Worthy Brief - 6/15/2017
Friend, scatter your enemies!
Proverbs 16:7 When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
A young reporter approached an old man on his 100th birthday. "Happy birthday, kind Sir! Can I bother you to answer one question? In all your years, of what are you most proud?" he asked.
"Well," said the man, "I don't have a single enemy in the world."
"Really?!" shouted the reporter, "That's just incredible -- how inspiring to us all!"
"Yep," added the centenarian, "outlived every darn one of 'em."
Sadly, each of us has acquired an enemy or two in our lives. While it's our human nature to find fault in others and make an occasional unnecessary enemy, sometimes it has nothing to do with us! I mean, you wouldn't believe the kind of hate mail we get from people we've never met! What can we do to make peace with enemies like those?
"He" is the operating word in the verse above. Did you catch that? He, that is, the Lord, makes even [a man's] enemies be at peace with him. All we have to worry about is making sure that our ways are pleasing to the Lord and He will do the rest!
The word "deh-rech" in Hebrew, is 'way' in the verse above. Derech can also mean journey or path. When our path is straight, and God is the focus of our journey, then our ways will please Him and He will make even our enemies be at peace with us.
Friend, let's rededicate our lives to the Lord again today and see Him bring the victory.
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Arad, Israel
Today's Breaking News
Around the World
Millennials OK with Ontario LGBT Law that Takes Kids from Parents
Almost half of Millennials surveyed indicated they could be open to the idea of government removing children from their home if parents refuse to support their gender identity.
Senate passes Russia sanctions package
The Republican-led Senate voted decisively to punish Moscow for interfering in the 2016 election by approving a wide-ranging sanctions package that targets key sectors of Russia's economy and individuals who carried out cyber attacks.
UNICEF: 20 percent of children in developed countries living in poverty
The UN children's agency UNICEF has warned that its report should serve as a 'wake-up call' to the high rate of children in rich countries living in relative poverty.
Qatar signs $12 billion deal to buy F-15 jets from US
Qatar's Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday the country signed a deal to buy F-15 fighter jets from the United States for $12 billion.
US deploys mobile missile system to eastern Syria
The U.S. has deployed a truck-mounted missile system into Syria, an official said Wednesday, to a forward operating group of rebels and U.S. military advisers that have repeatedly clashed with government forces.
Trump aims to roll back Obama's Cuba policies
President Trump is expected to announce a rollback of his predecessor's detente with Cuba during a visit Friday to Miami, likely to include a reimposition of U.S. travel restrictions to the communist island as well as a limiting of business interactions between American companies and entities controlled by the Cuban military.
ISIS Weapons Capabilities Significantly Degraded in Iraq Stronghold
American-led coalition forces have severely degraded the Islamic State's weapons capabilities in West Mosul, leaving the terrorist group reliant on small arms and human shields to conduct counterattacks, a senior U.S. general operating in Mosul said Wednesday.
Three EU countries say 'no' to Muslims
The European Union's executive will decide on Tuesday whether to launch legal cases against Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic over their failure to take in Muslim asylum-seekers to relieve states on the front lines of the bloc's migration crisis, Reuters reports.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel has no interest in escalation with Hamas, PM says after Gaza power cut
Israel has no desire for an altercation with Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday, in the wake of a cabinet decision this week to reduce the power supply to Gaza.
Tillerson: Israel embassy move both 'if' and 'when'
US President Donald Trump has not decided whether to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, despite White House assurances that the move will occur in a matter of time, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday.
Palestinians paid terrorists $1b in past 4 years, Knesset panel hears
The Palestinian Authority has paid out some NIS 4 billion -- or $1.12 billion -- over the past four years to terrorists and their families, a former director general of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs and ex-head of the army's intelligence and research division told a top Knesset panel on Monday.
Inside the United States
House Whip Scalise, security detail shot at baseball practice; suspect in custody
A gunman opened fire on a group of congressional Republicans practicing baseball in Alexandria Wednesday morning, wounding a senior GOP lawmaker and multiple other people.
GOP Senators May Fund Planned Parenthood in Obamacare Repeal Bill
Senate conservatives may be willing to give in to Democrats and pro-choice Republicans and provide direct funding to the nation's largest abortion provider if it means they can pass a bill that repeals Obamacare, according to a recent report.
No apologies: ICE chief says illegal immigrants should live in fear of deportation
Illegal immigrants should be living in fear of being deported, the chief of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Tuesday, pushing back against a growing sentiment among Democrats on Capitol Hill and activists across the country who have complained about agents enforcing the laws on the books.
'Resist' follower's attack on Republicans signals grim breaking point of political tensions
The 'Resist' movement spawned a shooting rampage Wednesday morning that targeted Republican lawmakers -- an attack by a self-declared anti-Trump crusader that underscored the poisonous tenor of modern American politics.
Report: Mueller Investigating Trump for Possible Obstruction
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election now includes inquiries as to whether or not President Donald Trump has attempted to obstruct justice.
Shooting At GOP Baseball Practice Latest In Pattern Of Violence Against Republicans
The shooting at a congressional GOP baseball practice is just the latest in an escalating pattern of violence and intimidation against Republicans.
Federal, state authorities continue investigation into 'dirty bomb' at U.S. Port
Officials with the Coast Guard say federal and state authorities are continuing to investigate a potential threat which was reported at the Wando Terminal Wednesday night. Coast Guard officials say the FBI is investigating a report of a 'dirty bomb' aboard a vessel.
Trump faces first big domestic moment
President Donald Trump's first domestic mega-moment has arrived, and his measured reaction to Wednesday's shooting in Alexandria, Virginia, is being praised by all sides as they gauge his temperament in a time of crisis.
Majority of Americans Remain Supportive of Euthanasia
As right-to-die legislation is under debate in many states, 73% of U.S. adults say a doctor should be allowed to end a terminally ill patient's life by painless means if the patient requests it.
Op-Ed: Journalism is dead; whatever these guys are doing isn't journalism
President Trump gives Chief of Staff Reince Priebus 'until July 4th to clean up White House.' Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway 'is caught mocking Trump staffers.' Trump tells U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May he won't go to Britain 'until the British public supports him coming.'
Jeff Sessions denies Russia collusion, defends Comey firing
Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in dramatic Senate testimony, on Tuesday decried suggestions he colluded with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign as an 'appalling and detestable lie' -- while staunchly defending his role in the firing of former FBI Director James Comey.
Christian News
Christian pastor isolated, tortured in Vietnam after reporting prison abuses to US diplomats
A Christian pastor who has been imprisoned in Vietnam since 2011 for the 'crime' of evangelisation has suffered torture and solitary confinement since reporting how he is being treated behind bars to US officials.
Southern Baptists Push Back Against LGBT Activists
Southern Baptist leaders are standing firm against a coalition of LGBT activists that want them to declare that homosexuality is not a sin.
Southern Baptist Convention condemns 'alt-right' movement after uproar
The denomination's annual convention in Phoenix voted to 'decry every form of racism, including alt-right white supremacy as antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ' and 'denounce and repudiate white supremacy and every form of racial and ethnic hatred as a scheme of the devil.'
Will Trump's Tax Reforms Reduce Giving to Churches?
As Congress and President Donald Trump work to pass tax reform some are concerned that current proposals in Congress will yield a substantial decrease in charitable giving, hurting those groups who serve the most vulnerable people in society.
ISIS Kills 2 Chinese Missionaries Accused of Violating Visa Rules in Pakistan by Sharing the Gospel
Pakistan's interior ministry has said the two Chinese nationals who were kidnapped and killed by Islamic State-affiliated militants last month were preachers who allegedly violated their business visa rules.
Around the World
Millennials OK with Ontario LGBT Law that Takes Kids from Parents
Almost half of Millennials surveyed indicated they could be open to the idea of government removing children from their home if parents refuse to support their gender identity.
Senate passes Russia sanctions package
The Republican-led Senate voted decisively to punish Moscow for interfering in the 2016 election by approving a wide-ranging sanctions package that targets key sectors of Russia's economy and individuals who carried out cyber attacks.
UNICEF: 20 percent of children in developed countries living in poverty
The UN children's agency UNICEF has warned that its report should serve as a 'wake-up call' to the high rate of children in rich countries living in relative poverty.
Qatar signs $12 billion deal to buy F-15 jets from US
Qatar's Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday the country signed a deal to buy F-15 fighter jets from the United States for $12 billion.
US deploys mobile missile system to eastern Syria
The U.S. has deployed a truck-mounted missile system into Syria, an official said Wednesday, to a forward operating group of rebels and U.S. military advisers that have repeatedly clashed with government forces.
Trump aims to roll back Obama's Cuba policies
President Trump is expected to announce a rollback of his predecessor's detente with Cuba during a visit Friday to Miami, likely to include a reimposition of U.S. travel restrictions to the communist island as well as a limiting of business interactions between American companies and entities controlled by the Cuban military.
ISIS Weapons Capabilities Significantly Degraded in Iraq Stronghold
American-led coalition forces have severely degraded the Islamic State's weapons capabilities in West Mosul, leaving the terrorist group reliant on small arms and human shields to conduct counterattacks, a senior U.S. general operating in Mosul said Wednesday.
Three EU countries say 'no' to Muslims
The European Union's executive will decide on Tuesday whether to launch legal cases against Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic over their failure to take in Muslim asylum-seekers to relieve states on the front lines of the bloc's migration crisis, Reuters reports.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel has no interest in escalation with Hamas, PM says after Gaza power cut
Israel has no desire for an altercation with Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday, in the wake of a cabinet decision this week to reduce the power supply to Gaza.
Tillerson: Israel embassy move both 'if' and 'when'
US President Donald Trump has not decided whether to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, despite White House assurances that the move will occur in a matter of time, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday.
Palestinians paid terrorists $1b in past 4 years, Knesset panel hears
The Palestinian Authority has paid out some NIS 4 billion -- or $1.12 billion -- over the past four years to terrorists and their families, a former director general of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs and ex-head of the army's intelligence and research division told a top Knesset panel on Monday.
Inside the United States
House Whip Scalise, security detail shot at baseball practice; suspect in custody
A gunman opened fire on a group of congressional Republicans practicing baseball in Alexandria Wednesday morning, wounding a senior GOP lawmaker and multiple other people.
GOP Senators May Fund Planned Parenthood in Obamacare Repeal Bill
Senate conservatives may be willing to give in to Democrats and pro-choice Republicans and provide direct funding to the nation's largest abortion provider if it means they can pass a bill that repeals Obamacare, according to a recent report.
No apologies: ICE chief says illegal immigrants should live in fear of deportation
Illegal immigrants should be living in fear of being deported, the chief of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Tuesday, pushing back against a growing sentiment among Democrats on Capitol Hill and activists across the country who have complained about agents enforcing the laws on the books.
'Resist' follower's attack on Republicans signals grim breaking point of political tensions
The 'Resist' movement spawned a shooting rampage Wednesday morning that targeted Republican lawmakers -- an attack by a self-declared anti-Trump crusader that underscored the poisonous tenor of modern American politics.
Report: Mueller Investigating Trump for Possible Obstruction
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election now includes inquiries as to whether or not President Donald Trump has attempted to obstruct justice.
Shooting At GOP Baseball Practice Latest In Pattern Of Violence Against Republicans
The shooting at a congressional GOP baseball practice is just the latest in an escalating pattern of violence and intimidation against Republicans.
Federal, state authorities continue investigation into 'dirty bomb' at U.S. Port
Officials with the Coast Guard say federal and state authorities are continuing to investigate a potential threat which was reported at the Wando Terminal Wednesday night. Coast Guard officials say the FBI is investigating a report of a 'dirty bomb' aboard a vessel.
Trump faces first big domestic moment
President Donald Trump's first domestic mega-moment has arrived, and his measured reaction to Wednesday's shooting in Alexandria, Virginia, is being praised by all sides as they gauge his temperament in a time of crisis.
Majority of Americans Remain Supportive of Euthanasia
As right-to-die legislation is under debate in many states, 73% of U.S. adults say a doctor should be allowed to end a terminally ill patient's life by painless means if the patient requests it.
Op-Ed: Journalism is dead; whatever these guys are doing isn't journalism
President Trump gives Chief of Staff Reince Priebus 'until July 4th to clean up White House.' Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway 'is caught mocking Trump staffers.' Trump tells U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May he won't go to Britain 'until the British public supports him coming.'
Jeff Sessions denies Russia collusion, defends Comey firing
Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in dramatic Senate testimony, on Tuesday decried suggestions he colluded with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign as an 'appalling and detestable lie' -- while staunchly defending his role in the firing of former FBI Director James Comey.
Christian News
Christian pastor isolated, tortured in Vietnam after reporting prison abuses to US diplomats
A Christian pastor who has been imprisoned in Vietnam since 2011 for the 'crime' of evangelisation has suffered torture and solitary confinement since reporting how he is being treated behind bars to US officials.
Southern Baptists Push Back Against LGBT Activists
Southern Baptist leaders are standing firm against a coalition of LGBT activists that want them to declare that homosexuality is not a sin.
Southern Baptist Convention condemns 'alt-right' movement after uproar
The denomination's annual convention in Phoenix voted to 'decry every form of racism, including alt-right white supremacy as antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ' and 'denounce and repudiate white supremacy and every form of racial and ethnic hatred as a scheme of the devil.'
Will Trump's Tax Reforms Reduce Giving to Churches?
As Congress and President Donald Trump work to pass tax reform some are concerned that current proposals in Congress will yield a substantial decrease in charitable giving, hurting those groups who serve the most vulnerable people in society.
ISIS Kills 2 Chinese Missionaries Accused of Violating Visa Rules in Pakistan by Sharing the Gospel
Pakistan's interior ministry has said the two Chinese nationals who were kidnapped and killed by Islamic State-affiliated militants last month were preachers who allegedly violated their business visa rules.