Worthy Brief - 5/19/2023
Friend, hello? Can you hear me now?
Matthew 14:23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
In Israel, cell phones are all the rage. You wouldn't believe it but parents even buy cell phones for their kids and send them to school with them in their schoolbags. I'm talking about six and seven-year-old kids! While it is true that part of the reason for this cell phone craze stems from the fact that violence goes on here daily and people want to be able to contact one another in the event of an emergency, I would still say that it's somewhat excessive.
Mark Twain was once asked to record a Christmas message on an early gramophone. This is what he said, "It is my heart-warm and world-embracing Christmas hope and aspiration that all of us, the high, the low, the rich, the poor, and admired, the despised, the loved, the hated, the civilized, the savage--every man and woman of us all throughout the whole earth--may eventually be gathered in a heaven of everlasting rest and peace and bliss, except the inventor of the telephone."
Not that technology is a bad thing, but I think we have become entirely too dependent on it! Telephones, cell phones, televisions, computers, X-Boxes, MP3's. what's next?!
Sometimes I feel like we just need to go back to the basics. Put all those things away in a closet somewhere and just sit down with the Word and with our Father. He wants to whisper in our ears sweet words of encouragement and wisdom. He wants to tell us of His wonderful plans for our lives and reveal to us the extraordinary mysteries of His Kingdom. But this can't happen if we're too busy taking calls!
Friend, so let's spend the weekend -- disconnecting from the world -- and reconnecting with our creator ... perhaps He'll give us a fresh revelation ... if we will take the time to listen!
Have a great weekend!
Shabbat Shalom!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Going to Christian College in Dallas, Texas)
George and Obadiah (Dallas, Texas), Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel), and Elianna (Dallas, Tx)
G-7 leaders to announce new sanctions on Russia
The leaders of the world’s seven largest economies will announce new sanctions on Russia at their summit in Japan in the latest effort to force Moscow to end its war in Ukraine, a senior White House official said.
Syria’s Assad arrives in Saudi Arabia for regional summit, sealing his return to the Arab fold
Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived on Thursday in Saudi Arabia to attend a regional summit, his first visit to the oil-rich kingdom since Syria’s conflict began in 2011, Syrian state media said.
U.S.-built Patriot air defense system back in action in Kyiv after Russian hypersonic missile strike
Pentagon officials said Thursday that a U.S.-built Patriot air defense system is back in action in Kyiv after it was damaged in a Russian missile strike. On Tuesday, Russia launched an air barrage at Ukraine’s capital, including several Kh-47 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, the most sophisticated conventional weapons in Moscow’s arsenal.
Ecuador’s President Dissolves Parliament To Avoid Impeachment
In an unprecedented move, Ecuador’s embattled President Guillermo Lasso disbanded the opposition-led legislature after it tried to oust him on embezzlement charges that he denies.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel draws fire from allies over Flag March, lawmakers’ visits to Temple Mount
The United States and nearly all of Israel’s Middle East allies issued statements Thursday condemning Jerusalem over the visits lawmakers made to the flashpoint Temple Mount and the controversial annual march by religious nationalists through the Old City’s Muslim Quarter, which was again marred by violence and racism toward Palestinians.
Inside the United States
Rubio Publishes Vast COVID-19 Report: ‘Beijing Hid the Truth’
A new report by Sen. Marco Rubio concludes that “a serious biosafety incident” in China most likely caused the coronavirus pandemic. But the exhaustive study, which took two years to complete and includes vast translations of original Chinese language source material, reaches another, perhaps more troubling, verdict: They knew.
South Carolina House approves six-week abortion ban
The South Carolina House has approved a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, sending it to the desk of Gov. Henry McMaster, R, who is expected to sign it.
Federal Judge Blocks Most of N.J. Concealed Carry Law
A federal judge on Tuesday ruled most of a New Jersey concealed carry law that prevents licensed firearm owners from carrying guns in government buildings and libraries, among other locations, unconstitutional in a victory for gun rights advocates.
Christian News
Chad: Islamic extremists attack Christian communities, murder 17 people
Fulani Islamic extremists murdered 17 people in attacks on Christian communities in southern Chad earlier this month, the Barnabas Fund reports.
Iran: Judge orders release of Christian couple imprisoned for house church activity
In a rare display of justice from Iran’s notoriously corrupt judicial system, an appeals court judge in Tehran overturned the convictions of two Christian leaders who were sentenced to imprisonment for participating in a house church and ordered their release, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.