by Christopher Tomlinson, The National Pulse: Approximately 85,000 children who crossed the U.S. border as unaccompanied minors are missing after being placed with sponsors. Government whistleblowers shared this information with a Senate panel on Tuesday. They said that children are often placed with individuals who are not their relatives and provided evidence of abuse and trafficking. Tara Lee Rodas, a whistleblower with a […]

July 12, 2024 Breaking Up With ComparisonMEGHAN RYAN ASBURY Lee en español "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14 (NIV) Comparison loves to ruin my contentment. For me, it usually starts when I've finished my morning time with Jesus. I've not only managed to get up early to read my Bible, but I'm also feeling genuinely connected to God. After I've said grateful prayers and found a positive outlook for the day ahead, I reach for my phone. Almost instantly, my mood changes ... A group of my friends got together last night for a beautiful dinner. All smiling and laughing. And they didn't invite me. Another friend announces that she, her husband and her children (in perfectly matched outfits) are expecting yet another baby. It takes all of three minutes for my morning to get hijacked by jealousy. Comparison is one of the enemy's ploys against us as we live out who we're called to be in Christ. If Satan can get us fixated on all the things we aren't or things we don't have, we will get stuck there. Instead of running after what God has called us to do, we will run after something else. But when we quit playing the comparison game and instead consider Jesus as our prize, we win. One of my favorite Bible verses is Philippians 3:14: "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."  Paul wrote these words from prison, but he was looking to the prize. To him, nothing was greater than eternity with Jesus. Contentment and comparison cannot coexist. And if contentment is found inwardly, we cannot go looking for it externally. It starts with choosing not to look at other people's lives as markers of where we need to be. When we're so busy looking at what God is doing in them, we miss what He's doing in us. We miss what He has already done. If you are struggling with this today, here are three invitations for you: Spend time alone with God in His Word. Remind yourself of His love for you by reading the stories of what He has done and what He will do. Ask the Holy Spirit to examine your heart and reveal where you've sought to find satisfaction in external things. Allow God to trade your limited, earthly perspective for hope in His eternal promises. Friend, God's plan for your life is not meant to be compared to His plan for anyone else. Who God has called you to be is unique. How God is molding you into that person is also intentional (Psalm 139:13-14). May we be willing to shift our gaze from what everyone around us is doing and see what God is doing in us. God, I confess I've looked with envy at what You are doing in the lives of people around me. But I know all the things they have, the things I want, will never satisfy me in the ways Jesus does. Show me how to stop comparing so I can find true contentment in You alone. In Jesus' Name, Amen. OUR FAVORITE THINGS What if God has more in store for your life than you've given Him credit for? The pressure of unmet milestones and unfulfilled dreams can make you feel like you've already missed out on the life you were "supposed" to have. But you don’t have to exhaust yourself by trying to keep up; you can enjoy what’s right in front of you. Click here to preorder Meghan Ryan Asbury's new book, You Are Not Behind: Building A Life You Love Without Having Everything You Want, today! When navigating difficulties in a relationship, do you ever find yourself asking, Is this normal? Is every relationship this hard? Lysa TerKeurst understands. After years of personal counseling and extensive time spent in God's Word, she's learned all relationships can be difficult at times but they should not be destructive to our well-being. That’s why she recorded an important conversation with her counselor Jim Cress and Dr. Joel Muddamalle. Listen to "Am I in Denial That This Relationship Is Unhealthy?" here! ENGAGE Connect daily with Meghan on Instagram @meghanryanasbury for biblical encouragement and practical ways to grow in your faith. And don't miss opportunities to get free resources and more tools to help you build a life you love - all through Meghan’s weekly newsletter at alwaysmeghan.com. FOR DEEPER STUDY Philippians 4:11, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances" (NIV). 2 Corinthians 4:18, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (NIV). Where do you feel most tempted to compare yourself to others? Instead of looking at everyone else's life, how can you shift your gaze to what God is doing in your life? We'd love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments. © 2024 by Meghan Ryan Asbury. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 MinistriesP.O. Box 3189 Matthews, NC 28106 www.Proverbs31.org The post Breaking Up With Comparison –  Encouragement for Today – July 12, 2024 appeared first on GodUpdates.

Oh, the memes! President Joe Biden needed to swing for the fences and hit one out of the park. He swung a lot, hit maybe a seeing eye infield single, tried to steal second, and we’ll see if he’s thrown out. But the memes! Of course Biden was 90 minutes late getting there, or 2 1/2 hours if you include the original 5:00 p.m. start that was changed to 6:00 p.m. When he arrived at the podium, the president spoke for about six minutes giving his prepared remarks, mostly about Ukraine and the history of NATO. He speaks well from a teleprompter, so nobody was expecting any major gaffes. He then offered to take questions from a prepared list of reporters. Biden stayed lucid and took a good number of questions, so that goes in his column.  First question (paraphrase for length), Jeff Mason from Reuters: some people think you should step aside; what concerns do you have about Vice President Harris beating Trump, if she were at the top of the ticket? Biden: I would not have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president, if she’s not qualified to be president…let’s start right there.” Oh no. Trump was watching. And the memes! Just before the presser, Biden stood on a stage and introduced Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: “ladies and gentlemen, President Putin.” President Biden was not a drooling, blithering idiot. He did not freeze up. He did not speak in riddles or spout complete nonsense. He (mostly) kept to the topics of the questions. He trained himself to say “anyway…” when he was tempted to stray (his aides must have conditioned him like the North Koreans did to Raymond Shaw). Another meme. Sarah Isgur, who co-hosts the Advisory Opinions podcast with David French, tweeted“This isn’t perfect but it is more than enough to keep him in the race.” It’s very sad that the bar to keep the sitting president in the race for his own re-election as an incumbent is to stand on a stage and not fall over or go glassy-eyed. But here we are. Reporters generally didn’t hold their powder, firing questions about Biden’s ability to function as president, to beat Trump, and to continue for another term. The president insisted that he is ready. Reality insists a bit differently. But to me, the ultimate moment of the night was when Biden set the conditions of his own surrender. When asked what it would take for him to step aside, if he was shown data that indicated other candidates might do better against Trump, he answered that he would step aside if he was shown data that he had no chance of winning. The Democrats who want Biden to yield have their task cut out for them. They need to let Trump romp to the point where Biden’s own campaign team—already brushing up their resumes and writing their candidate’s political obituary—convinces him and his family that there’s no path to victory. This might not be as difficult as some might think. The Republican National Convention fires up on Monday, and Trump will be the center of attention as he picks his Vice President. Trump could not remain silent about tonight. You may think Biden should get out of the race. You may think the best chance of beating Trump is for Biden to stay in. When asked about Trump’s mocking as he was leaving the stage, Biden remarked—with no lack of disgust—“Listen to him!” And he walked off. One thing we learned tonight is that Biden has set the conditions of his exit. Perversely, Biden’s own party has to convince him that he has no hope of beating Trump. The key to Biden staying in might be how nuts, Fascist, illiberal, or gibberish-spouting Trump sounds next week. But listening to Trump could also seal Biden’s fate. I can’t imagine a worse torture for President Biden than having his own political future determined by Donald J. Trump. Can you? Follow Steve on Twitter @stevengberman. The First TV contributor network is a place for vibrant thought and ideas. Opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of The First or The First TV. We want to foster dialogue, create conversation, and debate ideas. See something you like or don’t like? Reach out to the author or to us at ideas@thefirsttv.com. 

What does the word gospel actually mean, and what is the gospel?

I honestly have to applaud the Pac-12 for this

After repeated pushbacks, President Biden’s much-anticipated press conference did little Thursday night to change that his presidency and reelection chances remain in crisis, thanks to a pre-selected list of reporters who gingerly went about his cognitive impairment and, in some cases, strayed completely from the story that’s come to dominant the global body politic. Biden gave roughly seven-and-a-half minutes of opening remarks and then admitted this would be a farce by revealing he had “been given a list of people to call on here.” Reuters’s Jeff Mason led off with a tractor-trailer sized question listing off concerns about his presidency from supporters, but no more than that. In turn, it lacked any bite (click “expand”): MASON: Mr. President, your political future has hung over the NATO summit a little bit this week. Speaker Pelosi made a point of suggesting your decision on whether to stay in the race was still open. George Clooney and a handful of lawmakers have called on you to step aside. Reuters has reported tonight that UAW leadership is concerned about your ability to win. BIDEN: UAW just endorsed me, but go ahead. MASON: Thank you. My question for you is how are you incorporating these developments into your decision to stay and separately, what concerns do you have about Vice President Harris's ability to beat Donald Trump if she were at the top of the ticket? Unfortunately for Mason, his question would largely be forgotten thanks to Biden’s immediate reply that he “wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if” he “didn't think she's not qualified to be president”. AFP’s Danny Kemp went next and framed his query about Biden’s mental decline from the left by fretting this discussion has “become damaging for America’s standing in the world.”     CBS’s Nancy Cordes also came from the left, worrying about his “legacy” being undone by Trump and then lobbing a softball asking Biden to fawn over Harris (click “expand”): You mentioned other instances in history where presidents have faced a challenge. But what makes this moment in history so unique is that it is not your enemies that are calling on you to reconsider your decision to stay in the race, it is your friends, supporters, people who think you’ve done a great job over the past four years. Have he spent time thinking about what it would mean for your legacy, which you’ve worked decades to build, if you stay in the race despite the concerns voters say they have and you lose to someone who you yourself have already said is unfit to return to the Oval Office? (....) As a follow-up, sir, you mentioned that your Vice President Kamala Harris would be ready to serve on day one. Could you elaborate on that? What is it about her attributes and accomplishments over the last four years that make her ready to serve on day one, if necessary? Financial Times’s Felicia Schwartz had the most direct question (if one could even call it that): “The presidency is the most straining job in the world and it’s 24/7. How can you say you will be up for that next year, in two years, in four years given the limits you have acknowledged that you have today? There’s been reporting that you've been told you need to go to bed earlier and end your evening around 8.” The AP’s Zeke Miller cowardly played ball with the regime by allowing Biden to trail off and kill time with a non-reelection question. Even on the topic of his teetering presidency, Miller posed it as some sort of homework assignment (click “expand”): MILLER: Two questions for you. First, on the NATO summit, President Zelenskyy, in your meeting with him, he pressed you to lift the limitations on the Ukrainian use of American weapons, saying that — in his public remarks afterwards, saying that Ukraine cannot win the war unless those limitations are lifted. Are you reconsidering your position on that? And then, secondly, following up on Felicia’s question there, leaders of your own party have said that they are not worried about that debate. They’re worried about the next bad night and the bad night after that. How can you reassure the American people you are up to this task and that there will not be more bad nights at a debate stage or somewhere else? (....) BIDEN: The second question related to? MILLER: Bad nights. Bad nights, sir. How can you reassure the American people you won't have more bad nights, whether they be on a debate stage or on some matter of foreign policy? Polish radio reporter Marek Wałkuski and The New York Times’s David Sanger continued this trend of eagerly helping Biden change the subject to China and the war between Russia and Ukraine (click “expand”): WAŁKUSKI: How are you? BIDEN: I am well. WAŁKUSKI: The elections in U.S. have consequences around the world. You have a pretty high standing in Europe. I just asked President Macron about you and he said we are happy to have you as the President of the United States, but there is a concern for many people in Poland, across Europe are worried that the former President may win the election. And there is a lot of concern that Donald Trump may weaken NATO, stop supporting Ukraine, or push Ukraine to give up territory to Russia. BIDEN: You are correct. WAŁKUSKI: You yourself was warning just a few minutes ago about it. So, my question is, do you think that Europe will be left on its own if Donald Trump wins the election? And what’s your advice to European leaders to prepare for possible U.S. disengagement? (....) SANGER: Mr. President, the NATO declaration that was issued yesterday, it was very notable because it described China as a decisive enabler of the war in Ukraine — for its provision of critical goods to the Russians. That’s part of a broader partnership that seems to have cemented in place in the past two or three years. I think one that you were a little bit doubtful of when we asked you about it some time ago. So, I’d be interested to know whether you have a strategy now of trying to interrupt the partnership between China and Russia? And whether or not, in a second term, you would pursue that, if you could describe that strategy to us. And, along the way, could you also tell us whether you think — just a follow-up on Felicia's question — that if you were in a room with Vladimir Putin again the way you were three years ago or with President Xi that, a few years from now, you will be able to go negotiate with them and handle them one-on-one? (....) SANGER: Could you [inaudible] your strategy to interrupt that impact? (....) SANGER: Mr. President, I’m not sure you answered on whether you would be ready to go deal with Putin and Xi two or three years from now. A softball press conference wasn’t complete without taxpayer-funded NPR, but it didn’t start off all that well as Biden referred to Asma Khalid as “Hassam”.  Once she corrected him, she brought up the Israel-Hamas war and invited him to state whether “there's anything you feel personally you wish you would have done differently over the course of the war.” Her other question came from the hard left: “I remember covering your campaign in 2020, and there was a moment where you referred to yourself as a ‘bridge candidacy’, a transition to a generation of younger leaders. I want to understand what changed?”     After Khalid asked that last question twice to really drive home her agenda, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shouted, “last question”, but Biden flubbed by calling out for both Scripps News’s Haley Bull and Bloomberg’s Josh Wingrove, so he said he’d let both speak. Wingrove went first with a weak sauce inquiry about whether Biden’s going to listen to “Democrats...on the Hill watching tonight” who will take “the next two weeks” to assess whether he should continue with his reelection. His follow-up was the only other question that came close to Schwartz’s as it brought up cognitive testing: [Inaudible] we’ve had some discussions over the few days with your press secretary about the question of health exams, and you said you take a cognitive test every day in this job. Are you open to taking another physical or test before the election?  Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, for instance, said it wouldn't hurt to take a test. After doling out another Ukraine question, Bull asked Biden to consider whether he’d let delegates to the Democratic National Convention “vote their conscience”, even if it meant supporting someone else. A few minutes later, Biden turned to walk off stage and, amid reporters like Fox’s Peter Doocy shouting and Jean-Pierre screaming that “this ends tonight’s press conference”, NBC’s Peter Alexander caught Biden’s attention: Respectfully, earlier, you misspoke in your opening answer. You referred to Vice President Harris as Vice President Trump. Right now, Donald Trump is using that mock your age and your memory. How do you combat that criticism from tonight? Biden offered a bizarre, three-word answer on his way off the podium for good: “Listen to him.” To see the transcript of the questions from reporters to the President, click here.