Noticing God with Heart, Soul, Mind , and Strength

 Modern technology has become a "superpower," making the sensation of skill and semblance of progress almost effortless, the Crossmap website reports today (March 25, 2025). 

Personalized algorithms allow us to shed the seeming inconveniences of effort , connection, and patience that engage our human personhood.

Jay Yikim has welcomed Andy Crouch, renowned author, thought leader, and partner for theology and culture at Praxis. Crouch has written several influential books on faithful Christian living, including Culture Making. The Tech--Wise Family, Playing God, Strong and Weak, and most recently, The Life We're Looking For. 

In their conversation, Kim and Crouch explore the unique ways in which modern "personalized" technologies are malforming our loves, desires, and sense of personhood. 

They discuss the unprecedented  "superpower" that technology grants us to experience the illusion of power without the burden of effort. They draw a strong connection between our ever--shortening attention spans and our common struggle to experience God's presence meaningfully every day.Our growing absence of personal discipline, coupled with waning relational connection, is informing a covert belief that following Jesus should be easy and require little day--to--day effort. Informed by Scripture and Christian history, Kim and Crouch encourage us to embrace God's grace by committing to simple, time--tested spiritual practices that will open us up to the activity and presence of God over time. 

Lonely People Need to Find True Friendship in Christ

 A recent survey by Opinium of 10,000 UK adults revealed a sobering one in 10 people have no close friends, and three in 10 feel lonely almost all of the time, the Christian Today website reports today (March 23, 2025). 

God is love. When He created us, He imprinrted His image -- love -- within us. Just as a sunflower instinctively turns toward the sun, our souls naturally seek the source of life.

The problem? Instead of turning to God from whom we can receive true and complete love, we often seek fulfillment elsewhere. 

We chase counterfeit versions of love -- relationships based on convenience, status, beaurty, or wealth. And when these superficial connections crumble, the emptiness creeps back in, and the cycle of loneliness starts again. 

You know who can relate to this universal human experience of loneliness? Jesus. 

Betrayed by Judas, abandoned by His closest disciples, and left to face unimaginable suffering,Jesus knows the pain of rejection and isolation. 

Despite knowing He would be abandoned, Jesus showed unwavering love to the disciples till the very end. He humbled Himself , washing His disciples' feet, serving them with patience and grace . He didn't walk away when things got hard. Instead, He laid down His life -- because that's what true love looks like. 

Study: Half of Churches See Growth since COVID--19 Pandemic

 A recent study shows that around half of Protestant churches in the U.S. have experienced growth in worship service attendance since the end of the COVID--19 pandemic, the Christian Post website reports today (March 21, 2025). 

A report by Lifeway Research published March 18 found that 52% of surveyed Protestant congregations saw their worship attendance grow at least 4% over the past two years. 

The report also found that more growth was reported among Evangelical pastors than Mainline Protestant pastors , with 57% of Evangelical congregations reporting at least 4% growth versus 46% of Mainline congregations reporting the same. 

Additionally, 62% of Pentecostal congregations have seen at least 4% growth within the last two years, as well as 59% of Baptist congregations . By contrast, 43% of Methodist congregations and 37% of Lutheran congregations reported a growth of at least 4%. 

"Clearly, at least two years of attendance growth was aided by people returning to regular attendance after being away since the start  of the pandemic," said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, as quoted in the report.

Pope Looks to Christ at "Period of Trial"

 In his weekly Angelus address. Pope Francis gave praise to God as the one who never abandons us, even in times of severe trial, the Christian Today website reports today (March 19, 2025). 

The pope, who has been in Rome's Gemelli Hospital for over a month battling double pneumonia, said that he was facing a "period of trial" and noted that he was far from being the only person in the world faced with serious health issues. 

"Our bodies are weak, but even like this, nothing can prevent us from loving , praying, giving ourselves,  being shining signs of hope for one another in faith," he said. 

In his address, Pope Francis referred to the transfiguration of Christ, an event in which Christ shone with heavenly light while on a mountaintop with Peter and John, His disciples. While on the mountain, Jesus met with two figures from Israel's past, Moses and the prophet Elijah.

"Jesus immerses Himself in prayer and becomes radiant with light....In this way, Jesus shows  the disciples what is hidden behind the gestures. He performs in their midst: the light of His infinite love."

The pope called for His followers to "praise the Lord, who never abandons us and who, in times of sorrow, places people beside us who reflect a ray of His love."

More Than 50,000 Canadians Began or Restored Relationship with Jesus in 2024

 More than 50,000 people began or renewed their relationship with Jesus Christ after attending an evangelistic Alpha Canada course in 2024, according to the Alpha Canada Impact Report 2024, released on Feb.21, the Christian Daily website reports today (March 15, 2025). 

Last year saw a 13 percent increase in Alpha course attendance compared to 2023, with 119,981 participants of  whom 52,281 found Jesus for themselves. 

Shaila Visser, national director for Alpha Canada, called 2024 "a landmark year filled with research, new releases" in her introduction to the report. She highlighted Alpha Canada's partnership with the Flourishing Congregations Institute to study how Canadian church leaders engage in evangelism.

According to the report, 72 percent of leaders reported a marked increase in spiritual curiosity in their local communities. Visser said, "This openness is a testament to how God is stirring hearts across our communities." 

New Film Investigates the Truth about Miracles

For centuries, theologians, scholars, and everyday people have debated whether miracles still happen, the Crossmap website reports today (March 13, 2025). 

As people of faith, we would like to believe that someone's  cancerous tumor mysteriously shrinking overnight is a miracle, yet the scientific community quickly pumps the brakes on that  notion, pointing instead to obscure , unreliable research to support what cannot be explained. 

CBN News investigative journalist Billy Hallowell believes in miracles. Curious to know the inside story of people who have experienced a miracle, Hallowell recently embarked on a journey to discover exactly what happens to the affected people and find proof to support what the Bible says about these seemingly supernatural occurrences. 

In the new documentary, "Investigating the Supernatural: Miracles," Hallowell traveled around the U.S. cobbling together fascinating insights from scientific experts, theologians, and those who have experienced a miracle, to determine whether miracles are still happening today. 

A miracle is something that happens that we can't explain. It is something that is shocking, that is stunning, that is mesmerizing. We know the end result, but we don't know how we got there.

If we have hope and we understand Scripture, then we have to be open to God working in a way that might make us uncomfortable. We might not understand it. We might not even want to believe that it's still happening. And that's why a lot of people have issues with miracles, because it's so hard to get your head around. 

Christian Converts Sent from U.S. to Islamic Countries

Christian converts from Islam are among migrants from countries hostile to Christianity who have been deported from the United States -- initially to Panama, where they are isolated before possible deportation to their home countries -- the Christian Daily website reports  today (March 11, 2025).

At least 10 Christians from Iran were among more than 100 people put on a military plane to Panama, including migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, and Uzbekistan.

Locked in the towering Decapolis Hotel Panama in Panama City with about 340 other migrants flown from the U.S. on three military planes, a 27--year--old Christian woman from Iran scrawled "Help us" in lipstick on a window. The New York Times reported its reporter made contact with her and learned that she and her three children had been desperate to obtain help from the outside world. 

Authorities had seized their passports and deprived most of them of their mobile phones before they were locked inside the hotel, guarded by armed personnel and prohibited from seeking legal help. 

None of the migrants at the hotel has criminal records, the New York Times reported.