Worthy Brief - 6/30/2017
Friend, just do it!
James 1:25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
Winston Churchill exemplified integrity and respect in the face of opposition. During his last year in office, he attended an official ceremony. Several rows behind him two gentlemen began whispering. "That's Winston Churchill." "They say he is getting senile." "They say he should step aside and leave the running of the nation to more dynamic and capable men." When the ceremony was over, Churchill turned to the men and said, "Gentlemen, they also say he is deaf!"
Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. said "The human race is divided into two classes -- those who go ahead and do something, and those who sit still and inquire, 'Why wasn't it done the other way?'"
How many times have we left a job, a project, a church, an important relationship because we just didn't find it good enough? Some of us make a lifestyle of it! But God wants us to be the kind of remarkable people who don't criticize, complain and go out looking for something better all the time. He wants us to be a people who determine to make a difference in the lives of the people and situations He allows us to face!
Your job is boring and you need a change? Ask the Lord how you might grow in your giftings there. Ask Him to help you come up with a creative solution and maybe even improve your workplace altogether! Do you want to leave your church because it doesn't have an exciting children's ministry? Perhaps the Lord is calling you to help start one up!
Friend, let's be doers! Let's be people of vision! There's much too much to be done for the Lord to be sitting around criticizing. Let's determine to stop being complainers and go forth and do great things for Him!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Arad, Israel
Around the World
Sarin gas confirmed as weapon in Syria attack
The global chemical weapons watchdog has concluded that sarin gas was used in an attack in Syria in April which killed more than 90 people.
Germany to pass same-sex marriage law
Germany is expected to legalize same-sex marriage on Friday, joining many other western democracies in granting gay and lesbian couples full rights, including adoption.
German court: Sharia police may patrol streets
A court in Germany has authorized a group of self-appointed Sharia police to continue enforcing Islamic law in the city of Wuppertal. The law they were cleared of vioilating outlaws uniforms that are threatening, such as those of Hitler's brownshirts.
With bank sanctions and arms sales, US hardens line on China
The Trump administration hardened its approach to China on Thursday, blacklisting a small Chinese bank over dealings with North Korea while approving more than a billion dollars in military sales to Taiwan.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
U.S. lawmakers approve more defense aid for Israel
The House Appropriations Committee and the House and Senate Armed Services Committees on Thursday advanced U.S.-Israel missile defense assistance and cooperation in the 2018 defense appropriations and authorizations bills.
PLO to UN: 'Hamas and PFLP are not terrorist organizations'
'Hamas and the PFLP are not terrorist organizations,' Saeb Erekat, secretary- general of the PLO, said on Thursday at the 'UN Forum Marking 50 Years of Occupation.'
Inside the United States
Russia probe pile-on: No fewer than 9 teams investigating collusion, meddling
The expansive investigation into Russian meddling and possible collusion with Trump associates has grown so vast that no fewer than nine congressional committees and federal agencies are now examining some offshoot of the controversy.
Trump's tweets unnerve Republican allies
President Trump unified Washington Thursday -- in opposition to a pair of tweets he wrote in which he criticized a female MSNBC anchor and said she had undergone plastic surgery.
Judge blocks California's high-capacity magazine ban
A federal judge on Thursday blocked a California law set to take effect Saturday that would have barred gun owners from possessing high-capacity ammunition magazines.
House Committee Takes Surprise Action to Repeal Post-9/11 AUMF
The House Appropriations Committee approved an amendment on Thursday that would repeal the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force.
CBO: Income Taxes Up 9.5% Next Year; But Debt Climbs More Than $1 Trillion
Unless current laws are changed, federal individual income tax collections will increase by 9.5 percent in fiscal 2018, which begins on Oct. 1, according to data released today by the Congressional Budget Office.
Numbers don't lie: Media bias against Trump is entrenched, vicious, persistent
Pollsters have confirmed for many months that there is a clear media bias against President Trump. They also reveal that the American public is growing weary of the endless negative coverage, which masks authentic progress the president and his administration have made. Citizens are ready for some good news. And the press? Not so much. Outrage and Trump bashing have been good for ratings and readership. But tirades also allow journalists to vent about a president who pushes back against their criticism, in what they deem an 'unpresidential' way.
Christian News
Eritrea: 160 Christians Arrested in Government Crackdown
Human rights groups have reported that the number of Christians arrested in the Eastern African nation of Eritrea since the government began its most recent crackdown against Christians in May has reached at least 160.
Why Younger Christians are Favoring Same-Sex Marriage
Support for same-sex marriage is at an all time high - even among white evangelicals and it's due to a generational shift, according to a new study from Pew Research Center.
Protesters decry Christian persecution outside Qatari Embassy in Washington
Demonstrators protested Wednesday against terrorism and the persecution of Christians outside the Qatari Embassy in Washington.