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Courtesy: HaYovel But Israel Today confirmed there is no conspiracy to favor Evangelicals over Catholics or Orthodox Waves have been made in the Israeli media over an Evangelical Christian group managing to secure visas for its foreign volunteers at a time when the country’s borders are closed to non-citizens. HaYovel is a US-based ministry (though the core staff resides in Israel much of the year) whose primary mission is aiding Israeli farmers in Judea and Samaria (the so-called “West Bank”) during the annual grape and olive harvest seasons. While here, the group’s volunteers are also educated and equipped to become ambassadors for what God is doing in Israel today. Needless to say, the coronavirus policies that have shut Israel off to all but returning Israeli citizens were a devastatin...

State of the Plate research (Religion News Service) — Giving to congregations has shifted upward after churches closed their buildings earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, a survey shows. The new State of the Plate research finds that close to two-thirds (64%) of churches across the country reported in August that giving is either up (22%) or steady (42%). By contrast, in April, a similar share of churches (65%) said they had seen a drop in giving. “This is encouraging news for churches across America,” said Brian Kluth, a former pastor who is now a national spokesperson for the National Association of Evangelicals’ Financial Health initiative. “These new findings show that most churches and their families are figuring out ways to survive and even thrive in the midst of all t...

Bless Your Pastor Brian and Sandi felt called by God to pastoral ministry when they were both 45 years old. Brian left his leadership position with a national nonprofit and took a $70,000 pay cut to become a pastor. Two years into accepting the call to become a pastor of a 250-person church, Sandi was diagnosed with terminal cancer and was told she would only live about another year. In addition to dealing with the tragic news and fighting cancer, they also were parents to three school-age children who were 9, 7, and 5 years old. The cancer was taking its toll on Sandi and Brian in every way – physically, financially, and emotionally. Sandi went through surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, which left her feeling fatigued on a regular basis. Additionally, more than $100,000 in medical bill...

Before the bad air from the California wildfires changed how we spend time outdoors, I would run the uphill course from my house toward downtown.  Running is not as easy as it used to be–when high school and college races kept me busy every week. And doing a workout inspired by an app on my phone can feel a lot less daunting than suffering the aching hips and the weight of my body, sluggish and heavy, trying to defeat gravity one step at a time.  Running, for me, can be hard. And inconvenient. And–when I’m not yet in shape–painful. But I feel like myself when I do it–like the girl in her dad’s orchard, running between the almond trees, like the woman who wants to listen for God’s voice and have it propel each move she makes. What we choose to do with our time reveals to...

Family and Ministry. Photo by Luis Quintero (pexels) In Deuteronomy 8:6-7, the Scriptures commanded parents to teach diligently our children the way of the Lord. This is ultimate in Christian upbringing. “6. Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. 7. For the Lord, your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills” Family is the principal plan of God’s for the happiness and growth of His children.  The fact that God Himself established families from the onset of creation and shows us various examples of strong families. It also teaches us how to have a loving, happy, and successful family. God made it very clear that families are fundamental when...

I am an avid sports fan, particularly if my children are playing in the game! My children could be playing in the state basketball championship, the neighborhood’s swim meets, or a chess game at school, and I’d be the most vocal fan on the sidelines cheering them on. (Just ask my husband!) There’s no doubt I enjoy a good competition. Competition can be a healthy part of life if we allow it to push us to excel and do our best. However, competition can be a hindrance in ministry, if we don’t keep it in check, and keep our motives pure. No, I’m not talking about a friendly competition of boys vs. girls at a summer youth camp. I’m talking about the concealed jealousy that other ministries are growing faster, other churches are doing more, other pastors ...

Xariah is an aspiring writer and singer. She recently graduated from HS and will be attending college in the fall. Though young, the depths of her thoughts belies her age. Read on. “But now, LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are our potter. We are the work of your hands.” Isaiah 64:8 How do you approach the presence of God?  When you draw near to God as your Heavenly Father, rather than a confusing unknown or a Sunday assignment, you will find yourself fully known and embraced. You were meant for a relationship with God, a bond that is set apart and built on knowing and trusting God as your Everlasting Father. All who believe in Jesus are called to live aschildren of God. The Spirit of the Living God assures us of this calling to be God’s child:...

I have been reprimanded several times lately, by different individuals. Even though not all were harshly delivered, they took me by surprise and bit into my fragile ego.  I instantly felt like an eight-year-old, caught with my hand in the cookie jar. I’m a grandma for goodness sake! Shouldn’t I be past the age of getting scolded? Each time it happened I had to process how I would respond. I could let it grow and fester into an angry fire of resentment. I could dwell on the scenario until it grew all out of proportion. Or, as I often do, I could let it bully me into a simpering heap. But I decided I wanted to let God use these words from others to help me grow and mature. I want to be moldable in my Savior’s hands. The phrase “stiff-necked” is used In the New International Version...

Canadian preacher David Lah is escorted for trial in Yangon, Myanmar June 8, 2020. — AFP pic YANGON, Aug 6 — A Canadian preacher who claimed Christians were safe from coronavirus was today jailed for 3 months in Myanmar after he and dozens of his followers became infected when he held a banned service. The South-east Asian nation has so far weathered the pandemic well with just 357 confirmed cases and six deaths, although the low numbers tested make many fear the true figures are far higher. Toronto-based David Lah, 43, was born in Myanmar and sometimes returns to his motherland to evangelize. The country imposed a ban on gatherings in mid-March, but footage emerged in early April of Lah holding a service in Yangon. “If people hold the Bible and Jesus in their hearts, the disease won’...