Worthy Brief - 8/22/2016
Friend, descend!
Matthew 23:11-12 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Yeshua (Jesus) began His earthly ministry by being baptized in the Jordan river. The word Jordan in Hebrew is "Yarden" and its root is "yarad". It literally means to descend, which would make sense being that the Jordan descends more than any river on earth.
If we truly want to walk in the fullness of the Lord, we have to follow the example that Yeshua set before us. Yeshua descended from Heaven, He descended from glory, was baptized in the Jordan and fulfilled the calling that the Father bestowed upon Him by being our perfect sacrifice on Calvary. Yeshua totally and completely surrendered Himself to do His Father's will.
We too, must descend and surrender all that we are and all we have been given. We must truly give our lives, not for our own glory, but for His. Until we do that, we'll never be able to see all the blessings and opportunities the Lord has prepared for us since the foundation of the world.
Friend, let's learn a lesson from the Yarden today. When we descend, we'll be lifted up! We'll see the blessings freely flow from a Heavenly source which will never run dry!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Negev Desert, Israel
Editor's Note: Watch George's message: Which voice will you listen to in the last days?
Today's Breaking News
Around the World
30 killed, 94 hurt in wedding blast in Turkey, officials say
A bomb attack targeting an outdoor wedding party in southeastern Turkey on Saturday killed at least 30 people and wounded 94 others, authorities said.
Air Force beefs up Guam fleet with nuke-ready bombers
In a strong and unmistakable signal to North Korea and China, the U.S. Air Force has deployed three types of strategic bombers capable of carrying nukes to its base on Guam.
U.S. Air Force scrambled F-15s after suspected Syrian airstrikes, Pentagon says
American fighter planes were scrambled in northeast Syria on Thursday after government airstrikes hit close to U.S. and coalition special forces' positions, the Pentagon said.
Strasbourg stabbing: Jewish man stabbed in France by attacker shouting 'Allahu Akbar'
A Jewish man has been stabbed in France by an attacker heard shouting 'Allahu Akbar' in the latest attack to shake the country.
Panel: TEPCO's 'ice wall' failing at Fukushima nuclear plant
Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s 'frozen wall of earth' has failed to prevent groundwater from entering the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, and the utility needs a new plan to address the problem, experts said.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Putin said willing to host Israeli-Palestinian peace talks
Amid speculation over a developing Egyptian bid to revive stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said late Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was willing to host Israeli and Palestinian leaders for direct talks.
IDF continues pounding Hamas targets into night
The IDF is reported to have continued a combined air and artillery assualt on Hamas targets in Gaza Sunday night in retaliation for rockets fired from the Strip into Sderot earlier on Sunday afternoon.
Haredi crowds protest in capital against arrest of suspected draft-dodger
Around 150 Haredi protesters took to the streets of Jerusalem on Sunday evening outside the IDF drafting office in response to the arrest by the Military Police of a Haredi individual police suspect of draft dodging.
PA, Hamas recycle lie 'radical Jew' set fire to Al-Aqsa Mosque
Palestinians marked 47 years since a fire set by a Christian fundamentalist damaged the Al-Aqsa Mosque by blaming the 1969 arson on a 'radical Jew.'
US to stop permitting Israel to use arms deal funds on its own weapons: report
The White House is seeking to cancel a provision in its upcoming 10-year arms deal with Israel that allows the Mideast ally to spend part of the funds on Israeli-made goods, Foreign Policy reports.
Turkish parliament approves deal ending rift with Israel
Turkey's parliament on Saturday approved a reconciliation agreement signed with Israel in June which has brought a six-year rift between the two regional powers to an end.
Inside the United States
Texas AG Reaffirms Prayer, Scripture Reading In Court
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has issued a six-page legal opinion defending the practice of praying and reading scripture in court.
Louisiana flooding is worst disaster since Sandy, but people aren't talking about it
At least 13 people are dead and 40,000 homes are damaged because of flooding in Louisiana - and the rest of the world isn't really talking about it.
U.S. Army fudged its accounts by trillions of dollars, auditor finds
The United States Army's finances are so jumbled it had to make trillions of dollars of improper accounting adjustments to create an illusion that its books are balanced.
'Super lice' crawl into 48 states; you can stop 'em dead
As children head back to school, a study suggests that 'super lice' have spread to at least 48 states.
Obama to hand over control of the Internet -- created by the U.S. military -- on Oct. 1
President Barack Obama is set to relinquish the last vestiges of U.S. control of the Internet.
Alleged NSA data dump contains powerful, rarely seen hacking tools
A stolen cache of files that may belong to the National Security Agency contains genuine hacking tools that not only work, but show a level of sophistication rarely seen, according to security researchers.
U.S. Politics
Clinton Ordered by Judge to Provide Answers Under Oath Concerning Email Server
A federal judge ordered Hillary Clinton on Friday, to answer questions relating to her private email server due to a Freedom of Information lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch.
NYT report: Trump owes money to Bank of China, Goldman Sachs
The New York Times published on Saturday a detailed analysis of Donald Trump's business dealings and found that his real estate holdings are racked in debt and he owes money to some organizations he has consistently criticized on the campaign trail.
Facebook feed pushed fake story on Colin Powell and Hillary Clinton's email
In its 'Trending Topics' section, Facebook made the false assertion that former Secretary of State Colin Powell recommended Hillary Clinton use private email during her tenure at the State Department.
Mook Defends Clinton Not Holding Press Conference in 260 Days: She's Not 'Shying Away From Tough Questions'
Hillary Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook tried to defend her for not having held a press conference in 260 days but insisted that Clinton is not 'shying away from tough questions.'
Poll: Plurality of Americans believe media is biased in favor of Clinton
A plurality of Americans believe that the media is biased in favor of trying to elect Hillary Clinton president, according to a new Morning Consult survey.
Paul Manafort resigns from Trump campaign
Donald Trump's campaign chairman has resigned from his post less than three months before Election Day, the Republican presidential nominee announced on Friday.
Christian News
Prayer and religion banned in Chinese hospitals
Hospitals in an eastern province of China have banned all kinds of religious activity, including receiving pastors, praying for the sick and preaching, in the latest crackdown on Christianity.
Church Demolitions in Cuba Intensifying
The first half of 2016 has seen church demolitions in Cuba gather pace as the government crackdown on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) on the island continues. The authorities have also begun to confiscate 1,400 Assemblies of God (AOG) churches that were earmarked for seizure in 2015, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
Around the World
30 killed, 94 hurt in wedding blast in Turkey, officials say
A bomb attack targeting an outdoor wedding party in southeastern Turkey on Saturday killed at least 30 people and wounded 94 others, authorities said.
Air Force beefs up Guam fleet with nuke-ready bombers
In a strong and unmistakable signal to North Korea and China, the U.S. Air Force has deployed three types of strategic bombers capable of carrying nukes to its base on Guam.
U.S. Air Force scrambled F-15s after suspected Syrian airstrikes, Pentagon says
American fighter planes were scrambled in northeast Syria on Thursday after government airstrikes hit close to U.S. and coalition special forces' positions, the Pentagon said.
Strasbourg stabbing: Jewish man stabbed in France by attacker shouting 'Allahu Akbar'
A Jewish man has been stabbed in France by an attacker heard shouting 'Allahu Akbar' in the latest attack to shake the country.
Panel: TEPCO's 'ice wall' failing at Fukushima nuclear plant
Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s 'frozen wall of earth' has failed to prevent groundwater from entering the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, and the utility needs a new plan to address the problem, experts said.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Putin said willing to host Israeli-Palestinian peace talks
Amid speculation over a developing Egyptian bid to revive stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said late Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was willing to host Israeli and Palestinian leaders for direct talks.
IDF continues pounding Hamas targets into night
The IDF is reported to have continued a combined air and artillery assualt on Hamas targets in Gaza Sunday night in retaliation for rockets fired from the Strip into Sderot earlier on Sunday afternoon.
Haredi crowds protest in capital against arrest of suspected draft-dodger
Around 150 Haredi protesters took to the streets of Jerusalem on Sunday evening outside the IDF drafting office in response to the arrest by the Military Police of a Haredi individual police suspect of draft dodging.
PA, Hamas recycle lie 'radical Jew' set fire to Al-Aqsa Mosque
Palestinians marked 47 years since a fire set by a Christian fundamentalist damaged the Al-Aqsa Mosque by blaming the 1969 arson on a 'radical Jew.'
US to stop permitting Israel to use arms deal funds on its own weapons: report
The White House is seeking to cancel a provision in its upcoming 10-year arms deal with Israel that allows the Mideast ally to spend part of the funds on Israeli-made goods, Foreign Policy reports.
Turkish parliament approves deal ending rift with Israel
Turkey's parliament on Saturday approved a reconciliation agreement signed with Israel in June which has brought a six-year rift between the two regional powers to an end.
Inside the United States
Texas AG Reaffirms Prayer, Scripture Reading In Court
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has issued a six-page legal opinion defending the practice of praying and reading scripture in court.
Louisiana flooding is worst disaster since Sandy, but people aren't talking about it
At least 13 people are dead and 40,000 homes are damaged because of flooding in Louisiana - and the rest of the world isn't really talking about it.
U.S. Army fudged its accounts by trillions of dollars, auditor finds
The United States Army's finances are so jumbled it had to make trillions of dollars of improper accounting adjustments to create an illusion that its books are balanced.
'Super lice' crawl into 48 states; you can stop 'em dead
As children head back to school, a study suggests that 'super lice' have spread to at least 48 states.
Obama to hand over control of the Internet -- created by the U.S. military -- on Oct. 1
President Barack Obama is set to relinquish the last vestiges of U.S. control of the Internet.
Alleged NSA data dump contains powerful, rarely seen hacking tools
A stolen cache of files that may belong to the National Security Agency contains genuine hacking tools that not only work, but show a level of sophistication rarely seen, according to security researchers.
U.S. Politics
Clinton Ordered by Judge to Provide Answers Under Oath Concerning Email Server
A federal judge ordered Hillary Clinton on Friday, to answer questions relating to her private email server due to a Freedom of Information lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch.
NYT report: Trump owes money to Bank of China, Goldman Sachs
The New York Times published on Saturday a detailed analysis of Donald Trump's business dealings and found that his real estate holdings are racked in debt and he owes money to some organizations he has consistently criticized on the campaign trail.
Facebook feed pushed fake story on Colin Powell and Hillary Clinton's email
In its 'Trending Topics' section, Facebook made the false assertion that former Secretary of State Colin Powell recommended Hillary Clinton use private email during her tenure at the State Department.
Mook Defends Clinton Not Holding Press Conference in 260 Days: She's Not 'Shying Away From Tough Questions'
Hillary Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook tried to defend her for not having held a press conference in 260 days but insisted that Clinton is not 'shying away from tough questions.'
Poll: Plurality of Americans believe media is biased in favor of Clinton
A plurality of Americans believe that the media is biased in favor of trying to elect Hillary Clinton president, according to a new Morning Consult survey.
Paul Manafort resigns from Trump campaign
Donald Trump's campaign chairman has resigned from his post less than three months before Election Day, the Republican presidential nominee announced on Friday.
Christian News
Prayer and religion banned in Chinese hospitals
Hospitals in an eastern province of China have banned all kinds of religious activity, including receiving pastors, praying for the sick and preaching, in the latest crackdown on Christianity.
Church Demolitions in Cuba Intensifying
The first half of 2016 has seen church demolitions in Cuba gather pace as the government crackdown on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) on the island continues. The authorities have also begun to confiscate 1,400 Assemblies of God (AOG) churches that were earmarked for seizure in 2015, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide.