Christian News That Keeps the Church Informed, Inspired, and Connected.

Three of the world’s largest companies are going public. SpaceX, the rocket company owned by Elon Musk, became the first of the three to complete the process last week. In doing so, SpaceX broke the record for the largest initial public offering in history, and Musk became the world’s first trillionaire (SpaceX’s market cap is still settling out but currently stands just shy of $2.7 trillion).

As leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States gather in France for the G7 Summit, the U.S. and Iran have reportedly reached a peace deal to end the ongoing conflict. The deal is said to involve a ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a 60-day period for resolving the issue of Iran’s enriched uranium.

Meanwhile, the three-day G7 Summit included a focus on both the U.S.-Iran war and the war between Russia and Ukraine.

There are many factors that go into leadership at any level, but there are certain things that every leader can know about themselves that will help them take their next steps in leadership growth. It is a part of the lifelong learning that should be taking place in your life as a leader. Here are four things you should know well about yourself to be a great leader.

A common denominator driving radical ideologies within the postliberal West is the assumption that everything, including our biological identity, is simply a social construct. This perspective accepts that nothing is innately normal, nothing is inherently beautiful, and everything we possess is or can be constructed by man-made, self-created values on a road that leads to perfection.

On this view,  science, medicine, and law ought to prepare us for a future that represents the triumph of human construction rather than God’s sovereign creation. This is not a new idea.

No matter where on the athletic spectrum you fall (from World Cup caliber to two left feet), allow this story that will play out over the next several weeks to continually remind you of your life’s work. It may be called “the beautiful game,” but you are to tell “The Greatest Story!”

No expense was spared. Only the finest materials were used, and only the most skilled craftsmen were allowed to do the work. It was extravagant beyond words.

All of this was necessary, because they were building a house in which the Living God would abide!

The U.S. House of Representatives last week passed by a vote of 215-208 a resolution instructing U.S. President Donald Trump to end the U.S. military operation in Iran. Four Republicans joined with Democrats to pass the measure, which would now need to pass the U.S. Senate to be considered by the president. The Senate is not expected to approve the measure, and the vote in the House is not sufficient to withstand a presidential veto.

The world needs complete men. And being a complete man is simply immensely difficult to achieve.  Here are the three things that build into a complete man.

Recently, Southwest Airlines paid Charlene Carter, a pro-life flight attendant, nearly $1 million after terminating her for expressing pro-life views. After the trial, the jury reached a verdict, and the federal District Court for the Northern District of Texas ordered Southwest Airlines and Transport Workers Union Local 556 to give Carter the maximum amount of compensatory and punitive damages permitted under federal law, plus back-pay and other forms of relief.

After a lengthy and contentious debate, Congress has approved $69.5 billion to fund operations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) through the end of the current presidential term. The bill was considered through a process known as budget reconciliation, which allows for simple majority approval in the U.S. Senate rather than requiring 60 votes to overcome procedural hurdles.

What are your dreams today? And to be clear, your dream is not automatically a fantasy. Far from it! Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” This is far more than a promise that God will bring your dreams to reality. He certainly may do that, but this is more than that. This is a promise that the God of the universe will not be elusive as your desires are transformed to be in accordance with His and increasingly rooted in Him!

Can you imagine the day when you will have eternal access to the new heaven and the new earth (Is. 65:17, Rev, 21:1)? No, me either! But that day is coming, my friend! So as our human efforts to explore more of the universe experience ebbs and flows, remember you will soon know in full (1 Cor. 13:9-12)!

A now-former CIA agent aptly named David Rush is believed to have stolen more than 300 gold bars from his workplace. The loot, worth more than $40 million, was recovered by authorities from his home, and the agent was charged with criminal theft of public money. According to authorities, the crime took place over several months and was conducted under the ruse of “work-related expenses.” Rush is also accused of exaggerating his education and job qualifications, and awaits prosecution.

Less than two weeks after U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (LA) was defeated in his Republican primary for reelection, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (TX) was defeated 64%-36% in the U.S. Senate Republican primary by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Sen. Cornyn has been in the Senate for 24 years and was the second-highest ranking Republican in the chamber until his defeat. Paxton will now face Texas state Rep. James Talarico in one of the most watched general elections for U.S. Senate in November.

“What treasure from God’s Word is hiding from you in plain sight?”

Kyle Busch, the all-time leader in NASCAR wins, died at the age of 41 this week. Busch’s passing was caused by severe pneumonia that resulted in sepsis, according to his doctors. Busch is survived by his wife and two young children, and was honored by the racing community in Charlotte over the weekend.

The U.S.-Iran war is both escalating and potentially deescalating. On the one hand, U.S. President Donald Trump says that negotiations toward a permanent peace deal are “proceeding nicely.” On the other hand, the U.S. this week launched a new wave of what it called “self-defense” strikes against Iran.

The U.S. Department of Justice indicted Raul Castro, former President of Cuba, on Wednesday. The charges in the indictment date back to 1996 and allege that then-President Castro ordered the shootdown of two small planes flown by Americans and conducting a humanitarian mission. Four were killed and this week’s developments demand that Castro appear in the U.S. to answer to the charges—an expectation most assume he will resist.

If your name reflects on His Name, and if your reputation reflects on His reputation, that entanglement means that your rescue contributes to the defense of His Name! Your God is a jealous God (Ex. 34:14), and He will defend His Name!

That is our mandate this week—to help those around us fully grasp a soul-level knowledge of their intentional design! They, like you, are created, known, and loved by the very God who formed them! They, like you, were made on purpose and for a purpose! They, like you, have a need to know it full well!

Nigerian Christians are living in some of the most intense persecution in the world. Mass killings of entire Christian villages have been horrifically common, much of it at the hands of ISIS and related terrorist groups. The U.S. has been leading the effort to hold accountable those responsible, and the participation of Nigerian forces in this week’s operation is a significant sign of the Nigerian government’s increased commitment to eradicating the religious-based violence.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a public health emergency in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after more than 500 illnesses and more than 100 deaths are believed to be linked to a rare strain of Ebola virus. Ebola outbreaks in the region are somewhat common, but this particular strain—known as Bundibugyo—has only been detected three times, and the current pace of the spread and intensity of its impact is significant.

The change in the world will be wrought with the children of today being led to be the kind of people truly needed tomorrow. Fathering well looks to instill those values for the future and the need for the parents of tomorrow to do the same.

My friend, I know you are ready to sing. You desire a new song on your lips. You want your life to be a signpost by which others find faith in and relationship with the one true God. You want to sing, but instead you find yourself waiting in the pit of life, and you are tempted to despair. You are inclined to despise the waiting. This is not a condemnation, but rather a statement of association. I know this to be real because of my own life. I want the jubilation but so often find myself in a pit of waiting. From that place in the pit, I say to you:

Your singing comes just after your waiting!

Neither Democrats nor Republicans are capable of becoming God’s chosen party. History demonstrates that both political parties are capable of indefensible conduct. Still, contemporary elites' approaches to questions of race evoke Democrat-led measures in the South in the latter part of the 19th century. The behavior of Democrats in the 19^th century and the misbehavior of contemporary elites today demonstrate both groups’ triumphant ability to capitalize on and instrumentalize race and then ride the crest of this wave—which they helped foment—to power.  

While we may not be able to conclusively answer the question about intelligent life on other planets, we can safely say that what we do know about God’s creation is beyond magnificent and breath-taking! Let us praise Him for what He has done (Ps. 150:2)!

The decision to choose Jesus—and to truly surrender everything to Him—is in fact a dangerous one. Moving forward is the bravest thing you will ever do. It is also the decision that will thrust your life into the greatest story ever told, and which will ensure your place on the victorious side of God’s conquering of evil and death (Is. 25:8, Hos. 13:14, 1 Cor. 15:54-57).

It is easy to feel like you are not entitled in any way. After all, you have earned your spot through hard work and lots of hours. But, just for fun, here are several signs you are dealing with entitlement.

The world’s leading superpowers are meeting this week in Beijing, China as U.S. President Donald Trump and China President Xi Jinping are set to speak directly on matters ranging from trade to human rights to the war in Iran. The two leaders have divergent views on a number of issues and certainly enter this week’s talks as fierce economic competitors, but both also appear eager to find some public common ground on at least economic issues. 

The West has collapsed into an eruption of wokeness, identity politics, and identity-group movements generously mixed with seething anger despite theologian Herman Bavinck's declaration that God “made the whole human race” from one blood.