Feel Good News

New Poll Shows Many Americans View Pandemic And Russian Invasion As End Time Prophecy

The bible warns that Christians are to be aware of the signs and season of the Lord’s return. According to a recent poll by The Joshua Fund, most Americans believe that the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are signs of biblical prophecies being fulfilled ahead of Christ’s return. People including evangelical Christians, were asked various questions about recent significant world events, including the pandemic and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. In response, 4-in-10 Americans (40.1%) agreed that the pandemic was a sign of biblical prophecy being fulfilled, while 41.1 percent disagreed, and 18.7 percent said they did not know. Read more about the poll here.

Disney Feeling The Effect Of Embracing “Woke” Policies

People aren’t happy with Disney, and its showing. The polling group Trafalgar partnered with the Convention of States Action to determine the popularity of that move, and it went as expected. Over 68% of people are less likely to do business with Disney as a result of the company “focusing on creating content to expose young children to sexual ideas.” That number includes 48% among Democrats. Around 69% of people are likely “to support family-friendly alternatives to Disney,” including 58% of Democrats. Both questions pull a majority from every racial group, age group, and from both men and women. Read more about Disney here.

Leaked Report About Hillsong And Carl Lentz Shows Sexual Abuse Was Widespread

The results of an investigation by an independent law firm into the culture of Hillsong NYC, have been leaked, and its contents paint a picture of a church leadership rife with abuse, sexual misconduct and secrecy. Among the details include several extramarital affairs by the church’s former pastor Carl Lentz and spiritual abuse of volunteers and staff, as well as “multiple incidents of consensual or non-consensual sexual interaction between church leaders and congregants, staff, volunteers, or non-churchgoers,” The  report also furthers details of the relationship between Lentz and his former nanny, Leona Kimes, who alleged that Lentz had sexually abused her while she was on staff. Read more about the report here.

Research Suggests Mushrooms Talk To Each Other

Mycologists studying the underground filaments of fungi are observing electrical signals similar to a nervous system: a normal phenomenon, except that they found the signals were remarkably similar to human language. A paper published this week in the journal “Royal Society Open Science”, concludes some fungi use electrical impulses to share and process information internally. When signal activity spikes, it creates intricate patterns that may function like words in human speech. It is estimated fungi vocabulary could consist of about 50 words. Some scientists are skeptical that the research was done looking for ‘language’, suggesting that this puts a shroud of exaggeration and overexcitement about the findings. Read more about the findings here.

Texas Pastor Killed In Accident With 18 Wheeler

Franklin Graham To Deliver Easter Message From Ukraine

Evangelist Franklin Graham has announced that he will be returning to Ukraine to deliver a special message this Easter Sunday. “I will be sharing a message the whole world needs to hear: Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, conquered sin and death 2,000 years ago when He rose victoriously from the grave,” Graham said. “This Good News changes everything—for individual hearts, for communities and for entire nations.” Graham traveled to the war-torn country last month as his ministries, Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), launched relief efforts to help Ukrainians in need. Read more about his message here.

Mark Wahlberg Prays For New Movie “Father Stu” To Change People

Mark Wahlberg’s new film, “Father Stu”, debuts in theatres nationwide next week, just in time for Easter. The movie tells the story of the late Stuart Long, an amateur boxer who eventually joined the priesthood. Wahlberg was struck by Long’s story and was so determined to make the film, he invested his own money in the movie. A risk he was willing to take because he was confident God was behind the project. The film touches on a whole host of issues, from finding purpose in suffering and trusting God with the unknown to practicing humility and leaving space for redemption. Wahlberg says he prayed a lot that the film would lead to changed hearts. Read more about the movie here.

Solar Panels Can Make Electricity At Night

Engineers at Stanford University have developed solar panels that can continue to generate electricity even at night. Standard solar panels are able to provide electricity only during the day, but this new technology is able to work as a “continuous renewable power source for both day and nighttime.” About 750 million people in the world do not have access to electricity at night. Solar cells provide power during the day, but saving energy for later use requires substantial battery storage. but now engineers have built a device with a thermoelectric generator. This device is able to suck electricity from the tiny difference in temperature between the solar cell and ambient air. Read more about the panels here.

Maverick City Music Makes History As First Christian Performer At Grammy Award Show In 20 Years

Maverick City Music made history Sunday night by winning its first Grammy and also becoming the first Christian or Gospel group in 20 years to perform live on the broadcast. The group won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for Old Church Basement, a live LP recorded with Elevation Worship. The group also received nominations for Best Gospel Performance/Song (Wait on You), Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song (Jireh) and Best Gospel Album (Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition). The group tweeted after the win, “THANK YOU JESUS!” the group’s Twitter account said after the Grammy win. “Everything we do belongs to God! We’re so honored to be a part of what He is doing in the Kingdom!” Read more about the group here.

Franklin Graham Writes Putin And Zelenskyy Requesting Cease Fire During Holy Week

The Rev. Franklin Graham said he wrote to Russian President Vladimir V. Putin and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to ask for a cease-fire in the war in observance of Holy Week in the Western and Eastern Christian churches, which together span from April 10 to April 24. Graham visited Ukraine this week to see the work that his humanitarian relief organization, Samaritan’s Purse, is doing to aid refugees and other victims of the war. He said he was not confident he’d get a response from Putin but said he viewed the message as necessary. “If they can stop fighting for a week or 10 days, maybe they can stop fighting for two weeks,” said Graham. “If they stop for two weeks maybe they can stop for a month. If they stop for a month, maybe they can stop for good. You’ve got to start somewhere.” Read more about his request here.

NYC Mayor Fires Christian Education Advisor Over her Views On Gender And Sexuality

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has fired an education advisor from the city’s Panel for Education Policy after the New York Daily News reported on some of her past writings on gender and sexuality. The Rev. Kathlyn Barrett-Layne, who leads Staten Island’s Reach Out and Touch Ministries, was initially one of nine appointees to NYC’s Panel for Education Policy (PEP), which replaced the Board of Education in 2002 and is part of overseeing the city’s public schools. Within hours of Adams’ public announcement of the appointment, Barrett-Layne was reportedly asked to resign, due to an article published citing Barrett-Layne’s 2013 book, Challenging Your Disappointments, as evidence for her “anti-gay” agenda. In the book, Barrett-Layne listed homosexuality among other sins, including “fornication, adultery, pedophilia, stealing, lying, envy, and covetousness.” Read more about her firing here.

Metal Detector Discovers Ring belonging To The Sheriff Of Nottingham

Israel Suffers Three Deadly Attacks In One Week

Five people were shot dead by a Palestinian gunman near Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Israeli police said, marking the third such attack in Israel within a week. The attack started in the city of Bnei Brak, just east of Tel Aviv. A police spokesperson said a preliminary investigation found that at least one assailant used an assault rifle against civilians in several locations before being killed by local police forces. The death toll from Tuesday’s attack brings the number of people killed in such attacks in the last week to 11. Read more about the attacks here.

Defense Attorneys For Megachurch Pastor Charged With Sex Crimes Says Evidence Was Fabricated

Megachurch pastor Naason Joaquin Garcia, who is accused of multiple sex crimes, says prosecutors have fabricated evidence in his case. n a motion filed on March 15, defense attorney Alan Jackson and his team argued that the case against Garcia is based on false evidence. The California Attorney General’s Office alleges that Garcia, pastor at La Luz Del Mundo, groomed and raped teenage girls from his congregation. He was arrested in the summer of 2019 and charged with human trafficking, production of child pornography, forcible rape of a minor and other felonies committed between 2015 and 2019. Read more about the motion here.

University Of Washington Sparks Outrage After Freezer Full Of Aborted Baby Parts Exposed

The University of Washington School of Medicine is reportedly keeping aborted human fetuses and organs in rows of labeled boxes and paper bags in a walk-in freezer. The grim discovery was made earlier this month by the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, a left-wing organization, alongside members of several other anti-abortion groups that located the freezer at the university’s Birth Defects Research Laboratory. The activists found the freezer by following a paper trail of invoices that recorded the purchase of various fetal body parts by universities and research labs across the country. Read more about the discovery here.

Ukrainian-American Pastor Kidnapped By Russians Is Released

A Ukrainian-American pastor who was recently kidnapped from his home by Russian forces has been released, his family confirmed. Pastor Dmitry Bodyu of Word of Life Church in Melitopol was taken by about 8 to 10 Russian troops on the morning of March 19. On Monday, however, his wife, Helen Bodyu, announced that he had been sent free and returned home. “Dear friends! Thank you all so much for your prayers!!! Dmitry is home. He’s doing well, wrote Helen on Facebook. Thank you for your participation, for your concern, help and love! God is good!!! Praise the Lord!” Read more about his release here.

Disney Restores Same Sex Kiss In Movie “Lightyear”

Disney’s Pixar has restored a same-sex kiss to its Buzz Lightyear origin story after employees protested the removal of gay storylines from Pixar films, a report Friday said. The kiss will appear in Lightyear when it hits screens June 17. Characters in the Toy Story spinoff, include two women who are in a relationship. The kiss was subsequently reinstated after employee protest amid the backlash against Disney leadership not immediately condemning Florida’s parental rights education bill. The legislation bans sexual orientation or gender identity being discussed in classrooms. Read more about their decision here.

NH Pastor Charged For Possessing Child Sex Abuse Images

The pastor at a New Hampshire church is charged with possession of child sex abuse images and could face additional charges as part of an ongoing, years-long investigation, police say. Stephen Bates, 46, was arrested Tuesday morning at the Bible Baptist Church on a felony charge of possession of child sexual abuse images. Nashua police said the investigation leading to Bates’ arrest began over five years ago, in August of 2016, when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children sent Nashua police a tip indicating that child sexual abuse images had been accessed by an electronic device utilizing an IP address associated with the Bible Baptist Church. Read more about the charges here.

Franklin Graham Calling For Prayers For Justice Clarence Thomas 

Evangelist Franklin Graham is requesting prayer for Clarence Thomas after the 73-year-old Supreme Court justice was admitted into the hospital Friday with flu-like symptoms. Thomas, the second-oldest member of the court, was nominated by President George H.W. Bush in 1991 and is a stalwart member of the six-member conservative bloc. In a press release, the Supreme Court said Thomas is expected to be released soon. “Join me in praying for a quick recovery for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who was hospitalized on Friday with an infection,” Graham tweeted. “He underwent tests, was diagnosed with an infection, and is being treated with intravenous antibiotics,” the press release said. “His symptoms are abating, he is resting comfortably, and he expects to be released from the hospital in a day or two. Read more about his illness here.

New Head-Tounge Controller Allows Paralyzed Patients to Operate Wheelchairs And Smartphones

Brooks Rehabilitation recently announced that the MagTrack study, a collaborative research endeavor with the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been successfully completed. the two have come up with a new controller that works using head and tongue movements is one of the only options for patients with paralysis to not only control their own power wheelchairs but to use smartphones and computers. In addition, the assistive device is designed to be wearable, wireless, and adaptable to the user’s specific condition. The team at Georgia Tech is already working on a new version of MagTrack that is not only more inconspicuous, but also includes detection of facial gestures that significantly augments its control capabilities. Read more about the controller here.

Christianity Today Former Editor Accused Of Sexual Harassment

For more than a dozen years, Christianity Today failed to hold two ministry leaders accountable for sexual harassment at its Carol Stream, Illinois, office. A number of women reported demeaning, inappropriate, and offensive behavior by former editor in chief Mark Galli and former advertising director Olatokunbo Olawoye. But the men were not disciplined, according to an external assessment of the ministry’s culture released Tuesday. Olawoye was arrested in 2017 after a sting operation by federal agents. He had been trying to pay for sex with a teenager and was later sentenced to three years in prison.  Read more about the harassment here.

California Town May Declare Chick-fil-A Public Nuisance

Chick-fil-A restaurants are known for their heavy foot traffic and busy drive-thrus, but a Chick-fil-A in Santa Barbara, California, is getting so much business that the city council is considering forcing the restaurant to move by declaring it a “public nuisance.” Residents have complained about backups that spill from the drive-thru and onto the road. Mayor Randy Rowse, “It is important to understand we’re trying to cure, not trying to punish.” Chick-fil-A representatives said they will fix the issue by adding another thru-lane, rearranging parking spaces and adding “a forced right turn exit out of the restaurant,” the News-Press reported. Read more the restaurant here. 

Minnesota Church Packs Thousands Of Meals For Ukrainians 

More than 200 people gathered at Bethel Lutheran Church to pack thousands of meals for Food for Kidz, a nonprofit organization based in Stewart, Minnesota. The volunteers are members of churches around Rochester including Bethel, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Holy Spirit Catholic Church and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Bruce Gudlin, a member of the four-person team at Bethel that organized the event, expects the volunteers today to pack between 100,000 and 120,000 meals. Half of the meals will be distributed locally, while the other half will be sent to Poland. From there, they will be distributed to those impacted by the war in Ukraine. Read more about the effort here.

North Carolina Gas Station Owners Lower Price Of Gas To Help Struggling Customers

Imagine buying gas for about $2 a gallon. That’s hard to come by these days, but lucky drivers in North Carolina were able to get it for $2.25 a gallon. Gas station owners in Burnsville said they wanted to help people during this time, so they took a loss and dropped their prices. “I think that’s really great and kind of them to do that for people around here like us,” customer Caylie Vess said. “I think it’s really good of them.” The cheap gas was available from just before noon to about 5 p.m., when it ran out. The station is expecting another delivery Thursday night or Friday morning. The owners plan to drop the price again soon. Read more about these generous owners here.

Russian Evangelical Leader Apologizes To Ukrainian Christians

A Russian evangelical leader recently issued a statement apologizing to Ukrainian Christians over the recent Russian invasion. Vitaly Vlasenko, General Secretary of the Russian Evangelical Alliance, expressed his grievances about the war in an open letter published on Saturday. “As the General Secretary of the Russian Evangelical Alliance, I mourn what my country has done in its recent military invasion of another sovereign country, Ukraine,” Vlasenko lamented. “For me, as for many other Christians, the military invasion was a shock. In the worst-case scenario, I could not imagine what is now being observed in Ukraine,” he continued. Read more of his letter here.

Grace Community Church Excommunicates Woman For Refusing To Stay With Abusive Husband 

A newly uncovered video shows on August 18, 2002, prominent radio pastor and author, John MacArthur, took time during an evening service to address a woman at GCC who was living in sin, MacArthur alleged. According to MacArthur, Eileen Gray’s sin was that she had decided “to leave her husband, to grant no grace at all, to take the children, to go away, to forsake him.” This, MacArthur emphasized, meant rejecting “all the instruction and counsel of the elders, all instruction from the Word of God.” Her husband is now serving 21 years to life in a California prison for his 2005 convictions for aggravated child molestation, corporal injury to a child, and child abuse. Read more about the video here.

New $100 Million Dollar Ad Aims to Show That Jesus Gets Us

“He Gets Us,” an ad campaign that presents a fresh take on Jesus’ life and experiences, launched yesterday, and is believed to be the largest of its kind ever coordinated across TV, digital, radio, outdoor, and experiential platforms. After completing a 10-market, multimillion-dollar test over the last few months, which included placement amid top primetime shows and NFL games, the test effort far exceeded expectations. The nationwide effort, backed by a coalition of Christian donors, is seeking to present Jesus’ story that is not institutional, political, or self-serving. He Gets Us is disrupting misconceptions by pointing out how Jesus identified with the marginalized, how he didn’t favor the powerful, how he often offended the religious by associating with social outcasts. Read more about the campaign here.

Stage Production Musical “David” Opens In Pennsylvania

The stage production of David, a retelling of the biblical account of David, opened this past weekend in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The show tells the story of David, the young shepherd who killed the giant Goliath with a slingshot and later became the King of Israel. The production of ‘David’ will present the familiar Bible story from the book of Samuel in a fresh way when it premieres on Sight & Sound’s 300-foot panoramic stage with massive sets, special effects, and original music inspired by the Psalms. “This brand new production has been four years in the making and we couldn’t be more excited to finally bring it to the stage,” said Sight & Sound Chief Story Officer Joshua Enck. Read more about the musical here.

Elementary School Punishes Two year Old For Sharing Her Faith

The American Center for Law and Justice, is representing a student and her family in their demand for retribution from North Hill Elementary. According to Christina Compagnone, an associate counsel with the ACLJ, the two year old girl was sent to the principal’s office ten times since January for sharing her faith with classmates on the playground. “Not only were they scolding her for talking about Jesus to her classmates outside of instruction time, but they were stopping her at the entrance to the school every morning to inspect her backpack and remove any Christian tracts!” Compagnone added. Read more about the lawsuit here.

Samaritan’s Purse To Set Up Emergency Field Hospital In Ukraine

North Carolina-based Samaritan’s Purse landed safely in Poland and materials for an emergency field hospital have been transported to Ukraine. According to a weekend update from the organization, the Samaritan’s Purse team is now in the process of setting up the facility. Based on recent assessments, the group will increase the capacity of its Ukraine field hospital, planning for two operating rooms with the capacity for 14 major surgeries or 30 minor surgeries per day, according to Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham. There will be four wards with 50 inpatient beds and an emergency room that can handle 100 patients per day. Also included are four intensive care unit beds and four step-down beds. Read more about the field hospital here.

Iraqi Christian Murdered After Sharing Her Faith On TikTok

An Iraqi woman who recently converted from Islam to Christianity was found murdered on March 7 after she posted a TikTok video about her new faith, according to a religious liberty watchdog. The 20-year-old woman, Iman Sami, also known as Maria, was the daughter of a Muslim cleric, according to International Christian Concern (ICC). The murder took place after she posted a TikTok video showing herself singing Christian songs. ICC believes the murder likely was retaliation by her family. Her body was found in northern Iraq. One of her friends said Maria was given a Bible last month by a member of a Bible study group. Read more about the murder here.

Couple Finds Pearl Worth Thousands In Restaurant Clam

Michael and Maria Spressler were treated to more than dinner after dining at a local seafood restaurant. After biting into his clam dinner, Michael discovered a pearl. “I thought one of my molars cracked,” he said. At 8.8 millimeters, it’s a whopper, and the first one in as long as anyone at The Lobster House can remember being found. In its 100th year on the peer above the Cape, the restaurant staff were giddy at the news that their loyal customers had perhaps found a small fortune in one of their clams. Despite potentially being worth thousands of dollars, the couple decided to keep it as a celebration. Read more about the pearl here. 

People Booking Rentals Through Airbnb To Help Ukrainians

People looking to help Ukrainians from afar have been booking empty Airbnb rentals in Ukraine’s hardest hit areas, as a way to quickly send cash to the country under siege from Russian forces. In response, Airbnb waived the guest and host fees on bookings so the rental fees go directly to the Ukrainian hosts. “We are so humbled by the inspiring generosity of our community during this moment of crisis. Airbnb is temporarily waiving guest and host fees on bookings in Ukraine at this time,” the vacation rental app said in a statement. The idea has picked up momentum. On March 2 and March 3, guests from around the world booked more than 61,000 nights in Ukraine, according to an Airbnb spokesperson. Read more about the effort here.

Nascar Team Donates $302,000 To Ukraine Relief

Russia Plants Land Mines On Evacuation Route

A top International Red Cross official said on Monday that a proposed humanitarian zone in Mariupol, Ukraine, was lined with land mines. The latest sign of the struggle to allow women and children to flee Russia’s war on the country. Some Red Cross staff had tried to take the proposed route out of Mariupol before realizing that it was mined. Russian and Ukrainian officials have tried for days to agree to limited cease-fires that would allow women and children to evacuate to safer areas and give international aid workers safe passage to those needing care. Ukraine officials also called the Russian safe-corridor proposal a “completely immoral’’ trick, because the Kremlin’s proposed escape routes would funnel refugees into Russia or its ally Belarus, trapping Ukrainians once again. Read more about the route here.

Danish Hobbit Hole Visitor Center Built In Side Of Hill

Lord of the rings fands rejoice. A visitor center that resembles a modern version of cozy Hobbit houses has been built into rolling green hills in Denmark. The visitor center is an architectural interpretation of the glacial landscape. It is not a destination itself, but part of an overall narrative. The building forms a natural starting point for hikes in the area, where a network of paths flows through both building and landscape. From here visitors are guided into the landscape or inside the center to the exhibition, the teaching facilities, or the café. Carsten Primdahl, partner and architect at CEBRA, says, “Skamlingsbanken connects the past with the present and the future, and one of the project’s main ambitions has been to actualize the place’s remarkable history and nature into a contemporary context. Read more the Hobbit hole here.