by Finian Cunningham‚ Strategic Culture: It’s really no surprise that Israel’s military is killing its own people after reports of three hostages shot dead by “friendly fire”. The Israeli authorities said the three Israeli men were “mistakenly identified as threats” during close combat with Palestinian militants and were fired on by troops. There are reports of the […]

from Revolver News: We’re hearing too many heartbreaking stories about mothers who are steamrolling their children’s lives to pursue their own progressive jihad. This familiar horror story is all too common: a liberal mother suddenly declares her toddler son is a girl. She separates the child from the father‚ embarking on a life-altering path for […]

Three great stories we found on the internet this week. Free swim A family of seven furry explorers recently swam out of kennels and into the waters of the ancestral lands of the Mountain Maidu people. They were the first beavers to be released in California in almost 75 years — part of a conservation effort that aims to re-establish the population. Industrious creatures that they are‚ beavers bring many benefits to the mountain meadow ecosystem. Their engineering keeps water in the landscape‚ which contributes to recharging groundwater — and the added moisture makes the land more resilient to wildfire and drought. California Natural Resource Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot‚ California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Chuck Bonham and Maidu Summit Consortium Chairman Ben Cunningham watch as the beavers leave their kennels. Credit: Travis VanZant / CDFW “It’s good to have them back home again‚” said Ben Cunningham‚ chairman of the Maidu Summit Consortium. “The beavers are back where they belong.” Read more at the Sacramento Bee Waste not According to the UN‚ Nigeria generates roughly 2.5 million metric tons of plastic waste each year — 130‚000 metric tons of which makes it into bodies of water. This is evident in Lagos‚ where accumulated plastic waste frequently blocks drainages.  That’s what motivated Maryam Lawani to start Greenhill Recycling‚ one of several women-led upcycling and recycling companies that have recently emerged to combat the problem. She says the business recovers between 100 and 200 metric tons of waste per month. It also provides supplemental income within the community‚ as those who collect trash are paid by the kilogram. Crushed by negative news? Sign up for the Reasons to be Cheerful newsletter. [contact-form-7] “Waste is a currency to address other issues around poverty‚ unemployment and the environment‚” Lawani told Al Jazeera. “People are able to exchange waste for profitable things like school fees‚ clothes and even food.” Read more at Al Jazeera Slo motion For many European countries like the UK‚ France and Spain‚ child poverty is a major problem. But according to a new report from UNICEF‚ one EU country stands out as a bright spot: Slovenia. Though its GDP is smaller than that of most Western European nations‚ Slovenia topped UNICEF’s list of countries that are successfully keeping child poverty low. The mountainous nation of two million people has just 10 percent of children living in poverty‚ a 31 percent drop since 2014. Its success isn’t a fluke. Slovenia has one of the highest minimum wages in Europe and offers free kindergarten to all families. And though other European countries lag behind it‚ child poverty did fall across the EU by eight percent. “In other words‚ six million fewer children lived in poverty in 2021 than in 2014‚” said one of the report’s authors. Read more at Euronews The post Beavers Are Engineering Change in California appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.

They sounded GREAT together! Continue reading…

I have written in the past about the similarities of the stress and tensions in our country today to the stress and tensions that were taking place in the years before the Civil War. A free country will always have debate and differences of opinion. But that debate becomes dangerous and destructive when the differences strike at the core premises that define the very existence of the nation. When we can no longer agree about who we are‚ what we stand for‚ and why we exist‚ our very existence comes into question. As Abraham Lincoln said‚ “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Then the basic premises of our free country were challenged by the existence of slavery. The country is divided today by those who see injustice as a problem to be defined and solved by politics and those who continue to see injustice as evil defined by Scripture and dealt with through repentance and self-correction. When the issue of slavery tore apart our nation‚ most Americans were church-going citizens. The dividing line then was between those who saw slavery as a sin and those who did not. As Lincoln said in his second inaugural address‚ delivered as the Civil War raged‚ “Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God and each invokes His aid against the other.” But today the division is between those for whom religion is relevant and those for whom it is not. The latter‚ overwhelmingly‚ are on the political Left. The recent Wall Street Journal/NORC polling on national values shows the picture clearly. Of those who say religion is personally “very important‚” 27% of Democrats say yes and 53% of Republicans say yes. Of those who say patriotism is “very important‚” 23% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans say yes. Of those who agree that schools and universities have gone “too far … taking steps to promote racial and ethnic diversity‚” 6% of Democrats agree and 55% of Republicans agree. Of those who agree that “Businesses taking steps to promote racial and ethnic diversity” have gone “too far‚” 7% of Democrats agree and 52% of Republicans agree. Many are now shocked to see how politicized our universities have become. But the data shows that this is not a problem limited to our universities; it reflects broader‚ deep changes in our society. Injustice has become a problem relegated to politics as religion has increasingly been purged from our society. DEI—diversity‚ equity‚ inclusion—is a tool designed by secularists‚ who produce their own definition of injustice and then design their own quantitative tool to solve the problem they have themselves defined. This is one slice of ideology that is a subset of broader godless movements in social engineering—communism and socialism. President Ronald Reagan gave one the nation’s great speeches in March 1983 to the National Association of Evangelicals in which he called the Soviet Union an “evil empire.” Reagan said then‚ “But we must never forget that no government schemes are going to perfect man. We know that living in this world means dealing with what philosophers would call the phenomenology of evil or‚ as theologians would put it‚ the doctrine of sin.” Speaking about the then-Soviet Union‚ Reagan said‚ “Let us be aware that while they preach the supremacy of the State‚ declare its omnipotence over individual man … they are the focus of evil in the modern world.” With the surge to the left in our country‚ and the purge of the influence of religion‚ we have produced our own “government schemes‚” pretending they will “perfect man” and solve our social challenges. The result is the ongoing expansion of government and a burden of national debt and government spending that is crushing us. Reagan quoted William Penn saying‚ “If we will not be governed by God‚ we must be governed by tyrants.” This is where we are today. COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS.COM The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Universities Symptom of Much Bigger Problem appeared first on The Daily Signal.

100 word fiction contest continues…. #100WFC A Last Milestone by Steven Sanner with illustration by Wayfarer The wind whipped across my face like a thousand cats shredding flesh. I thought of warmer conditions‚ but the falling 40-degree temps and fading light would not relent. I’m glad I invested in the horsehide coat; I wished for chaps to match. Then‚ a warm feeling kindled deep within me‚ remembering the gratitude expressed by the family of the fallen soldier for having been a riding escort to the gravesite…enough to get me back home. I will be riding again—rain‚ shine‚ snow‚ or freezing temps—to make it to the next patriot Guard mission. It’s the least I could do to give thanks. (publication dated 19-December-2023) * * * Know past winners and read all entries ever published by visiting: https://www.bikernet.com/pages/100_Word_Fiction_Contest.aspx All you gotta do is subscribe to Bikernet’s free weekly newsletter and send in your entry to wayfarer@bikernet.com The post 100 WFC: A Last Milestone by Steven Sanner appeared first on Bikernet Blog - Online Biker Magazine.

Make your age an asset Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away‚ yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. – 2 Corinthians 4:16 Henry Durbanville wrote a book several years ago called The Best Is Yet To Be. In it‚ he argued that growing older isn't something that should be dreaded‚ but embraced – that our senior years can be the best of our lives. Here's one particularly powerful point he made... “I feel so sorry for folks who don't like to grow old… I revel in my years. They enrich me… I would not exchange… the abiding rest of soul‚ the measure of wisdom I have gained from the sweet and bitter and perplexing experiences of life; nor the confirmed faith I now have in the… love of God‚ for all the bright and uncertain hopes and tumultuous joys of youth. "These are the best years of my life… The way grows brighter; the birds sing sweeter; the winds blow softer; the sun shines more radiantly than ever before. I suppose ‘my outward man' is perishing‚ but ‘my inward man' is being joyously renewed day by day." So many see age as a liability in life – that growing older means they're less useful. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Your age is a great asset to your ministry to others! Don't ever let age discourage you from making a difference in others' lives. Use your wisdom and experience to share truth with others! Prayer Challenge:  Ask God to remind you of the wisdom and life experience He's given you – and to guide you as you pass it on to others. Questions for Thought: In what way do you generally think about getting older? Is it an asset or a liability in your mind? How might your life and ministry look differently if you saw getting older as an advantage? Visit the Senior Living Ministries website Visit the Senior Living Ministries website The post Make Your Age an Asset – Senior Living – December 20 appeared first on GodUpdates.

A Prayer to Look to The Lord as Everlasting FatherBy Chelsey DeMatteis "I give them eternal life‚ and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father‚ who has given them to me‚ is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." – John 10:28-30 The word "everlasting" for a long time was one that had me thinking of hard seasons‚ slow seasons‚ and seasons of my life that seemed as if they'd never end. But‚ God. He has redeemed this word for me because‚ truly the only thing everlasting is Him. No season‚ no hurt‚ no pain‚ not even the victories we will see as a human on this side of heaven will ever last forever. I don’t know what place you find yourself in today. Maybe you’re exhausted‚ running on autopilot; perhaps you feel like you’ve been in “survival mode‚” as my friend put it‚ to get through the rest of this year. Maybe you’re on that mountaintop rejoicing with Jesus for the victory He’s brought you. Or perhaps you’re just coasting and feeling grateful that life is good. Whichever season you find yourself in‚ I pray you know what God's true everlasting promise means. It's not circumstantial; it's not for a span of time. It's eternal; it's everlasting. "I give them eternal life‚ and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father‚ who has given them to me‚ is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." – John 10:28-30 And the God of all grace‚ who called you to his eternal glory in Christ‚ after you have suffered a little while‚ will himself restore you and make you strong‚ firm and steadfast." 1 Peter 5:10 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son‚ that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." – John 3:16 The true everlasting promise from our “everlasting Father” is eternal life with Him. Picture it as best as you can; nothing ever separates us again from our Creator. No sin‚ no death‚ just us.. with God the Father and His son‚ Jesus‚ seated as His right hand. Isaiah 9:6 is a promise. Isaiah was prophesying what was to come‚ who Jesus would be‚ and what a gift He is to those who are His. As Christmas draws near and the season of Advent begins‚ I pray your heart is tethering itself to this scripture. Ponder the goodness of God and the gift of His Son. Remember Jesus' humble beginning and all that He would endure for us. If you’ve never accepted Christ‚ I want to invite you this Advent to ask Him into your heart as your Lord and Savior with this prayer.  Let’s pray: “Father‚ I know that I have broken your laws‚ and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry‚ and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me. I believe that your Son‚ Jesus Christ‚ died for my sins‚ was resurrected from the dead‚ is alive‚ and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life‚ to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to lead me in obedience and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name‚ I pray‚ Amen.” *If you took this step‚ be sure to get connected to a biblically sound church in your area. Lord‚ thank you for giving us the opportunity to live in an everlasting covenant with you. What a gift it is to be known and loved by our Creator. I pray for a heart that seeks to obey and serve wherever and whenever your Spirit leads me. Thank you for being my Everlasting Father. In Jesus' name‚ amen. Photo credit: ©Andreas Kretschmer/Unsplash Chelsey is the voice behind the Living with Less Podcast and author of the 52-week devotional More of Him‚ Less of Me: Living a Christ-centered Life in a Me-centered World. She writes devotions for Lifeway Women’s Journey Magazine‚ Crosswalk.com‚ and iBelieve.com. She also writes Bible reading plans for the YouVersion Bible App. Chelsey lives in Central Ohio with her husband and two children. You can connect with her on Instagram @livingwithlesspodcast and at her website ChelseyDeMatteis.com. LISTEN to More Christmas Prayers on LifeAudio 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 Look to the Lord as Everlasting Father – Your Daily Prayer – December 20 appeared first on GodUpdates.