25+ min ago (752+ words) Inside Pope Leo's tour of Lebanon's important Christian sites Gaza death toll tops 70,000 as Israel continues bombing Ayoub Khan urges fellow independents to rejoin UK's 'Your Party' As MAGA turns on Zionism, Israel First right stokes Islamophobia How Yalla! Let's Talk became the Arab diaspora's leading podcast Inside Amir: A quiet portrait of leaving Iran Lebanese are preparing to welcome Pope Leo XIV on Sunday for what many are calling a historic moment for the country. After years of overlapping crises, many hope the visit will offer a measure of comfort to a nation still recovering from the 2020 Beirut blast and living under the threat'of renewed war as Israeli attacks continue along the border. The three-day trip is expected to be one of the most significant papal visits to Lebanon in decades, with stops at some of the country's most…...

43+ min ago (754+ words) The black-clad priest yanked on the white rope. At once the bells began to clang. The evening mass was beginning at the Monastery of Mar Maroun, or Saint Maroun, in the town of Annaya, high in the Lebanese mountains. This monastery overlooking the Mediterranean will be one of the stops on Pope Leo XIV's three-day visit to Lebanon, beginning Sunday. The congregation on this cool late November evening was modest in number but their voices rang out as they sang hymns " including one in Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic, the language Jesus is believed to have spoken. Christianity in Lebanon is almost as old as Christianity itself. Yet the community, with roots so deep in this land, increasingly feels its grip slipping. In recent decades many Christians have left, for the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, Australia and elsewhere....

1+ hour, 21+ min ago (149+ words) But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is... "But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to…...

1+ hour, 55+ min ago (179+ words) Pope Leo XIV wraps up a four-day trip to Turkey Sunday after a warm welcome by its tiny Christian community, before heading to Lebanon with a message of peace for the crisis-mired nation. Pope To Wrap Up Turkey Trip Before Heading To Lebanon Pope Leo XIV wraps up a four-day trip to Turkey Sunday after a warm welcome by its tiny Christian community, before heading to Lebanon with a message of peace for the crisis-mired nation. The Barron's news department was not involved in the creation of the content above. This article was produced by AFP. For more information go to AFP.com. Pope To Wrap Up Turkey Trip Before Heading To Lebanon Pope Leo XIV wraps up a four-day trip to Turkey Sunday after a warm welcome by its tiny Christian community, before heading to Lebanon with a message…...

2+ hour, 48+ min ago (1833+ words) Some chapters in Scripture don't just teach'they transform. They don't just clarify'they cut deep. They don't just inform'they completely reorder how you see God, how you see yourself, and how you understand the story you're living in. Romans 4 is one of those chapters. Romans 4 is Paul pulling back the curtain on righteousness. It's Paul showing you something shockingly simple and yet spiritually explosive: God does not count righteousness the way people do. God does not measure righteousness the way religion tries to. God does not award righteousness based on moral merit, personal performance, religious pedigree, or even spiritual consistency. God counts righteousness by faith. Not by perfection. Not by behavior. Not by success. Not by spiritual r'sum'. And Paul uses Abraham as the ultimate example'not because Abraham was flawless, not because Abraham was morally superior, and not because Abraham was…...

2+ hour, 50+ min ago (91+ words) Tish Harrison Warren, Advent: The Season of Hope, pp. 3233 LOOK: Luminarias by Juan Guzm'n LISTEN: "Come, Oh Redeemer, Come" by Fernando Ortega, on Give Me Jesus, 1999 | Performed by MissionSong (musicians of The Mission Chattanooga Parish), 2020 Lord, save us from the darkOf our strivingFaithless and troubled heartsWeighed down Refrain:Come, oh Redeemer, comeGrant us mercyCome, oh Redeemer, comeGrant us peace Look now upon our needLord, be with usHeal us and make us freeFrom our sin [Refrain "2] Father enthroned on highHoly, holyAncient, eternal LightHear our prayer...

3+ hour, 10+ min ago (1265+ words) Beyond its ecumenical symbolism, the visit signals quiet support of ongoing efforts to heal century-old wounds between Turkey and Armenia, long scarred by mass killings and decades of mistrust, observers note. An estimated 1.5 million Armenians died in massacres, deportations and forced marches that began in 1915 in Ottoman Turkey. Historians widely view the event as genocide. Turkey denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest. It has lobbied to prevent countries from officially recognizing the massacres as genocide. Influence of Pope Francis lingers Pope Francis did not visit any Armenian sites during his visit to Turkey in 2014, but on his way to the airport before departing, he made an unscripted stop at a hospital where the ailing Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II was being treated. A year later, Francis…...

3+ hour, 24+ min ago (551+ words) Would Christianity still dominate the United States if it were reimagined as a small town of 100 people? That's the premise of a new report from Pew Research Center, which offered fresh analysis of America's religious landscape through the lens of Pew's sweeping 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study (RLS). The study, conducted from July 17, 2023, to March 4, 2024, surveyed nearly 37,000 U.S. adults and paints a portrait of a community where belief " or the lack thereof " shapes neighborhoods, generations and daily life. Noting that the U.S. has a population of roughly 262 million adults, with Christianity claiming about 162 million adherents and 76 million people reporting no religious affiliation, Pew researchers acknowledge that grasping the full scope of faith in America can feel overwhelming. "These are big numbers that can make it difficult to fully understand the American religious landscape," the report states. "But what if we imagined the U.S. as a…...

3+ hour, 25+ min ago (759+ words) By Ben Wedeman, CNN (CNN) " The black-clad priest yanked on the white rope. At once the bells began to clang. The evening mass was beginning at the Monastery of Mar Maroun, or Saint Maroun, in the town of Annaya, high in the Lebanese mountains. This monastery overlooking the Mediterranean will be one of the stops on Pope Leo XIV's three-day visit to Lebanon, beginning Sunday. The congregation on this cool late November evening was modest in number but their voices rang out as they sang hymns " including one in Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic, the language Jesus is believed to have spoken. Christianity in Lebanon is almost as old as Christianity itself. Yet the community, with roots so deep in this land, increasingly feels its grip slipping. In recent decades many Christians have left, for the United States, Canada, Europe,…...

3+ hour, 26+ min ago (688+ words) Published 12:00 am Sunday, November 30, 2025 Every year around this time I stop and count my blessings." I think about the many things that God has given to me: a beautiful wife, two loving children, a wonderful son-in-law, two gifted grandsons, and so much more." Yes, I have been truly blessed!" I have often heard people say that God can do anything" but I have found six things that God cannot do." And it is for these six things that I am truly thankful: 1. God cannot lie. In John 14:2, Jesus told His disciples: "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not true, I would have told you." There is a battle raging in America over who determines what is right and what is true." We need to understand that truth comes from God." It's not that God won't lie,…...