A Prayer to Remember PeaceBy Victoria Riollano "Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." – John 14:27 Peace doesn't always come easy. Over the last few months, there have been relentless attacks against my peace. It started with an ugly cry in the middle of Walmart during Christmas when I received difficult news about a dear friend. Then, there was the unexpected foot surgery followed by a household stricken with an illness that led to multiple doctor's visits. And let's not forget accidentally serving my husband his greatest food allergy! It seems that there have been daily occurrences of unexpected events, from financial strain to frustrated friends or simply feeling overwhelmed by the demands of everyday life. Needless to say, my nights have been restless, and I wondered when God would send needed relief. Sometimes, it's not major life crises that cripple you but daily woes that make you feel like you can't catch your breath. These moments can cause even the most devout Christian to struggle with finding peace. Yet, the Bible is full of verses that implore us to have peace, no matter the circumstance. In John 16, after sharing of His coming death, Jesus tells His followers to have peace because He has overcome the world. In his letter to the church of Phillipi, Paul is imprisoned yet still implores the church to pray when they feel anxious. The Lord also spoke to Joshua and reminded him not to be afraid but to know that God is with him. Yet, the verse in Isaiah 26:3 has spoken to me the most in moments of frustration... "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." This verse is a powerful promise that those who keep their mind on the Lord will walk in peace. Peace is not an outward action. Peace is not just feeling calm in turbulent times. Peace is what happens when we make the choice to rest in God and not fear. The truth is, I have rested in fear many times in my life. There are nights where I toss and turn over a situation, considering every possible scenario and how I can best fix "it." In those moments, I succumb to letting fear be my default setting instead of peace. I believe the Lord wants to encourage us to trust Him again and again. To trust him when the little nuances of life make us flustered and when the major tragedies strike. My prayer for you today is that you know that His promise of peace was not just for those in biblical times but for us now. We can have a steady mind even when things are difficult. I want to encourage you to pray and seek God when find yourself resting in fear. Ask the Lord to show you a scripture that will encourage your soul to trust again. Pray that God would replace the defeating thoughts of the enemy with the victorious thoughts that come straight from the Word of God. May you find rest and peace that surpasses all understanding in the days to come.  Let's pray: Lord, I thank you for the promise of peace. At times, life can feel overwhelming, and I find myself anxious. Lord, help me to lean closer to you when thoughts of defeat and frustration overwhelm me. I pray that my thoughts will line up with your many promises for me. Please show me how to search your Word and receive each word you have for me. Lord, help me to remember that I am loved and that you are with me. I pray against every thought that tells me otherwise. I trust you, Lord, that every trial will work out for my good and your glory. Father, help me not to question your goodness when tough times come. Finally, teach me how to be resilient when trials come. Help me fight the enemy in faith and with your Word. Show me how to rely on you and keep my mind focused on you. I pray for the peace that surpasses all understanding to cover my heart and guide my choices. In Jesus' name, amen. In closing, "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all." – 2 Thessalonians 3:16 Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/pixdeluxe Victoria Riollano is a mother of eight, veteran spouse, Psychology professor, and doctoral student, Victoria has learned the art of balancing family and accomplishing God's ultimate purpose for her life. Victoria holds an MA in Child Psychology and is the author of two books- The Victory Walk: A 21-Day Devotional on Living a Victorious Life and  Warrior Mother: Equipping Your Heart to Fight for Your Family's Faith. When she is not writing, you can find her serving in her local church as the pastor's wife, worship leader, and youth pastor. Ultimately, she desires to empower women to live a life of victory, hope, and love. You can connect with Victoria at www.victoryspeaks.org and on social media at Victory Speaks by Victoria Riollano on Facebook and @myvictoryspeaks on Instagram. Teach Us to Pray is a FREE prayer podcast hosted by iBelieve writer Christina Patterson. Each week, she gives you practical, real-life tips on how to grow your faith and relationship with God through the power of prayer. To listen to her episode on What to Pray in the Morning for a Worry-Free Day, click below! Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! Visit iBelieve.com for more inspiring prayer content. The post A Prayer to Remember Peace – Your Daily Prayer – June 7 appeared first on GodUpdates.

The key to truly knowing God Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,but whoever hates correction is stupid. – Proverbs 12:1 The famous baseball player Ted Williams put up some amazing statistics in his days. In the 40s and 50s, he was known as a "natural hitter" because of the seeming ease with which he would make contact with the ball and send it soaring through the air. Williams was once asked about his natural ability to hit. He replied, "There's no such thing as a natural-born hitter. I became a good hitter because I paid the price of constant practice." Many people today want to have a close relationship with God and experience Him daily. But they're simply reluctant to pay the price to do it. They see others who have an unshakable faith and know God's Word up and down. But what they don't realize is that those people have spent years in prayer and reading the Bible to build that kind of faith! It's impossible to know God intimately and walk closely with Him without spending time in His Word and in prayer. That takes diligence, discipline, and commitment. So make sure you're ‘practicing' your faith daily. Commit time and effort in knowing God more intimately by reading His Word and spending consistent time in prayer! Prayer Challenge Pray that God would give you the discipline and desire to grow closer to Him through reading His Word and prayer. Questions for Thought Why do you think many people are reluctant to put in the time and effort necessary to knowing God intimately? What are some steps you can take starting today that will help you grow even closer to God through His Word and prayer? Visit the Senior Living Ministries website The post The Key to Truly Knowing God – Senior Living – June 7 appeared first on GodUpdates.

A revolutionary study presented at the European Congress of Obesity (ECO) reveals that semaglutide, which is found in popular weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic, has the potential to transform cardiovascular health. According to the study, participants who took semaglutide had a 20 percent lower risk of heart attack, stroke, or death from cardiovascular disease. A possible paradigm shift in cardiovascular care Professor John Deanfield, primary author of the study and director of the National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research, emphasizes the importance of the findings. He feels that semaglutide has the potential to transform cardiovascular treatment regimens and assist millions of people in the UK. Deanfield emphasizes, “This fantastic drug really is a game-changer… Quite clearly, something else is going on that benefits the cardiovascular system.” Semaglutide study: key findings The study, which included 17,604 adults aged 45 and older from 41 nations, produced striking findings. Participants on semaglutide had considerably reduced rates of cardiovascular events than those on placebo. Notably, even those with minor obesity or minimal weight loss had better cardiovascular outcomes. Statins of the future Deanfield compares semaglutide to the transformative impact of statins in the 1990s, arguing that it could constitute a similar milestone in cardiovascular medicine. He anticipates a future in which these medications alter the treatment of chronic age-related illnesses. Economic and social implications Professor Jason Halford, president of the European Association for the Study of Obesity, discusses the possible economic benefits of widespread semaglutide prescription. Because enhanced cardiovascular health increases labor productivity and lowers healthcare costs, the use of semaglutide could result in significant social benefits. Addressing a pressing health concern With over 7.6 million people in the UK suffering from heart or circulation illness, the need for effective therapies is urgent. Semaglutide emerges as a potential treatment, providing weight loss and significant cardiovascular protection. Beyond semaglutide: exploring new frontiers While semaglutide represents a substantial development, further research is being conducted to identify even more powerful weight-loss medications. Retatrutide, a new weekly injection, has shown extraordinary efficacy in decreasing hunger and promoting fat burning. Initial trials indicate that it may outperform conventional drugs in terms of weight loss. Professor Naveed Sattar of the University of Glasgow, who was involved in the retatrutide trials, is optimistic about the future of weight reduction drugs. With continuing study and development, he predicts extraordinary levels of weight loss, which might reach as much as 30 percent of an individual’s body weight. Source study: The New England Journal of Medicine—Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in obesity without diabetesThe post Common weight loss drug may be the solution we’ve been waiting for in cardiovascular health first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

University of Cambridge scientists identified a new way for recycling cement from demolished concrete buildings, which might reduce emissions from one of the world’s most polluting industries. Cement, the cornerstone of contemporary construction, accounts for a considerable share of worldwide CO2 emissions due to its energy-intensive manufacturing process. What’s the environmental impact of cement? Cement manufacture is a major cause of climate change. It accounts for 7.5 percent of human-caused CO2 emissions, making it the third highest source of emissions if it were a country, following China and the United States. The principal culprit is the chemical reaction that occurs when limestone is heated to high temperatures, which is typically accomplished by burning fossil fuels. The production method entails heating limestone to around 1600 degrees Celsius in massive kilns, which not only consumes a considerable amount of energy but also emits large amounts of CO2. For every tonne of cement produced, approximately one tonne of CO2 is released. The breakthrough: electric cement The Cambridge researchers devised a method to revive spent cement by subjecting it to high temperatures again. This procedure, which was previously performed in cement kilns, can now be powered by electric arc furnaces used in steel recycling. These furnaces, fueled by renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, have the potential to eliminate the CO2 emissions connected with cement manufacture. Cyrille Dunant, the lead scientist, stated, “We have shown the high temperatures in the furnace reactivate the old cement and because electric arc furnaces use electricity they can be powered by renewable power, so the entire cement-making process is decarbonized.” Combining cement and steel recycling The novel approach takes advantage of the chemical similarities between used cement and steel recycling slag. Slag, a byproduct of steel manufacture, occurs when chemicals are introduced to molten metal to avoid impurities. The Cambridge team realized that spent cement may serve a similar purpose in electric arc furnaces. Mark Miodownik, Professor of Materials and Society at University College London, applauded the concept, calling it “genius.” He stressed the possibility of considerable emission savings if the technology can be developed profitably. “Can it compete against the existing infrastructure that is very unsustainably going to keep pumping cement into our lives?” He asked. “Cement is already a billion-dollar industry. It’s David and Goliath we are talking about here.” The researchers successfully tested the method on a small-scale electric arc furnace at the Materials Processing Institute in Middlesbrough. The first high-quality Portland cement manufactured using this process was nicknamed “electric cement.” Celsa, a Spanish business, plans to reproduce the process in a full-scale electric arc furnace in Cardiff, to demonstrate its industrial viability. Dunant highlighted the dual environmental benefits: “It also makes steel recycling less polluting because making the chemicals currently used as slag has a high carbon cost too.” A vision for global impact This innovation has a tremendous potential impact. Given current steel recycling rates, the Cambridge team believes that their low-carbon cement may cover up to a fourth of the UK’s needs. As the usage of electric arc furnaces expands globally, the manufacturing of electric cement may increase, resulting in a significant reduction in cement-related emissions worldwide. The expectation is that electric cement will be not only more ecologically friendly but also less expensive to make by utilizing waste heat from steel recycling processes. If properly expanded, this technology has the potential to revolutionize the cement industry by drastically decreasing its carbon footprint and contributing to global efforts to battle climate change.  The post Creative cement recycling breakthrough promises to slash emissions first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

On My Shelf helps you get to know various writers through a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their lives as readers. I asked Hans Madueme—professor of theological studies at Covenant College and author of Defending Sin: A Response to the Challenges of Evolution and the Natural Sciences—about what’s on his bedside table, his favorite fiction, recommended books on creation, the last great book he read, and more. What’s on your nightstand right now? I’m rereading Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business in preparation for an essay I was asked to write on the post-truth turn in the U.S. I’m also working through Andrew Wilson’s Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West. In terms of fiction, I recently finished James McBride’s engrossing The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, and I’m currently reading Fredrik Backman’s whimsical Anxious People. What are your favorite fiction books? There are too many to answer in any meaningful way! Maybe I’ll mention a few spanning different genres that I’ve enjoyed in recent years. Anything by David Mitchell or Lee Smith. Cixin Liu’s trilogy The Three-Body Problem was magisterial (and I’m avoiding the Netflix adaptation because it can’t possibly match the genius of the books). I have fond memories of reading Anthony Doerr’s brilliant Cloud Cuckoo Land. I would also mention William Kent Krueger’s Ordinary Grace, which isn’t a “religious” novel (despite its title) but just a fantastic story; his follow-up, This Tender Land, is also captivating and reminiscent of Leif Enger’s classic Peace like a River. Finally, I recently discovered Peter Heller’s novels, especially The River and The Guide—I’m not an outdoorsy guy, but Heller is unmatched in delivering rip-roaring thrillers with nature as the main setting. What biographies or autobiographies have most influenced you and why? It’s been years since I read a good biography. The ones that come to mind are of Jonathan Edwards. While several fine biographies of Edwards have come out over the past decade or so, as a younger Christian I was influenced by Iain Murray’s Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography and later by George Marsden’s Jonathan Edwards: A Life. It’s cliché to say this, but Edwards inspired me to pursue spiritual depth and seriousness in the Christian life. I should also mention Murray’s two-volume biography of Martyn Lloyd-Jones—everyone recommended those volumes back when I left medicine to pursue seminary training. It helped to know that someone of his stature didn’t think it was a crazy thing to do! What are some books you regularly reread and why? I often revisit Klaus Scholder’s The Birth of Modern Critical Theology: Origins and Problems of Biblical Criticism in the Seventeenth Century (translated from the original German). The story he tells uncovers much of what I find unsatisfying about modern theology. And when I want to read dogmatic theology written beautifully and pastorally, it’s hard to surpass Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics. What books have most profoundly shaped how you serve and lead others for the sake of the gospel? When I was first learning how to preach, John Piper’s 1990 book The Supremacy of God in Preaching was immensely helpful. His notion of “expository exultation” transformed my sense of what preachers are trying to do in the pulpit (I gather he published a book with that title in 2018). And when it comes to the actual work of shepherding the people of God, I’m thankful for my friend Bill Massey who had me and other elders at our church read Timothy Witmer’s book The Shepherd Leader: Achieving Effective Shepherding in Your Church. While I will always fall short of what Witmer calls us to, his book woke me up to what it really looks like for elders to serve the church. What’s one book you wish every pastor would read? Rather than trot out one of the usual suspects, I nominate Bo Giertz’s little-known Hammer of God. It’s a Lutheran novel with an unusually perceptive understanding of the gospel. If you know it, you probably remember the first time reading this remarkable book. What’s the last great book you read? Abigail Favale’s The Genesis of Gender: A Christian Theory comes to mind. I read this book with my students in a course I recently taught at Covenant College. We devoured it; we discussed it; we debated it—in short, we loved it. Favale’s book is a well-written and insightful work, illuminating many baffling features of today’s upside-down world. What books on creation and evolution have you found helpful or insightful? For me, most of the books in this category are written by historians. For example, I’ve enjoyed David N. Livingstone’s scholarship on historical perspectives on evolution and human origins. Here I would mention his Darwin’s Forgotten Defenders: The Encounter Between Evangelical Theology and Evolutionary Thought and, more recently, his Adam’s Ancestors: Race, Religion, and the Politics of Human Origins. Similarly, I highly recommend the definitive monograph on the Old Princetonians and evolution: Bradley Gundlach’s Process and Providence: The Evolution Question at Princeton, 1845–1929. I have also appreciated the work by the Australian historian Peter Harrison, especially The Fall of Man and the Foundations of Science. Speaking of Harrison, one of his students wrote an excellent book on the early chapters of Genesis: The Days of Creation: A History of Christian Interpretation of Genesis 1:1–2:3. While I don’t always agree with these historians, I’m grateful to them for giving us a deeper and wider context to creation-evolution debates. On the theological front, I should mention one monograph that significantly shaped my thinking. It came out decades ago from an obscure publisher: Nigel M. de S. Cameron, Biblical Higher Criticism and the Defense of Infallibilism in 19th Century Britain (1987). This essay was Cameron’s published dissertation. Don’t be put off by the book’s ugly font; its insights still apply to current debates about evolution and Scripture. What are you learning about life and following Jesus? As I get older, I keep coming back to the patience of our Heavenly Father, that he puts up with blockheads like us—like me! As it says in Lamentations 3:22–23 (NIV), “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (see also Ex. 34:6). The Lord’s patience with me is beyond reckoning. I’m ashamed to say I don’t have enough of that patience with people in my own life, but I need it. And I pray that the Holy Spirit will keep producing more of that fruit in me.

Even those who live by faith experience doubt, but it doesn’t have to end your faith. Drawing from years of guiding Christians through doubt and disillusionment, Joshua Chatraw combines pastoral care and intellectual rigor to address the emotional journey of doubt, offering a new perspective on living a life of faith alongside it. In this breakout session from TGC23, Chatraw and Jack Carson discuss these themes based on their book, Surprised by Doubt.