Worthy Brief - 11/5/2018
Friend, embrace the desert!
Psalms 23:2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures: He leads me beside the still waters.
The average American who reads this passage probably thinks of green pastures as wide areas of unending soft green grass. But in Israel the climate is so dry, that there's really no such thing.
Long ago, the shepherds of Israel learned to find grass where most people wouldn't think to look. Here, green pastures are created as the breeze from the Mediterranean Sea brings moisture into our arid climate. It is from this moisture that a kind of dew settles upon the sides of certain hills creating little tufts of grass -- just enough for one day's feeding for a flock of sheep. The shepherds would lead their flocks through the hot parched desert in search of these. It's no wonder those sheep would obey the shepherd's voice. They would easily die in the desert trying to survive on their own. The sheep learned to depend on the shepherd to daily lead them to their sustenance.
How many times does it feel like we're walking aimlessly through the desert and there doesn't seem any refreshment near? When our lives our bombarded with trial after trial it can feel this way. But we must keep in mind that though we are walking through the desert, our Shepherd is leading us to green pastures to be refreshed. And it's these times in the desert that God causes us to depend more upon on him. These thirsty times are special times -- times to be embraced!
Friend, don't despise those desert walks with the Shepherd and don't be afraid. God has something special for us there -- and there are green pastures near.
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Baltimore, MD
Editor's Note: We have our prelimary schedule online. Be sure to visit us when we tour the States!
We have a few more dates to fill for our winter tour to the States. If you would like to us minister at your congregation, home fellowship, or host a Israel focused event, be sure to let us know ASAP. You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information.
U.S. restores Iran sanctions lifted under Obama nuclear deal
The Trump administration on Friday restored U.S. sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, but carved out exemptions for eight countries that can still import oil from the Islamic Republic without penalty.
Pompeo: Meeting with top North Korean officials in New York will 'advance the ball' on nuke deal
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with North Korea’s No. 2 official in New York next week, as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing diplomatic effort to persuade Pyongyang to embrace complete denuclearization on the peninsula.
Britain pushes for U.N. Security Council action on Yemen crisis
British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said on Monday he would push for new action at the United Nations Security Council to try to end hostilities in Yemen and find a political solution to the war there.
Iranians protest U.S. sanctions, yelling 'Death to America'
Iranians chanting 'Death to America' rallied on Sunday to mark both the anniversary of the seizure of the US Embassy during the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the imminent re-imposition of US sanctions on Iran's key oil sector.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Abbas, Sisi meet as Gaza deal in the works
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday in Sharm el-Sheikh, as part of his country’s efforts toward a long-term truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Netanyahu praises Trump for Iran sanctions renewal: ‘We’re already seeing results’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday praised US President Donald Trump for reenacting all sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.
Florida imam: Palestine must be liberated, even at cost of millions of martyrs
During a recent sermon at the Islamic Center of South Florida, an imam called for the 'liberation' of Palestine, even at the cost of tens of millions of Muslim lives.
Inside the United States
Blowout jobs growth of 250,000 bolsters Trump, GOP before elections
U.S. employers added 250,000 workers in October, the last month before midterm elections in which incumbent Republicans have pinned their campaigns in part to the success of President Trump's economic policies.
Trump presidency faces high stakes in midterm elections
President Donald Trump has been acting like a candidate on the ballot this week, staging daily double-header rallies and blasting out ads for Republicans up for election on Tuesday. Given the stakes for his presidency, he might as well be.
Northern California rattled by swarm of earthquakes
A swarm of earthquakes along the San Andreas Fault, the largest measuring a 4.1 magnitude, rumbled through the Hollister area and the Salinas Valley Friday morning. CBS San Francisco, citing officials, reports the quakes rattled nerves but caused no major damage.
Christian News
Egypt Says Perpetrators of Attack Against Christians Killed
Egypt said Sunday that security forces have killed 19 militants in a shootout, including the gunmen suspected of killing seven Christians in an attack on pilgrims traveling to a remote desert monastery.
Asia Bibi: Deal to end Pakistan protests over blasphemy case
Pakistan's authorities have struck a deal with a hard-line Islamist party to end a protest over the acquittal of a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy.
Egypt attack: Gunmen target bus with Coptic Christians
At least seven people have been killed in Egypt by gunmen who opened fire on a bus carrying a group of Coptic Christians, officials say.
'Ya'll don't do that again,' principal tells praying students
Lawyers with First Liberty Institute, one of the nation’s premiere defenders of religious liberty, have confronted a Texas high school principal’s decision to 'quarantine' students who wanted to pray together during non-class time.