jesus lived and ministered. This birthed the Israel Initiative for Church of God World Missions. It will focus on ministry to all peoples of Israel, seeking to show the love of Christ without regard to culture or heritage of peoples in Israel.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A white man opened fire during a prayer meeting inside a historic black church in downtown Charleston on Wednesday night, killing nine people, including the pastor, in an assault that authorities described as a hate crime. The shooter remained at large Thursday morning.

“On a hill, far away, stood an old rugged cross,” a woman (Ida Bolender) sings these words to a little girl (Norma Jeane). The only honest depiction of faith in the Lifetime miniseries “The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe” which aired May 30th and 31st of 2015. The rest of the miniseries was venomous, Christian Science spewing from her mentally unstable mother with no clear differentiation between Christianity and the mentally ill. Devout Baptists Wayne and Ida Bolender took in Norma when she was two weeks old and loved her along with the other foster kids. They attended Hawthorne Community Church and lived on an agricultural farm. Unfortunately Norma’s mother took her from the Bolender’s before age ten – Norma/Marilyn loved this home referring to Wayne Bolender as “Daddy” all of her life (she never knew her biological father). Norma’s removal began a slide into emotional distress, a fear of mental illness, immorality, and drugs/alcohol which lead to an early death. Imagine the international impact Monroe could have had within Christianity if she was able to live within a stable, nurturing environment.

Ten Good Men, a NY based Christian training organization, is hosting an event July 3rd-5th in Philadelphia, PA called Restoration America 2015. The focus of this event will be the repentance of the Christian Church in America for our apathy regarding the shedding of innocent blood through abortion. There are three days of events planned including a training seminar on Friday the 3rd, a prayer vigil at the two local abortion facilities on Saturday the 4th, and prayer/repentance gathering on Sunday the 5th. There will be multiple speakers on Sunday, including keynote David Bereit, International Director of 40 Days for Life.

“How Do You Stay Connected?” This was the topic throughout a very successful Caribbean Women’s Conference which was recently held in the Dominican Republic from 29 April to 1 May 2015. The women (and some men who attended) were encouraged, admonished, directed, empowered and reassured about their connectivity through Christ.

The Southern Baptist Convention is kicking off its annual meeting by inviting the nation to join in an evening of prayer.

I’m the poster girl for young charismatics. Born and raised in the Vineyard movement and later enrolling at a Church of God university, I think I could speak in tongues before I could speak in English.

Our world is shaped by innovation—the newest iPhone, the latest Netflix show or the most current social media app. It’s hard to imagine a world without these devices, but iPhones have only been around since 2007, unlimited streaming on Netflix came the year after and Facebook is a young company at just 11 years old.

The world before this unlimited access to information now seems archaic, but staring at “devices” all day can prevent us from seeing the bigger picture. The bright light of the screen can be more than a little blinding.

Fortunately, there are remedies for this. Increasingly, many American families have employed restraints like digital curfews, no more screen time after, say, 9 p.m. Others make a more substantial effort to reconnect with the larger community by joining clubs or leagues.

Museums, however, offer us the best opportunity to shed our often streamlined worldview to better connect with history and understand current events in a way that can impact and shape our lives. While technology has made amazing advances that have changed the way we learn about the world, nothing can come close to the total immersion we can experience at a museum.

In Washington, D.C., considered by some to be the museum capital of the world, museums are so much more than buildings full of dusty old artifacts. They are finding new ways to be innovative by combining technology with cultural heritage and education to bring us the best of both worlds.

A perfect example is the new Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., which will house some of the rarest and most important artifacts related to the Bible. It opens in 2017, two blocks from the National Mall. The Museum founders hope it will be a place for people to “engage with the Bible” not only through artifacts, but also through a multimedia production of the biblical narrative and with spaces that discuss the impact the Bible has had on the world through the ages.

Even though we live in a world of unlimited streaming, there are some things we just can’t find on the Internet. Turning to museums to better understand events of today lets us not just sift through endless browser pages, but implant ourselves at the root of an issue and examine it from multiple angles. They offer insight on present-day issues, along with exhibits that are just plain fun and interesting.

Museums help us pause and look back amid a culture that is always looking ahead to the next innovation.

That’s exactly why we need more of them.

Phil Cooke is a media consultant focused mainly on the Christian market, as well as a vocal critic of contemporary American and American-influenced Christian culture.

(Source: Charisma Media)

In a Middle Eastern country, a small congregation is alive and well, despite persecution. Church members’ homes have been destroyed by fire, curtailing their meeting frequently. The pastor’s son’s house went up in flames beyond recognition.