In the ruins of a bombed-out church in Lebanon, there’s now a tiny Christmas tree

December 28, 2024

DARDGHAYA, Lebanon (AP) — A Christmas tree stands among the fallen stones of what remains of St. George Melkite Catholic Church in southern Lebanon. Once a vibrant community center, the 18th-century church is in ruins after an Israeli airstrike in October. Georges Elia, a 40-year-old municipal worker and churchgoer, took it upon himself to bring some normalcy as the holiday season approached, weeks after a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants. “This year, Christmas is arriving with sadness for us, but we didn’t want it to be a sad one for the ...

Pope brings Holy Year and prayers for better future to Rome prison, a ‘cathedral of pain and hope’

December 28, 2024

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis inaugurated his Holy Year at Rome’s main prison on Thursday, bringing a message of hope to inmates and involving them in the Catholic Church’s once every quarter-century celebration that is expected to bring about 32 million pilgrims to Rome. Francis stood up ...

Oldest known stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments sells for over $5M

December 21, 2024

NEW YORK (AP) — The oldest known stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments sold for more than $5 million at an auction on Wednesday. Sotheby’s said the 155-pound (52-kilogram) marble slab was acquired by an anonymous buyer who plans to donate it to an Israeli institution. The ...

Millions mark Mexico’s Virgin of Guadalupe Day but calls for a truce in drug violence go unheeded

December 14, 2024

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Millions of faithful gathered to mark Mexico’s Virgin of Guadalupe Day, honoring the country’s patron saint. But calls by the Roman Catholic Church for a truce in Mexico’s ongoing cartel violence apparently went unheeded as more dead bodies were found in the country ...

Keep on keeping on

November 16, 2024

I listened more than 40 years ago as Dr. Marshall Leggett listed the tasks expected of a modern-day minister: preacher, teacher, writer and editor, pastoral care provider, administrator, counselor, outreach coordinator, etc. Dr. Leggett warned that group of young preachers and leaders: “You will never go to bed at night with the sweet satisfaction of the day’s work done. There will always be more that could be done and that ought to have been done that was not done simply because of the tyranny of time.” Forty-three years in ministry have convinced me that Dr. Leggett might have ...

Investigate God for yourself

November 2, 2024

On November 22, 2022, Joerg Arnu awakened as FBI and Air Force Office of Special Operations agents raided his home near Rachel, Nevada. Using a heavily redacted search warrant signed by a Federal Magistrate, the agents seized 4 computers, cameras and a drone. More than a year later, Arnu’s seized property has not been returned, and Arnu contends that he is out more than $30,000 in equipment and legal fees since the raid. Arnu’s home lies near the gates of the Nevada Test and Training Range at Groom Lake, a sensitive and closely guarded section of Nellis Air Force Base better known ...