Friday, May 23, 2025

7 Killed in Mexican Church Event; Suspected Cartel Attack

 Seven young people in Mexico were fatlally shot by gangsters while attending a Catholic festival in the state of Guanajuato, the Christian Today website reports today (May 23, 2025).


On the morning of May 19, a  group of gunmen -- believed to be from the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel -- drove into the middle of town and started shooting at those attending the Catholic festival.


Open Doors placed Mexico at 31 on its 2025 watch list of the worst countries for persecution, ahead of some Islamic and communist countries.


While on the face of it a Christian counrtry, the scourge of gang violence means that many ordinary citizens  -- regardless of their faith -- can be the targets of gang violence.  Faith leaders who openly oppose the gangs  face  the real danger of abduction and/or  murder.


The Episcopal Conference of Mexico said of he festival shooting that people "cannot remain indifferent in the face of the spiral of violence that is wounding so many communities."


The local archbishop, Jaime Calderon, said he believed the attack was part of a gang war between Santa Rosa   de Lima and a rival cartel known as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. 


Open Doors suggests the following prayer for the situation in Mexico:


"Heavenly Father, thank you for our brothers and sisters in Mexico, and for their courage in standing up to the violence and crime that is so rife in the country. Strengthen them and fill them with Your Holy Spirit; give them the right words to say as  they continue to stand against injustice. 


"Protect believers from being recruited by criminal gangs and bring an end to the hold that these groups have over the nation. Help believers from indigenous backgrounds to find safe places to meet and worship -- may their testimonies shine Your light in dark places, Amen."

Thursday, May 22, 2025

Extreme Heat Hits Central and Southen U.S.

 Summer temperatures arrived earlier in the U.S. this year, affecting millions of people in Central and Southern states, the USA Today website   reports today (May 22, 2025).


The National Weather Service said more high heat and humidity are in store for the next few days.


National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data shows 2025 already has a 39% chance of being the second--warmest year on record, behind 2024, and a 3% chance of being the warmest year on record. There is a greater than 97% likelihood that 2025 will be one of the five warmest years on record, NOAA said.


According to research released by the European Copernicus Climate Change Service, the global average temperature for April 2025 was 1.08 degrees Fahrenheit above average -- 0.13 degrees warmer than the previous record set in April 2024.


Now and in the coming days, a heat dome will keeep temperarures 15 to 20 degrees above average, well into the upper 90s and triple --digits. The National Weather Service issued heat advisories for aeas in Texas that stretch  from the Texas Hill Country and the Rio Grande to the state's east coast.

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Who Is Jesus?

"Jesus and His dsciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way He asked them, 'Who do people say I am?'" (Mark 8:27), the Crossmap website reports today (May 21,2025).


After Peter had spent so much time with Jesus, he became familiar with who Jesus was, so he never was fitting to Jesus' question. "You are the Messiah. It wasn'e the right time for everyone to know who Jesus fully was, even though the whole time He was on earth. He was revealing the Father of God. Was it a big surprise? The fullness of the glory of God was revealed in Jesus after He died on the cross. Jesus became our Messiah. He won the victory over sin  and became the exalted Son, who sits at the right hand of God.


The one thing about our identity that we should never forget is that God tells us who we area and calls us His sons and daughters. We are a new creation because of Jesus. and belong to God's Kingdom.


Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here.

Saturday, May 17, 2025

Pakistan Has Record Number of Blasphemy Cases

A rights watchdog chronicled a record 344                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 4                            new blasphemy caes in Pakistani in  2024 ,highlighting  an ncreasaed abuse of the country's  condemned blasphemy llaws, the CHristian Daily webbsite reports today (May17, 2025).


Of the 344 new blasphemy cases70 percent of  the  accused were Muslims, 6 percent were CHristians, 9 percent  Hindus,  and 14  percent Ahmadis, according  to the Annual   Human   RIghts Observer  report.


"The . blatant weaponization of blasphemystatues, which relates to disrespect of holy personages,  including the family, wives and companions      of Islam's prophet, Muhammad, and  the four caliphs, and is punishable wirt h up  to 10 years in prison, was the most used  section. Last year, 128  people were charged under this section.


"The next most frequently abused provision  was SECTION 295-A  (hurting  of religious sentiments) with 106 reported cases,"         the report noted. 


Sections 295B (-Desecration of  the Quran) and 295-C  (disrespecting MuHammad) were also often used, leading   to 62 individuals acccused  across various regions of Pakistan,  the  report noted.


Punjab Province recorded the highest numbeeof blsphemy --related accusatons , accounting for 62percent                                                                                                                                       of the totqal cases.


Pakistan, whose population is more  than 96 percent Muslim, ranked eighth on Open Doors 2025 World Watch List of the most  difficult places t o be a  Chrisrtian.                                                                                                                                                

Thursday, May 15, 2025

Pope Leo XIV's First Mass Sends Message of Faith

Newly selected Pope Leo XIV delivered his first papal homily in the Sistine Chapel, sending a bold  and unmistakable tone for his pontificate, the Christian Today website reports today (May 15, 2025). 


His message: Reclaim an authentic vision of Jesus Christ or risk living in a state of "practical atheism."


It was a powerful and sobering reflection, rich in theological depth and pastoral concern. 


The pope cautioned against the growing trend  -- both outside and within the Church -- or reducing Christ to a mere moral leader, charismatic figure or inspirationall role model. 


He went on: "Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God: the one Savior , who alone reveals the face of the Father. In Him, God in order to make Himself close and accessible to men and women, revealed Himself to us in the trusting eyes of a child, in the lively mind of a young person and in the mature features of a man, finally appearing to His disciples after the resurrection with His glorious bidy." In those few words, Pope Leo XIV not only identified one of the gravest spiritual challenge of our age, but also called the Church to radical fidelity and renewal. 


Leo's election came as a surptise to many . Born Robert Francis Prevost, he is an American by birth and a Peruvian citizen by ministryhv, having served the Church in Latin America for nearly a decade. An Augustinian by formation and the former head of the Dicastery for Bishops, he brings a blend of deep intellectual grounding and pastoral sensitivity to the Chair of St. Peter. 


Leo's homily was not a political address or a gentle overture. It was a call to arms for the Church to be what it claims to be:: the living Body of Christ in the world. His emphasis on faith  as a personal, daily journey -- rather than an abstract belief system -- speaks directly to a generation increasingly disenchanted with institutional religion, but still yearning for spiritual truth.

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

The Future of the Church Isn't Dying -- It's Rising

Headlines shout that faith is fading. Churches are closing. Trust in institutions is crumbling. Many predict a future without God. Yet beneath the  surface, a quiet revival is stirring, the Christian Post website reports today (May 14, 2025). 


Belief in Jesus is not fading --it's surging and the next generation is leading the way. 


A new study frrom Barna's State of the Church 2025 initiative reveals something remarkable : two--thirds of American adults -- 66% -- now say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that remains important in their lives. That's a 12--point surge since 2021, when commitment levels reached a 30--year low. 


In just four years, approximately 30 million more Americans have chosen to follow Jesus. 


Millenial men have surged by 19 points. For the first time in modern history, young men are outpacing young women in spiritual commitment, flipping a trend that held firm for decades. 


This is not a fad. It's a profound awakening.


Spiritual hunger is growing, but  belief alone is not enough. This generation needs spiritual guides who will walk wih them beyond decision into lifelong devotion. 


 If we don't guide this generation now, we risk leaving them trapped in silent  pressure, searching for relief that only a real connection with Christ can bring. 


The most effective way to defend our faith today is by multiplying disciple--makers and expanding our reach exponentially. 


We are witnessing a renewed hunger for belonging , meaning and purpose -- but hunger alone diesn't nourish. Belief must be formed into conviction. Conviction must be shaped into character. Character must be anchored in truth.


The future of the church isn't dying -- it's rising . But it will not rise by accident. It will rise because ordinary believers chose to build, to guide, and to give their lives away.



Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Southern Baptist Membership Declines for 18th Year, but Baptisms See Uptick

 Southern Baptist membership has declined for 18 years, but baptisms have seen an encouraging uptick, the Christian Daily website reports today (May 13, 2025). 


Membeship in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has fallen for the 18th consecutive year, with total membership now at 12,722 -- the lowest reported since 1974 -- according to new data released April 30. 


Desite the decline, the SBC recorded more baptisms in 2024 than in any year since 2017, marking the fourth straight year of growth in baptisms  and signaling renewed momentum in evangelism and outreach. 


Lifeway Research, which compiles the SBC's Annual Church Profile (ACP) in cooperation with Baptist State  Conventions, reported a 2 percent drop in membership from 2023 to 2024. That equates to a net loss of 259,824 members. The latest figures follow a 1.8 percent decline the previous year  and 2.9 percent drops in each of the two years prior. 


"The largest portion of membership declines come from churches acknowledging that certain members are gone for good and removing their names. Other drops come from churches that close or leave the Convention," said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research.