‘600 Days That We Fight for Our Lives’: Israel Marks a Milestone of Pain and Prayer

(Worthy Insights) – Six hundred days since his son, Itay Chen, was abducted by Hamas forces, Ruby Chen’s message to the crowd at the Knesset auditorium was personal, not political. “I’m standing here as a father,” Chen said.

He explained that his family had chosen not to hold a shiva—the traditional Jewish week of mourning—despite being told by Israeli intelligence that Itay was killed on the day he was abducted from his tank on the Gaza border. “Not because we don’t believe in the Jewish faith—on the contrary. It’s because we still have hope that he could come back,” Chen said. Until he and his wife know with absolute certainty that their son is dead, they refuse to give up hope.

Chen made these comments as part of the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast, an annual interfaith gathering founded in 2017 to foster global prayer and diplomatic solidarity with Israel. Addressing the crowd, he emphasized that the goals of dismantling Hamas and returning all the hostages “don’t always coexist.” “It is unfortunate that after 600 days, I am still standing here, wishing to see my son back, as well as 57 other hostages,” he said. [ Source (Read More…) ]

Explosive new intelligence report reveals Iran’s nuclear weapons program still active

(Worthy Insights) – A new intelligence report claims Iran is continuing with its active nuclear weapons program, which it says can be used to launch missiles over long distances.

The startling intelligence gathering of Austrian officials contradicts the assessment of the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told a Senate Intelligence Committee in March that the American intelligence community “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.”

Austria’s version of the FBI — the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution — wrote Monday in an intelligence report, “In order to assert and enforce its regional political power ambitions, the Islamic Republic of Iran is striving for comprehensive rearmament, with nuclear weapons to make the regime immune to attack and to expand and consolidate its dominance in the Middle East and beyond.” [ Source (Read More…) ]

Gen Z Is Rebelling—by Getting Religion

(Worthy Insights) – After decades of steady decline, the share of Americans identifying as Christian has stabilized. One reason is the unexpected religiosity of Generation Z—young adults born after 2000—who are not abandoning religion at the rate their parents did. For some, faith has become a form of rebellion against a culture that rejects traditional values.

According to the Pew Research Center’s latest Religious Landscape Study, 63 percent of Americans now identify as Christian—a slight increase from the 2022 low of 60 percent and part of a five-year trend of relative stability following nearly two decades of decline. The study analyzed respondents by birth decade and found that every twentieth-century cohort showed a drop in Christian identification compared with the previous one. For example, 80 percent of the group born in the 1940s and earlier identify as Christian, compared with just 46 percent of those born in the 1990s. But among those born in the 2000s, the rate held steady at the 1990s level, suggesting that the generational decline may have plateaued. [ Source (Read More…) ]

European Congress on Evangelism Opens in Berlin with a Call for Bold Gospel Proclamation

(Worthy Insights) – The atmosphere inside the JW Marriott auditorium was electric as the opening day of the European Congress on Evangelism commenced. Set against the impressive backdrop of a 25-meter-wide stage, award-winning concert pianist Huntley Brown filled the space with a blend of classic hymns and contemporary worship songs, culminating in the powerful refrain of “Goodness of God.” A single, illuminated cross dominated the stage, establishing an ambience of reverence and expectancy.

With over 1,000 pastors and Christian leaders from 55 countries and territories—from the UK to Ukraine, Spain to Sweden—this congress marks a significant moment for the Church in Europe, taking place nearly 60 years after Billy Graham’s inaugural World Congress on Evangelism in 1966.

The opening session featured a moving flag ceremony, with stewards parading the flags of the 57 recognized countries of Europe, which were then placed along the upper mezzanine of the auditorium. [ Source (Read More…) ]

FBI Investigating Seattle After Mayor Blamed Christians for Violent Rioters Who Attacked Them

(Worthy Insights) – The FBI is investigating the city of Seattle after the mayor pointed the finger of blame at a group of Christians who were assaulted by rioters while participating in a worship and prayer rally. News of the violent counter-protest has gone viral, even sparking response at the White House.

As CBN News has reported, the grassroots movement #DontMessWithOurKids gathers thousands of believers together in every state to pray for a move of God to protect America’s children and turn around the U.S. education system.

The organization kicked off MayDay USA at the beginning of the month to bring the major prayer movement and evangelism outreach to five cities in the U.S. and to see the “sacredness of gender and family as defined by God” restored. [ Source (Read More…) ]

Israel’s new buffer zone in Syria begins to stabilize, but the ground is shifting fast

(Worthy Insights) – Nearly six months have passed since the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria, after which IDF forces began entering Syrian territory. The new security buffer zone Israel has established along the border in the Golan Heights is beginning to take shape, but the atmosphere remains tense, and the situation is evolving faster than history is accustomed to.

Take Tel Kodna, for example—once a Syrian outpost, it has overnight become a forward Israeli control post. “We’ve gone back to the days of border outposts, like in South Lebanon,” says Col. Benny Kata, commander of the 474th Golan Brigade. “This is an outpost. It operates like one. It’s a combat zone, with ready machine-gun positions, fragmentation grenades and missiles.” [ Source (Read More…) ]

Franklin Graham Preps for Europe’s Largest Evangelism Event in 25 Years: ‘We Want to Ignite a Fire’

(Worthy Insights) – From the time that Jesus gave the Great Commission to his disciples until today, the message hasn’t changed – “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel.” The Rev. Billy Graham took that mandate seriously, and his son Franklin still does as well. So on May 27-30, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association will host the largest gathering on Christian evangelism in 25 years in Berlin, Germany.

The last time they met was in Holland, where evangelists and ministers from across the world gathered for Amsterdam 2000. They came from India, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, the United States, Singapore, and more.

It was a moment seen as a “passing of the torch” by the Rev. Billy Graham – who couldn’t make the conference due to health problems – to the next generation of Christian evangelists. [ Source (Read More…) ]

‘Duck Dynasty’ Founder Phil Robertson Passes Away at 79: ‘Legacy of Love for God’

(Worthy Insights) – Phil Robertson, the founder of “Duck Dynasty” and the patriarch of the Robertson family, has passed away at 79, according to a post by his family.

His son and daughter-in-law, Willie and Korie Robertson, announced on Facebook, “We celebrate today that our father, husband, and grandfather, Phil Robertson, is now with the Lord.”

“He reminded us often of the words of Paul, ‘you do not grieve like those who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him,'” the post continued. [ Source (Read More…) ]

Who was Yaron Lischinsky? For starters, he was a ‘super solid’ Israeli Christian, diplomat, ‘true Zionist,’ and the brother of an ALL ISRAEL NEWS journalist

(Worthy Insights) – Yaron was also a strong follower of Jesus – well-known, well-respected, and well-loved throughout the Israeli Christian community – as well as a veteran of serving in the Israeli Defense Forces, a diplomat working for Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a passionate soccer player.

Yaron and Sarah were not only like-minded, best friends, and madly in love.

They were also planning to get married.

In fact, Yaron had already purchased the ring and the two were planning to fly back to Jerusalem next week to get engaged. [ Source (Read More…) ]

Slain Israeli diplomat Yarón Lischinsky was German Christian who fell in love with Jewish state

(Worthy Insights) – Yarón Lischinsky (30) and Sarah Lynn Milgrim (26), two staff members of the Israeli embassy in Washington, were murdered Thursday in a shooting attack outside the Jewish Museum in the US capital. The perpetrator, Elias Rodriguez, 31, from Chicago – a far-left activist previously involved in anti-Israeli protests across the US – left behind a manifesto declaring he carried out the attack “as part of the Palestinian struggle.”

Lischinsky grew up in Nuremberg, Germany as an Evangelical Christian before moving to Israel in his youth driven by Zionist ideals. Zineb Riboua, a Moroccan researcher based in the US who maintained a close friendship with Lischinsky, shared her grief on social media, writing: “Yarón Lischinskywas the finest friend I’ve ever had, brilliant, kind, and endlessly thoughtful. A devout Christian and a gifted linguist, he spoke German, Hebrew, and Japanese. He was full of curiosity and always brimming with ideas. I don’t think we ever had a conversation that didn’t leave me inspired to write something new. He loved America. He was excited about the future, about finally visiting Texas, and about the life he and his beloved fiancée were building together. I was supposed to meet her today. They are both gone. And the loss is immeasurable. The world has lost two extraordinary souls. And I have lost a dear friend who made every moment brighter.” [ Source (Read More…) ]

CNN Freaks Out Over Prayer Hegseth’s Pastor Gave at Pentagon: No Wonder – It Was Excellent

(Worthy Insights) – It’s good to see that CNN isn’t taking long to freak out over the prayer service Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had his pastor host, finding “a national security law expert” to call it a “clear violation” of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

The headline itself was actually quite neutral, at least by CNN standards: “Hegseth hosts first meeting of what he says will be a monthly Christian prayer service at Pentagon.”

“The service, which Hegseth told the audience would be a monthly event, was held in the Pentagon auditorium and broadcast live on the department’s internal TV network. Current and former defense officials told CNN it was highly unusual for the secretary to host a religious event during the workday for a particular religion,” CNN noted. [ Source (Read More…) ]

House Passes ‘Big Beautiful Bill’, Pro-Life Advocates Applaud Cuts to Planned Parenthood Funding

(Worthy Insights) – GOP lawmakers introduced a provision in the”Big Beautiful Bill” that would cut Medicaid funds from going to the abortion industry, including Planned Parenthood.

The bill includes language that not only removes taxpayer funding from the abortion giant but also cuts funding “for organizations that participate in transgender medical interventions for minors.”

“This is an historic win for Pro-Life Americans and children in the womb, as Planned Parenthood and Big Abortion has been cut out of the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ and has been told to go fund themselves, Our 50-state grassroots network will now turn our attention to the U.S. Senate, asking them to put life-saving care over the interests of the abortion lobby,'” said Students for Life Action President Kristan Hawkins. [ Source (Read More…) ]