I love to be in huge crowds. Whether it’s at a mall, a concert, or a sporting event, I love to consider the people surrounding me. Oftentimes I stop and wonder things like, “Who are they? What is their story? What are they going through right now?” The sheer number of diverse circumstances and stories is incredible to ponder. Every soul is unique, and taken together, we seem to make a sort of collective tapestry of human experience. A Thousand Different Needs Corporate worship is similar...Continue reading→
Home
Thoughts
“We Will Come to You” (Christian Mission to Refugees)
Fear might drive government policy, but it should never affect Christian witness to the hurting people of our world. Watch NowContinue reading→
How Do You Super Bowl?
Sunday night, the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons will shove each other around on synthetic grass for seven pounds of sterling silver. And millions will be watching. Super Bowl 50 drew 112 million viewers. It’s a major cultural moment, and with that many eyes on the screen, it’s a once-a-year marketing opportunity. A year ago, 62 commercials were scattered during the game breaks. Major corporations plan and rehearse all year for one coveted 30-second spot ($5 million each!). Somet..Continue reading→
What Is The Word Of Faith Movement?
What is the “word of faith” movement? Is it biblical? Miracles in our Mouths?I remember hearing a pastor of a large megachurch say, “You’ve got a miracle in your mouth. You can speak things into being that are not yet.” When I heard it, it actually reminded me of a Bible verse where it says, “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm” (Psalm 33:9), but the “he” wasn’t a man, it was God. It’s similar to when “God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light” (Gen 1:3). W..Continue reading→
Daily Verses
2 Samuel 7:22
““How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.”Continue reading→
Deuteronomy 10:14 (10-14-16)
To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.— Deuteronomy 10:14 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... It all belongs to God! The multifaceted and creative side of our heavenly Father's nature is revealed in the astounding beauty and variety in our universe. This is not our world, but our Father has chosen to share it with us as one of his many gifts to us. Our Creator chose to provide us with the changing seasons in each year a..Continue reading→
A Spiritual Implant
I tell you the truth, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. John 3:5, NIV The only people who go to heaven are those who are born of water. But those who go to heaven must also be born of the Spirit. Just as the virgin Mary conceived the physical life of the Son of God, you and I conceive the spiritual life of the Son of God when we are “born again.” From that moment on, we are essentially two people on the inside. We have the mind, emotions, and will ..Continue reading→
Romans 12:2
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”Continue reading→
1 Corinthians 10:13 (10-13-16)
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.— 1 Corinthians 10:13 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... In the face of temptation, God has promised us two things: (1) a way out, and (2) the power to stand up under trial. Can we truly believe this? Yes, of course, because Jesus demonstrated this pow..Continue reading→
Daily Wisdom
1 Timothy 2:1-2
“[Instructions on Worship] I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”Continue reading→
Hebrews 11:6 (11-06-16)
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.— Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... And just why do we serve God? ... Fear? ... Sense of obligation? ... Because our parents did? How about because we want to please God and bring the Father joy? How about because of we believe in what God has done and will do for us? We believe that God sent his Son Jesus to di..Continue reading→
Forgiveness for ALL Our Sins
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9, NIV The blood of Jesus is sufficient for the forgiveness of any and all sins because the Cross was two thousand years ago and all of our sins were still to come. Therefore, all of our sins, whether we committed them yesterday or today or have yet to commit them tomorrow, are covered by His blood – past sins, present sins, future sins, big sins, small sins, or medium-si..Continue reading→
Ephesians 1:9-10
“he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”Continue reading→
Prayers
Exhortations
Passage: Hebrews 13:1-5 Prayer: Dear Father, hospitable king,Fill me with brotherly love. Make me a generous provider of hospitality to strangers. Let angels find provision under my roof, even when I don't know who they really are.Help me remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since I am also in the body.Help me hold marriage in honor. May my own marriage bed remain forever undefiled.Keep me from the love of money. Help me be content with..Continue reading→
Daily Prayer for October 2
In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Psalm 31:1–2, NIV Lord our God, give us your Spirit, we beseech you, that we may find your paths on earth and live in the hope and certainty that everything is in your hands, even when we see much that is unjust and evil. May we remain under your protection, living by your commandments and in your Sp..Continue reading→
Light that Burns Away Sin
Passage: Hebrews 12:29 Prayer: Dear Father, who dwells in indescribable light,Living God, consuming fire, burn the sin from my life. Purify my heart's desire in the smelter of your holiness.I want to do your will, Father, so that whatever I do, in word or deed, it will be done in the name of the Lord Jesus.I give thanks to you, God, my Father, always for everything.In Jesus' name. Amen. Devotional provided by Heartlight® © 1996-2016. All rights reserved.Continue reading→
Daily Prayer for October 1
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer...Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Romans 12:12,15, NIV Lord our God, we thank you for your gospel, the great, good tidings we may carry in our hearts to give us joy in this present time, even though on all sides people are in anguish and agony. We thank you that your gospel fills our hearts with compassion, enabling us to help carry what many have to suffer. Show us our need of you so that we can receive you..Continue reading→
Church & Ministries
Bishop: Church Must Keep Hard Line On Gay Relationships Even If It Risks Institutional Status
A conservative bishop has accused the Church of England of "being oblivious to the obvious" over the links between theology and growth.Continue reading→
Pope Francis Ends Holy Year Of Mercy Amid Rifts And Division
Pope Francis ended the Roman Catholic Church's 'Holy Year of Mercy' on Sunday but closing the 'Door of Mercy' in the Vatican.Continue reading→
Pope’s Horror At Prostitute Tortured And Forced To Work Until She Gave Birth
Pope Francis has spoken of his horror at the stories of prostitutes he met during a visit to a rescue centre as part of the Church's Year of Mercy.Continue reading→
10 Characteristics Of An Amazing Leadership Team
Last night I walked out of the room shaking my head. God, I don’t know how you pulled this off, but this team is simply amazing. Unified. Visionary. Encouraging. Fun. Passionate. Gifted. Transparent. Gracious. These are just a few of the words I’d use to describe the people who faithfully serve on CCV’s Leadership Team. Your church may use a different name – Leadership Council, Governing Board, etc. – we simply use the phrase “Leadership Team” to describe the group of people called to serve t..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
Feelings Are Real, But Are They Always the Truth?
As believers we live by faith, not by sight. Our circumstances may appear to indicate that God is not for us or that he is giving us too much to handle. Yet we live by faith in God’s word which says despite our circumstances God is for us and is not giving us too much to handle. So it is with our feelings. We live by faith in God’s word not what our feelings tell us. We may feel hopeless. We may feel like we can’t go on another day. Anybody remember James Brown, or his hit song called I Got Yo..Continue reading→
Despair at Work
Despair, in other words, is only remedied through faith in Jesus Christ, “through whom we have now received reconciliation” with God (Rom 5:11). Even those united to Christ through faith continue to struggle with despair–to live and act as though the grace of God is not enough–insofar as their faith remains imperfect in this life. For this reason, despair is as universal as sin and not to be reduced to or confused with mere consciousness of despair, since the consciousness of despair may be abse..Continue reading→
WCF 15: Repentance Unto Life
Concerning how we understand repentance, Bible-believing Christians should be wary of at least three major errors. First, the Roman Catholic Church has turned repentance into a sacrament, where in the sacrament of penance, it is believed that penance is actually a meritorious work by which sinners make real satisfaction for their sin (add to the work of Christ). Second, and similarly, Arminianism believes that repentance is a work on the part of the individual that is a necessary precursor to re..Continue reading→
A Tale of Two Sexual Assaults on Jennifer Lawrence
When it comes to violations of conscience, however, our hypersexualized culture is not so quick to respond. We’ve become acclimated to sex as an entertainment tool, not realizing that mainstream actors are routinely coerced and manipulated into performing sex and/or nude scenes. In the face of overwhelming societal pressure, they often submit to things they otherwise wouldn’t do. The first assault against Jennifer Lawrence was heavily discussed in the news and on social media. The second has re..Continue reading→
Movies
Goodbye, Family Christian Stores
This week, it was announced that Family Christian Stores — one of the world’s largest Christian retailers — will close all 240 of its stores. This isn’t really shocking; Family Christian had gone through bankruptcy a few years back. But it will have an impact; more than 3,000 employees are going to lose their jobs as the stores shutter and Christian culture loses one of its largest and most diverse suppliers of books, music and trinkets. Granted, this is just the nature of the beast these days. ..Continue reading→
Have you caught up with “It’s My Favorite”?
Hey everyone, Not going to lie: it’s been a week. Work, school and home life have been busy, and the general insanity of our world right now has really robbed me of a lot of energy and will to write. It’s a shame, because I have some really good stuff on deck for you. One new series I want to write and one Oscar-related miniseries of articles, and I’m hoping that starting this weekend those will start posting. And in the weeks ahead I’m going to really be jumping into the reviewing pool again ha..Continue reading→
Watch: New music video for The Shack with new footage
Itching to see The Shack — or at least to get a taste of it before it comes out five weeks from now? Well, maybe this will tide you over: the powers that be have released two new songs from the film’s soundtrack, one of which even has a music video. Here is the video, for a new acoustic version of Skillet’s ‘Stars’: The studio has also released the full version of ‘Keep Your Eyes on Me’, which is sung by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and has previously been heard in the trailers. Here is a Spotify ..Continue reading→
The Story of God: Proof of the Divine
Photo by Amanda Slater, Flickr. C.C. Licensing. Season two of “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman” airs Mondays at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Central) on the National Geographic Channel. Once again, I’m writing about it here each week from a Christian perspective as a preview. This post is about episode three, the season finale, “Proof of God.” In the final episode of “The Story of God’s” second season, Morgan Freeman travels the world speaking to people who believe they’ve experienced proof — often tang..Continue reading→
Oscar nominations — my own two bits, and a complete list
It looks like La La Land is the movie to beat at this year’s Oscars. The film, a jazzy musical that stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a musician and an actress trying to make their way in Hollywood, racked up 14 Academy Award nominations this morning — tying the record set by 1950’s All About Eve and 1997’s Titanic. However, because La La Land was nominated twice for original song, it is actually nominated in 13 categories — which is more than the 12 categories that All About Eve was nominate..Continue reading→
Let’s talk Oscar noms!
Some quick thoughts on the 2017 Academy Award nominations, which were announced earlier today. A full list of nominees is available here. At first blush, my biggest surprise is that there isn’t a ton here I would bicker with. The list of nominees this year is really darn good, spread out over several movies. Maybe it’s because I saw fewer movies than normal this year or simply because so many of the nominated films are on my best-of list, but I can’t really find a bad choice among the films. Re..Continue reading→
Star Wars Episode 8 gains a title
Earlier today, the official Star Wars Twitter feed ended more than a year of speculation by revealing the title of the latest entry in the saga, due out this December: It’s official. STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI is the next chapter of the Skywalker saga. This December. #TheLastJedihttps://t.co/ySkVwQcMTPpic.twitter.com/eHrPgbsRJq — Star Wars (@starwars) January 23, 2017 [Read More...]Continue reading→
Encountering the Mystical in the ‘The Fits’
The fascinating film about adolescent encounters with the sublime gives us plenty to ponder. If you’re looking for a film that inspires lively conversation, you’ve got to check out The Fits. Anna Rose Helmer’s debut feature film runs a brief, but intense, 72 minutes, leaving plenty of time for discussion and debate afterwards. It caused a stir last year at Sundance, and critics have been talking about it ever since. Fortunately, Amazon Prime subscribers can currently stream it for free—and for ..Continue reading→
Review: The Resurrection of Gavin Stone (dir. Dallas Jenkins, 2017)
The Resurrection of Gavin Stone is a “faith-based” comedy about a washed-up former child star who, having trashed a hotel roof bar, is told to do a couple hundred hours of community service at a Chicago-based megachurch and ends up starring in their Easter play. It’s a safe, formulaic and utterly predictable film — precisely the kind of “Christian” movie I tend not to review here — but because of my interest in movies about Jesus, I was interested in seeing how this film would depict the play. T..Continue reading→
Music
Run The Race (Single) by Holly Starr
The new single from Holly Starr, co-written with and produced by Bryan Fowler (Ryan Stevenson, Tobymac, Mandisa, Hollyn).[...]Continue reading→
One-Way Conversations by Hollyn
Hailing from Ohio, this Dove Awards New Artist of the Year nominee has been working the past year on her debut full length album titled "One-Way Conversations". Listeners were introduced to this vibrant you lady on TobyMac's latest release with the songs "Backseat Driver" and "Lights Shine Bright" and later with her debut #1 single "Alone (featuring TRU)". As a songwriter, Hollyn co-wrote all of the songs on her debut full length album and worked with producers Bryan Fowler (Ryan Stevenson), Wit and 42 North (Andy Mineo), Cole Walowac of Capital Kings, Eric Ramey (Britt Nicole) and more. The album[...]Continue reading→
The Garden (Deluxe Edition) by Kari Jobe
Grammy nominated Kari Jobe is the premiere female worship leader in Christian music. Coming off her last live album, Majestic, which featured the worship anthem 'Forever' and radio hit 'I Am Not Alone', Kari Jobe has returned to the studio to record her new album, full of brand new worship anthems for the church and for personal reflection. Finding inspiration from life's joys and hardships, Kari leans into the firm foundation of Christ through it all. With career sales that top 1 million, Kari still comes back to the reason why she started in the first place- leading people into[...]Continue reading→
Back To Life by Anthony Evans
Recording Artist and Worship Leader Anthony Evans' highly-anticipated new album Back To Life releases February 3, 2017 through Sherman James Productions. A collection of worship songs, this new album features NBC's The Voice alumnus on 11 worship-themed tracks exploring authenticity, vulnerability, honesty and the way that the culmination of those three things brought him Back to Life. It marks Evans' eighth solo studio album and will be available through all digital retailers and exclusively at Lifeway Christian Stores. Back To Life is available for pre-order on January 6, 2017. "Over the last year, God has given me one revelation after[...]Continue reading→
Canopy by nobigdyl.
"I wrote Canopy coming out of a time of isolation and darkness. It felt like my life was completely falling apart and I'd have to start over again from nothing. God showed me that sometimes there's safety and protection in isolation. Sometimes, the darkness makes it easier to see the light," confessed nobigdyl. when speaking of the anticipated release. 'Canopy' is nobigdyl.'s first album release since his debut in 2015 with the 'Smoke Signal' EP. Check out indie tribe and nobigdyl at his website, nobigdyl.com.[...]Continue reading→
Books
A Look at Notable 2016 Publications
TEDS President offers his list of best books “There is no end to the making of many books,” says the author of Ecclesiastes. In the United States alone, there were close to one million titles published during the past year, with revenue approaching $1.8 billion. Hundreds of titles competed for our attention during 2016. I offer the following observations with the recognition that I have no doubt missed several important works that some of you would have included in such a survey. The books not..Continue reading→
Recommended Biographies By or About Women
Faith Cook is an author, biographer, and hymn writer. She grew up as a missionary child in war-torn China and has chronicled her story in an autobiography. Her own biographical work has been on both men: Fearless Pilgrim: The Life and Times of John Bunyan William Grimshaw of Haworth and women: The Nine Day Queen of England: Lady Jane Grey, Selina: Countess of Huntingdon: Her Pivotal Role in the 18th Century Evangelical Awakening, and Anne Bradstreet: Pilgrim and PoetContinue reading→
Bibliotheca Bible – a Review
There are many things that I have great admiration for, but perhaps one of the things I enjoy the most is seeing a long-awaited, labor of love come to full fruition. The tenacity, hard work, dedication, and pitfalls along the way in seeing something through to the end is something that, for lack of better terms, gets me emotionally invested in a project. Yet not all projects are equal and not all catch my particular attention – but if we’re truthful, that’s precisely what makes these types of th..Continue reading→
Christianity Today’s 2017 Book Awards
Our picks for the books most likely to shape evangelical life, thought, and culture. Make a list of all the blessings the Protestant Reformation has brought, and eventually—long after jotting down iconic phrases like “salvation by grace alone through faith alone”—you’ll get around to the CT Book Awards. Books, of course, had existed long before Luther posted his 95 Theses. But there’s no denying that reading and the Reformation, with a vital assist from Gutenberg’s printing press, soared toget..Continue reading→
Where Should Our Women be Discipled?
Pastors and elders want thinking women in the church, right? And yet popular beliefs that came out of the nineteenth century’s cult of domesticity still seem to linger in the evangelical culture today. Back then, people taught that women’s brains were inferior to men’s intellectually and that women needed to reserve their energy and blood flow for reproductive purposes. These are ideas we usually joke about now, even to provoke a woman in innocent fun, because we know them to be scientifically p..Continue reading→
10 Books Every Christian Teenager Should Read
A reader recently asked the question: Do you have a suggested list of books for teenagers, something like a “Ten best books every Christian teenager should read?” It surprised me that I have never compiled such a list, especially since I’ve got two teenagers of my own. I decided I’d better remedy this oversight straight away. Here, then, is a list of ten great books every Christian teen ought to read—or at least consider reading. Please note that these are not necessarily the ten best books your teens will read in their lifetime. Not all of these books will stand the test of time as Christian classics. But each of them is suited to twenty-first century teenaged readers and together they will provide a foundation for the Christian life that will prove both deep and wide. I list them in no particular order. The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul. It is rare that a book is elevated to the ranks of the classics, but The Holiness of God is a prime candidate. Sproul’s book will introduce teens..Continue reading→
Signposts to God and More (RJS)
Books, books, books … What is the best book you’ve read on Science and Christian faith? It seems to be the season … not the holiday season, but the book season. I recently received three new books. Books by a physicist, a biologist (with training in theology as well), and a philosopher. All three tackle questions of science and Christian faith. Each of the three presents an interesting perspective – and I intend to dig into them more completely over the upcoming months. Peter Bussey’s book, Sign..Continue reading→
2016 Reading Challenge Update: September & October
This year I have been participating in the 2016 Reading Challenge, a fun way to increase and diversify your reading through another year. I took the challenge and set this year’s goal at 104 books. However, because so much of my reading has to go toward reviewing books that are recently published and of interest to Christians (both for reviews published here and in WORLD magazine), I decided to pick from all over the list rather than working through it in order. What follows are the books I completed in September and October and, in parentheses, the reading challenge category they fulfill. Below that is the complete list of categories I need to cover. As you can see, I did not finish many books over the past couple of months, something that is not unusual as my reading ebbs and flows over the course of the year. You can see my previous updates for January, February, March-April, May, June, and July-August. Sexual Morality in a Christless World by Matthew Rueger. This is a brilliant w..Continue reading→
6 Reflections on Community Inspired by Bonhoeffer
My church has recently launched a series on community called Better Together. In conjunction with the sermon series, I, in collaboration with my senior pastor, wrote a small group curriculum to compliment the series. I love community, which is why I love small groups. Like many of you, I work hard on our small group system at my church to equip leaders and to help many in my church experience the fullness of community—the good, the bad, and the ugly. However, as I continue to reflect on communi..Continue reading→
American
Why Aren’t Abortion Activists Calling Beyonce’s Unborn Babies “Fetuses?”
For anyone who hasn’t already heard, Beyonce is pregnant with twins. Twin babies, that is. Babies who have their own separate bodies and heartbeats. The news certainly is nothing to make light of. Every new human being who enters the world is worth celebrating. And Beyonce and her husband, Jay Z, should be congratulated. But their pregnancy announcement highlights a big problem with today’s abortion-minded society. Babies often are only called “babies” when they are wanted. When they aren’t, ..
Tiny Gospel: A Sampler
By John Frye In my past spiritual formation and in my current neck of the woods, the gospel was and is reduced to “Jesus died for your sins, simply receive him, and you’ll be forgiven and go to heaven when you die.” All these things are true, but none of them are the gospel as defined by Paul (1 Corinthians 15:1-8) and by the gospel sermons preached by Peter and Paul in the Book of Acts. Let me rehearse for you the tiny gospel I received and passed on to others. You might conclude I’ve exaggerat..
Providence, Providence and More Providence
By Ben Davis A review essay of Bruce Reichenbach, Divine Providence Too often, when a discussion of God’s providence is brought to the table, it is framed in such a way that only trained philosophers or theologians can fully understand it. Thus large, awkward words eclipse simple, useable ones, and impenetrable logical syllogisms clash like warring armies in the night. In the end no one is served because overly-wrought, abstract ideas inveigh the steady practice of commonsense reasoning. What is..
Preaching as Performance
With William Shiell, President of Northern Seminary Author of Delivering from Memory
Entertainment
Viewing “The Walking Dead” Through a Theological Lens
Is All Life Precious? I am unashamedly and unambiguously a fan of the AMC show The Walking Dead. I was also a fan of the comic that was released many years before the film adaption in 2010, and before every other show on television was about the undead. It is not just the suspense or gore that entices and entertains me, but the way the writers deal with metaphysical and theological issues. Humanity is devoured and consumed by walkers (sorry, I couldn’t help myself), yet there ..
Is Christian Music Too Happy?
You can’t be bummed and be Christian. Or, at least, that might be your takeaway listening to contemporary Christian music. According to Leah Libresco, writing for the website FiveThirtyEight, Christian pop is (in her words) “unrelentingly cheerful” these days, where nary a discouraging word is heard. Lyrics are chipper and upbeat, extolling “love,” “joy” and “strength” far more often than the flip sides of those words: “fear,” “sorrow,” “weakness”. “Grace,” for instance, is used abo..
Watching God Without a Screen (For a Change)
Well, hi there, stranger! Welcome to my newish blog. It’s not really new, of course. Just remodeled—new address, new look, and as of today a new blog post. Because really, it’s about time. While experts were tinkering away at the Watching God blog, I was off in Washington state, knocking around a couple of national parks with my wife. When you watch movies and television for a living, it’s nice to see the world without a filtering screen sometimes, and this was a fairly screen-free ..
RISEN now available on DVD, Blu-Ray. digital
RISEN is now available on DVD, Blu-ray, digital, etc. Here’s a link to the cast talking about meeting the Pope as well as my review of the film.
US
The next scheme to stop Trump
Trump couldn’t be stopped in the Republican primaries, or at the convention, or in the general election, or in the Electoral College. So now anti-Trump forces are trying to come up with Plan E. The latest idea is to impeach him in his first year. Trump’s opponents see an opportunity in his business ties and in his refusal to divest himself of his financial holdings. They think they can get him in a conflict of interest or in a violation of the Constitution’s Emoluments clause, which forbids offi..
Theological music for Christmas
Ken Myers has written a wonderful post on Christmas music, emphasizing particularly how it is sung by choirs and its connection to worship in the liturgy. He includes a fascinating discussion of how music can be a contemplation of divine mysteries, as in the harmonies of this piece, “Mirabile mysterium” to this text: “A wondrous mystery is declared today, an innovation is made upon nature; God is made man; that which he was, he remains, and that which he was not, he takes on, suffering neither c..
Terrorist attacks Christmas marketplace
A truck plowed through the crowded Christmas marketplace in Berlin, killing 12 and injuring 52. Some German officials are saying the country is in a “state of war.” ISIS claims responsibility. Details after the jump. In other terrorist news, A security guard assassinated the Russian ambassador to Turkey. The murderer, whose crime was caught on video, shouted jihadist slogans condemning Russia’s involvement in Syria and the killing of civilians in Aleppo. From Daily Mail (UK): ‘Germany is at war’..
Obama stops off-shore drilling before leaving office
President Obama, evidently striking a blow for the environment before Donald Trump takes office, put much of the Eastern seaboard off limits for off-shore drilling. He invoked a law that reportedly cannot be reversed by a new president. From President Obama bans oil drilling in large areas of Atlantic and Arctic oceans – The Washington Post: President Obama moved to solidify his environmental legacy Tuesday by withdrawing hundreds of millions of acres of federally owned land in the Arctic and At..