Teflon‚ the non-stick coating commonly found in cookware‚ is famous for its slippery properties and ability to withstand high heat. Put the word “Teflon” in front of a name‚ and it evokes the image of someone elusive‚ immune to arrest‚ and impervious to criminal charges. These characteristics perfectly describe John Gotti‚ the man famously known as “Teflon Don.” John Gotti was one‚ if not the most‚ notorious American mobsters in history. Gotti was the head of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Not even Teflon Don could avoid charges forever‚ though. John Gotti would spend the last years of his life serving time for murder. There is so much more to the story of John Gotti‚ his cruelty‚ rise to power‚ and unexpected public fame. In this article‚ we’ll discuss the convoluted story of John Gotti and his rule of one of America’s biggest mafia families.  John Gotti being booked by the FBI New York offices on December 11‚ 1990 The Early Life of John Gotti John Gotti‚ full name John Joseph Gotti Jr.‚ was born on October 27‚ 1950‚ in the South Bronx‚ New York City. His mother‚ Philomena DeCarlo‚ and father‚ John Joseph Gotti Sr.‚ had thirteen kids together‚ two of whom died at birth. John Gotti Jr. was the fifth of the thirteen.  The Gotti family struggled with poverty in New York City. This made crime tempting for the young John Gotti. His neighborhood was heavily influenced by mafia activity‚ and he already had a few relatives working for the mob even when he was young. His father‚ a part-time day laborer‚ never made enough to feed the enormous family and it led to a lot of resentment among all the Gotti children growing up.  As the years passed‚ John Gotti showed early signs of his future in the mafia. By 12‚ he was skipping school regularly‚ and he had dropped out completely by 16. During this time‚ he also made his first connection with mafia-adjacent street gangs. This made it easy for him to find a place among one after he dropped out.  Marriage and Attempt at a Normal Life  In 1958‚ John Gotti met the woman who would become his wife–Victoria Dimaggio. While there is very little information about the private Victoria before her marriage to Gotti‚ FBI files indicate that she may have been married previously.   Victoria was half-Italian and half-Russian and would keep a low profile even as her husband rose to fame. That fame wasn’t immediate‚ either. When she first married John Gotti in 1962‚ they weren’t living the high life quite yet. John Gotti worked a few normal jobs after marrying his wife‚ but it just never seemed to pan out. He had a talent for crime. Despite multiple arrests‚ he found that he had much more success there than he did with legitimate work.  The couple would have five children together: John A. Gotti III– Also known as Junior‚ John A. Gotti would be his father’s successor in the world of organized crime.  Victoria Gotti– John Gotti’s oldest daughter‚ Victoria thrived in the public eye and would end up being a television star and write about her life as a mafia daughter. Frank Gotti– Frank‚ or Frankie Gotti lost his life at the young age of 12‚ forever changing John and Victoria Gotti. John Gotti would later go on to be accused of putting out a hit on the man who accidentally killed Frankie.  Peter Gotti– Peter Gotti preferred a quieter life and stayed out of the spotlight for most of his life until he was called upon to take over as the boss of the Gambino family once John III was arrested.  Angela Gotti– Like Peter‚ Angela has lived a very private life‚ to the point that only limited information is available about her.  John Gotti’s Life as a Young Gangster  Since he had been running with gangs since he was a teenager‚ it wasn’t hard for John Gotti to fall back on crime when regular work ran short. He fell in with a local gang known as the Fulton-Rockaway Boys and rose to a leadership position there while still in his teenage years. At that time‚ John’s life of crime mostly consisted of petty thefts and street fighting. However‚ it wouldn’t be long before he started to engage in more lucrative criminal activity. He was charismatic and driven. By the time the late 1950s rolled around‚ John Gotti was on his way to glory.  Hierarchy in the Gambino Crime Family  To understand Gotti’s rise in the Gambino mafia‚ you first have to understand the somewhat complicated hierarchy of positions within the family. Here is a brief explanation‚ starting from the lowest-ranking members to the highest: Associate: Individuals associated with the mafia but who haven’t been formally initiated yet  Soldiers‚ or Made Men: The lowest rank of fully initiated members of the Gambino family. Caporegime/Captain‚ or Capo: A member who is in charge of a group of soldiers and controls a designated territory.  Consigliere: An advisor to the underboss and boss‚ usually some sort of strategist for the family.  Underboss: The second-in-command. Boss: The highest-ranking member in the Gambino crime family.  John Gotti’s Rise Within the Gambino Crime Family  At first‚ Gotti was an errand boy for higher-ups in the family‚ namely Carime “Charley Wagons” Fatico.  He would rise from errands to carjackings quite quickly‚ stealing trucks and other vehicles from Idlewild‚ now John F. Kennedy‚ airport. The money he made with these jobs was much better than what he had been making before. It also put him in contact with important people in the Gambino family that would help shape his future. Most important of these people was John Gotti’s future mentor‚ underboss Aniello Dellacroce.  The position of “underboss” was an important one. His association with Dellacroce put Gotti closer to the head of the family than ever before. His upward momentum was halted when‚ in 1968‚ Gotti was arrested twice for his airport-related crimes. He would eventually end up being sentenced to three years for them. John Gotti. Willie Anderson/NY Daily News Archive In 1972‚ Gotti was paroled from jail and immediately made his way back into the good graces of his associates. Soon enough he was working under Fatico again and would take the job of enforcer for the popular family hangout‚ the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club.  While the Gambino family wasn’t initiating new members at the time‚ Fatico announced that Gotti would be the acting capo for the area. This put Gotti into closer contact with underboss Dellacroce‚ and the two men struck up a friendship.  Not long after‚ Gotti would be assigned to his first hit. The manslaughter charge would land him more jail time‚ but cement his position with the Gambino crime family.  The Murder of James McBratney and Promotion to Capo By 1973‚ Carlo Gambino was the reigning boss of the Gambino crime family. His nephew‚ 29-year-old Emanuel Gambino had been kidnapped and subsequently murdered‚ and Carlo needed a team of men to enact revenge.  Among those men was John Gotti. The family knew who killed Emanuel–a man named James McBratney. The hit wasn’t supposed to be public or messy. The team would “arrest” McBratney while disguised as officers and execute him in secrecy. Instead‚ the abduction spiraled out of control‚ and McBratney was shot and killed in full public view.  While Gotti didn’t pull the trigger‚ he was identified by eyewitnesses and sent to jail for four years.  By the time Gotti was out of jail‚ Carlo Gambino had died‚ naming his successor as Paul Castellano instead of the suspected next-in-line‚ underboss Dellacroce. In 1976‚ Gotti would officially be initiated into the family as the capo of the Bergin crew. Gotti was a runaway success‚ becoming the highest earner for Dellacrocse. His crew pulled off the Lufthansa Heist‚ stealing over 5 million dollars‚ making it the biggest cash robbery in American history at the time.  The Death of Frank Gotti  Life wasn’t all success for John Gotti during his initial rise to power. Tragically‚ on March 18‚ 1989‚ his 12-year-old son Frank Gotti was hit and killed by a neighbor riding a minibike. The family was devastated.  The man riding the minibike‚ John Favara‚ tried to come by the Gotti residence to apologize but was met with violence. Surprisingly‚ it wasn’t John Gotti who attacked him‚ but instead Victoria Gotti with a baseball bat. Favara would later be abducted and is presumed dead by the hand of one of Gotti’s soldiers‚ although no remains have ever been found.  The Murder of Paul Castellano and Taking Over the Gambino Family   Tensions were high within the Gambino family with two main factions emerging–those loyal to Castellano and those who believed that Dellacroce should have been promoted to boss in his place.  These tensions were cranked even higher when‚ in 1985‚ Dellacroce died after a battle with cancer. Castellano named his own new underboss instead of promoting Gotti into the position. He snubbed Dellacroce one last time by refusing to attend his wake.  This was the nail in the coffin for John Gotti–he was going to kill the boss.  At John Gotti’s command‚ a group loyal to Gotti ambushed Castellano and his crew outside of Sparks Steak House. Gotti’s assassins managed to kill Castenello and his underboss‚ Thomas Bilotti.  Across the street‚ in his car‚ was John Gotti‚ watching to make sure the assassination went as planned. Within minutes‚ his competition was dead‚ and the position of boss was ripe for Gotti to take.  Briefly‚ Gotti and two other high-ranking members of the Gambino family acted as boss‚ but everyone saw the writing on the wall. It was well known that Gotti had issued the hit on Castellano‚ and on January 15‚ 1986‚ he was officially promoted to boss.  Gambino family crime boss‚ Paul Castellano. 1975 “Dapper Don” and “Teflon Don”  The mafia was always somewhat in the public eye‚ but John Gotti took it a step further. His flashy lifestyle‚ designer clothes‚ and larger-than-life personality made him a media sensation. He was a sort of celebrity‚ and his life as a mafia boss fascinated the public.  Gotti had two nicknames that he was commonly referred to in the press–”Dapper Don” concerning his sharp dressing and expensive suits‚ and “Teflon Don”‚ for his uncanny ability to avoid conviction in a slew of high-profile trials.  But Teflon Don couldn’t avoid arrest forever. Even as the boss of the Gambino crime family‚ the long arm of the law would reach him soon enough.  Conviction‚ Imprisonment‚ and Death  John Gotti rose to be one of the most dangerous mafia bosses of all time‚ but his time in the sun would end in 1992. That year‚ Teflon Don would finally have charges stick‚ and he would be convicted of five murders‚ racketeering‚ and conspiracy to murder. John Gotti was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and would spend the rest of his life behind bars.  Federal Bureau of Investigation mugshot of John Gotti‚ December 11‚ 1990 How Many Kills Did John Gotti Have? While Gotti never got his hands dirty by killing himself‚ he often ordered hits that were carried out by his underlings. When he was sentenced to life in prison‚ he was found guilty of five murders: Paul Castellano  Thomas Bilotti  Robert DiBenardo Liborio Milito  Louis Dibono Who Took Over After John Gotti Died? For a time‚ John Gotti ran the Gambino family from jail. However‚ he needed a man on the outside to make sure that his will was being enacted. The obvious choice was his son‚ John Gotti III. Unfortunately for the Gotti family‚ John Gotti III was convicted of racketeering himself in 1999 and went to prison. After that‚ younger son Peter Gotti took over. Peter was not a successful boss‚ and would only lead the family from 2001 to 2003. During this time John Gotti III passed away‚ and Peter lost control of the family when he too was sent to prison.  Who Runs the Gambino Family Now? According to the website Five Families of New York‚ the acting boss of the Gambino crime family is currently Domenico Cefalù. Cefalù’s street boss is Lorenzo Mannino‚ who takes care of more day-to-day issues than the boss himself.  What Did John Gotti Pass Away From? John Gotti passed away from throat cancer on June 10‚ 2002. He had been diagnosed in 1998 and underwent treatment for multiple years before his death.  References  “John Gotti”  https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/john-gotti “Current Leadership Charts of the Five Families” https://www.fivefamiliesnyc.com/p/current-leadership-of-five-families.html “Lufthansa Heist”  https://britannica.com/event/Lufthansa-heistThe post How John Gotti Took Control of the Gambino Crime Family first appeared on History Defined.

Roman aqueducts were‚ and still are‚ an impressive feat of engineering. Designed to transport water over almost impossibly long distances‚ they were the veins carrying the lifeblood of the Roman Empire and sustained life across the vast stretches of its borders. They stretched across Europe and brought the various communities the Romans conquered together. They allowed the growing legions to continue their expeditions easily. Without aqueducts‚ the vast empire of the Romans would not have been nearly as successful.  Ruins of an ancient Roman Aqueduct Why did the Romans Build Aqueducts?  The city of Rome alone had 11 aqueducts that serviced the city. They ran a combined nearly 500 miles‚ bringing fresh water to the over half a million citizens of Rome. Some theorize that Romans rarely drank the water from the aqueducts‚ although that has been proven untrue. The need for freshwater was too great as the city rapidly expanded in population‚ Therefore‚ aqueducts were rapidly ordered. Despite the evidence to support that Romans drank from the aqueducts‚ popular theory has it that Roman wine was the drink of choice instead. This is because the alcohol was less likely to have bacteria and other life-threatening elements within it. While untrue‚ the main use for water brought in by the aqueducts was for baths. Public baths were extremely popular in Ancient Rome‚ with each city having at least one. They were not for sanitation the way they are today. They were also a social activity‚ akin to a steam room combined with a social hall. But to maintain such halls required massive amounts of water‚ which was not available within easy reach of most Roman cities‚ including Rome.  How did the Romans Build the Aqueducts? The first Roman aqueduct was built in 312 BCE. Over the next 500 years‚ dozens of more were built. Each one was a feat of engineering even by today’s standards. They required incredibly precise architecture to function the way that they were intended. For every few miles that the aqueducts traveled‚ the stone structure needed to slope only one or two feet to ensure that the water would flow. This meant that the gradient was incredibly small. If it was any steeper‚ the water would rush across the entire system and flood the end. While a gradient less steep would result in the water pooling across miles‚ breeding bugs and disease. Even today‚ calculating construction on that scale with that level of precision is incredibly difficult without a computer. It would require incredibly specific planning‚ which the Roman bureaucratic system made simple.  Nicopolis’ Roman aqueduct at St. George’s village‚ Preveza Planning out the Construction Even after the plans were fully established‚ hundreds of miles of aqueduct was no easy feat to construct. However‚ Romans were able to leverage a larger pool of resources than are available today. The empire spread across thousands of miles and encompassed millions of people. There were those employed by the government as well as those forced into labor through slavery‚ resulting in a near-endless source of labor to construct anything the empire desired. As Rome grew‚ both the city and empire‚ the population exploded and more and more water was required‚ This left emperors calling for more aqueducts to be constructed. 11 aqueducts were built to support the city of Rome. Expeditionary forces quickly built aqueducts in newly conquered lands from England to Tunisia to Turkey. By establishing aqueducts in new lands‚ expeditionary forces were able to create long-term communities and gain the trust of locals as they were incorporated into the Roman Empire. The infrastructure served both survival and social purposes.  The Secret of Roman Concrete Roman architectural feats have long puzzled scientists‚ especially since many of them are still standing in a quality that few ancient buildings are. Recently‚ scientists at MIT‚ Harvard‚ and assorted labs across Europe have been investigating the ancient concrete used to construct these ancient structures. They think that they have finally cracked the code. Originally‚ scientists believed that Romans only mixed lime with water to create a paste before mixing their concrete. This is a common feature across Roman concrete. But looking at the chemical construction of the concrete‚ scientists were able to identify small lime clasts. These are small particulates created when a different form of lime‚ called quicklime‚ is added and superheated. While investigating the lime clasts‚ they discovered that they would react with water to form new crystallized layers if the concrete cracked. This allowed the concrete to “heal” itself if it was ever cracked‚ leading to Roman buildings withstanding thousands of years of wear in a way that modern concrete cannot.  Roman Aqueduct near Jericho West Bank The Most and Least Celebrated Aqueducts The most famous aqueducts in the world stand over villages and cities built upon Roman ruins. These aqueducts stand prominently above cities still today‚ including Segovia in Spain‚ Istanbul in Turkey‚ and Nimes in France. However‚ the large‚ soaring arches of the tiered aqueducts that draw millions of visitors each year were not the most effective aqueducts built by Roman engineers. Instead‚ the more common and more effective aqueducts were built underground using the same gravity-driven gradient. Roman engineers knew that water that remained underground was safer to drink. By keeping the paths underground‚ they were able to keep algae and other sources of sickness from contaminating the water. Even more impressive was that Romans recognized this hundreds of years before germ theory was discovered.  Roman aqueducts were nothing short of a miracle in their time‚ and remain so today. They required incredibly precise mathematical calculations and immense manpower to construct and were priceless contributions to Roman infrastructure. Recent discoveries regarding how Romans constructed their aqueducts could even revolutionize modern infrastructure. They are so much more than the soaring‚ impressive feats of architecture that people gather to marvel at. They were a source of life for Romans.   References Betz‚ Eric. “Aqueducts: How Ancient Rome Brought Water to Its People.” Discover‚ October 26‚ 2020. https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/aqueducts-how-ancient-rome-brought-water-to-its-people.  Chandler‚ David L. “Riddle solved: Why was Roman concrete so durable?.” MIT News‚ January 6‚ 2023. https://news.mit.edu/2023/roman-concrete-durability-lime-casts-0106. The post The Way of Water: How Roman Aqueducts Were Constructed first appeared on History Defined.

Nine thousand years ago‚ the British Isles were connected to each other and to the mainland by vast stretches of low-lying lands. These lands were collectively referred to as Doggerland.  At its height‚ this vast area made up a quarter of European land. It provided rich hunting grounds for countless generations of hominids‚ including prehistoric humans.  The area was permanently flooded over eight thousand years ago‚ and that once-dry land that now lies beneath the water is called the Dogger Littoral.  Land bridge between the mainland and Britain – Doggerland and Dogger Bank How Doggerland Got Its Name The name comes from Dogger Bank‚ a shallow area in the North Sea that once made up the northernmost hills of Doggerland.  Its Dutch name‚ Doggerbank‚ is essentially the same. The area was rich in cod‚ which was commonly called dogge in Dutch at the time. Doggers were a type of fishing boat common in the North Sea starting in the fourteenth century. They remained in use for centuries‚ evolving from a single-masted form to a double-masted version. The fishermen aboard caught cod with rods and fishing lines.  These days‚ the area is being converted to a wind farm. Dogger Bank Wind Farm began producing electricity in October of 2023‚ and additional units are still under construction. When complete‚ the wind farm has the potential to provide electricity for six million homes. Doggerland in the Ice Age During the Last Glacial Maximum‚ the North Sea and much of Northern Europe were covered in sheets of ice. It covered most of the British Isles and also the northernmost hills of Doggerland. The world began to warm up around fourteen thousand years ago. The ice receded‚ leaving a huge lake behind in the central part of Doggerland. A wide‚ slow-moving river ran down the English Channel.  Doggerland became a low-lying tundra populated by mammoths and a few intrepid humans. Mesolithic Doggerland  By 10‚000 BC Doggerland was covered by rich ecosystems that included salt marshes‚ lagoons‚ mudflats‚ streams‚ rivers‚ lakes‚ and freshwater marshes. These places provided hunter-gatherers with all of the game and materials that they would have needed. Doggerland made up about one-fourth of the land in Europe. Vast grasslands and forests stretched from France to Scandinavia.  Image by William E. McNulty and Jerome N. Cookson‚ Simon Fitch and Vincent Gaffney‚ North Sea Palaeolandscapes Project. Studying Doggerland Archeologists have been studying Doggerland since the late 19th century. By the early 20th century‚ they had found animal remains and flint tools.  In 1931‚ a barbed antler point crafted to catch fish was discovered in a hunk of peat brought up by a trawler. It was somewhere between six and twelve thousand years old. The barbed point is over eight inches long and was probably used as a harpoon or eel spear.  When a group of Cambridge academics studied the peat in which the harpoon had been discovered‚ they realized that the harpoon had been used in a freshwater environment. They realized that this indicated the existence of a great plain stretching across what was now the North Sea. Prehistoric archeologist Bryony Coles dubbed the area Doggerland in the 1990s. She produced some of the first maps showing what the area might have looked like all those thousands of years ago. Modern archeologists and geologists have used data gathered by oil and gas companies to map out the ancient hills‚ valleys‚ riverbeds‚ and coastlines of Doggerland.  In May of 2019‚ an archeological survey found solid evidence of civilization in Doggerland. The RV Belgica‚ a joint Belgian-British vessel‚ found a stone-age hand tool on the seabed of the North Sea. That same year‚ another team of scientists found a hammerstone flint. Other ancient artifacts have been found in sand dredged from the bottom of the North Sea and deposited along beaches in the Netherlands as a coastal protection measure. Marine geoarchaeologists use sediment core samples taken from the ocean floor to learn more about Doggerland. A one-meter sample can provide them with between five and ten thousand years worth of information.  In some samples‚ tree bark gives way to shells‚ painting a picture of a gradually rising sea. Ancient History Long before homo sapiens arrived in Europe‚ other hominids traversed Doggerland.  The oldest footprints ever found were discovered in Norfolk in 2013. They came from five people‚ both adults and children‚ who lived over 800‚000 years ago. They may have been homo antecessors‚ who were closely related to both modern humans and Neanderthals.  Hominids came to Doggerland again and again during warmer periods. They would have hunted the wooly rhinos and mammoths that flourished there in addition to feasting on eggs‚ birds‚ and marine life. Rich flint deposits provided them with material for weapons‚ and marshland reeds were probably used to make baskets and shelters. Early Hominids in Doggerland Homo sapiens arrived in Europe approximately 45‚000 years ago. They coexisted with Neanderthals for thousands of years before the latter finally disappeared.  As water levels rose‚ Doggerland slowly disappeared. Or sometimes not so slowly – the rate was one to two meters per century‚ but that gradual inundation could sometimes progress in leaps and bounds. The people who had lived there for countless generations were slowly forced to find higher ground. A large tidal bay formed in the region around 9000 BC. By about 6500 BC‚ the British Isles were cut off from the mainland.  More coastlands were wiped out by the Storegga Slide‚ a submarine landslide off the coast of Norway that caused a tsunami around 6150 BC. The tsunami swept up to twenty-five miles inland in places and probably wiped out twenty percent of the population of the British Isles. Dogger Bank‚ what had once been an area of highland hills‚ remained an island until about 5000 BC. The islands that were the last bits of Doggerland to disappear may have been culturally significant. This enabled groups of people‚ and possibly even early farmers‚ to travel across the sea. By the time Doggerland was swallowed by the sea some eight thousand years ago‚ agriculture had begun to spread through Europe. In addition to the artifacts hidden beneath the North Sea‚ there may be buildings to be found down there as well. The post Doggerland: The Long Lost Land of Ancient Europe first appeared on History Defined.

March 29‚ 2024 For Joy‚ Jesus EnduredSARAH FREYMUTH Lee en español "... let us run with endurance the race that is set before us‚ looking to Jesus‚ the founder and perfecter of our faith‚ who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross‚ despising the shame‚ and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV) Editor's Note: Today's devotion is part of a special series for Holy Week! From March 24 (Palm Sunday) to March 31 (Easter Sunday)‚ each devotion will focus on the events leading up to Jesus' resurrection. We pray these words will prepare your heart and mind for the celebration of our risen Savior. It comes as a whisper. A spoken thought in the crowd. What to do with this man who claims to be King? Two words resound‚ swim through the sound waves to consume the sea of people gathered: "Crucify him" (Mark 15:13-14‚ ESV). Octaves rise‚ and tempers boil. This man with gentle eyes claims to be the Messiah. He promises to save Israel‚ to lead His people. But He has not given the masses the change they believed was coming. Instead‚ He speaks of living water (John 7:38) and a narrow gate to a wide-open eternity (Matthew 7:13-14). He preaches about loving neighbors and turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:38-40). The religious leaders won't have it‚ and with a resigned sigh‚ Pilate acquiesces to the crowd’s demand. Jesus is sentenced to die. The convicted Comforter is led away‚ and soldiers flog and mock Him. A twisted crown of thorns. A scarlet robe. Sneers of‚ "Hail‚ king of the Jews!" (Matthew 27:29c‚ ESV). And then the cross. To "crucify" means to put to death by nailing or binding the hands and feet to a cross. It means to destroy the power and dignity of the condemned‚ to mortify‚ to treat cruelly. They beat nails into Jesus’ skin‚ strap Him to pieces of wood. They tell Him that if He is truly the Son of God‚ He will get Himself off of that cross (Matthew 27:39-43). But the Son stays silent‚ His breathing ragged‚ labored. He hangs - not to prove a point or amaze the crowds. He hangs for joy. What joy is there in jeers‚ bruises and abandonment? What kind of love compels Jesus to stay on that terrible cross? A love that endures. "... Jesus [is] the founder and perfecter of our faith‚ who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross‚ despising the shame‚ and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2). For the joy set before Him‚ He endured pain‚ humiliation and solitude because He knew that through His sacrifice‚ we could have life with God forever. Jesus hung for us‚ to pay the price for everything we've done wrong or will ever do wrong. He took the punishment we deserve‚ experiencing anguish like we have never known and will never know if we trust in Him for salvation. In Christ‚ we have right standing with God once and for all. Jesus' love compelled Him to endure the cross and empowers us to endure our own difficult situations. Our Savior sympathizes with us because He has gone through suffering and death and has come out on the other side. We‚ too‚ have an assured hope of coming out on the other side because Jesus has already gone before us. Imagine this moment: Jesus lifts His eyes to heaven‚ breathing shallowly. With the air left in His lungs‚ He releases His spirit (Matthew 27:50). It is finished. He has made a way for us to be reconciled to God. Joy awaits all who believe in Him. Words cannot describe what Jesus went through to save me. I can't even fathom the darkness and hurt that fell upon Him‚ the weight He carried. Thank You‚ Lord‚ for giving us Jesus and for His willingness to sacrifice Himself for us all. I hang all my hope on Him because He hung for me. Thank You that He endured the cross so I can come close to You. In Jesus' Name‚ Amen.  OUR FAVORITE THINGS If we're honest‚ when we're already in a difficult season‚ connecting with God through praying and reading our Bibles can feel overwhelming. That's why Proverbs 31 Ministries created a new devotional book just for you - Clear Mind‚ Peaceful Heart: 50 Devotions for Sleeping Well in a World Full of Worry. Written by busy women for busy women‚ this devotional is filled with 50 encouraging devotions‚ Scripture verses and guided prayers‚ making it easier than ever for you to simply show up and spend time with God at the end of your day. Get your copy here! ENGAGE Connect with Sarah Freymuth on her website or Instagram and through her newsletter. FOR DEEPER STUDY Isaiah 53:4-5‚ "Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken‚ smitten by God‚ and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace‚ and with his wounds we are healed" (ESV). How does it change your perspective on Holy Week to know that Jesus willingly went to the cross for your joy? How can you live out your life today in a way that reflects your thankfulness? Share your thoughts with us in the comments. © 2024 by Sarah Freymuth. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 MinistriesP.O. Box 3189 Matthews‚ NC 28106 www.Proverbs31.org The post For Joy‚ Jesus Endured – Encouragement for Today – March 29‚ 2024 appeared first on GodUpdates.

1806 - Construction is authorized of the Great National Pike‚ better known as the Cumberland Road‚ becoming the first United States federal highway 1852 - Ohio makes it illegal for children under 18 and women to work more than 10 hours a day 1867 - US Congress first approves building of Lincoln Memorial 1912 - Captain Robert Falcon Scott‚ storm-bound in a tent near the South Pole‚ makes last entry in his diary "the end cannot be far" 1960 - Darius Milhaud's 9th Symphony‚ premieres 1982 - 54th Academy Awards: "Chariots of Fire"‚ Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn win 1992 - Ice Dance Championship in Oakland‚ California won by Klimova and Ponomarenko (CIS) 1993 - Actress Elizabeth Taylor presented with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her AIDS/HIV activism at 65th Academy Awards 1996 - NY Yankees beats NY Mets 7-3 in an exhibition game 2015 - WrestleMania XXXI‚ Levi's Stadium‚ Santa Clara‚ CA (76‚976): Seth Rollins beats Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns in impromptu triple threat match to capture WWE Heavyweight title More Historical Events »

Joe Satriani and Steve Vai collaborate on new music with The Sea Of Emotion‚ Pt 1‚ and a video that recalls the early days of their 50-year-long friendship