These Photos Follow Undocumented People Trying To Make It To The U.S.

“I think in looking at immigration in the U.S., especially undocumented immigration, it’s important to think about the reasons why people leave their homes in the first place to come here,” says John Moore, a special correspondent for Getty Images, who has spent the last decade documenting immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border. He decided to edit those photos into a book, called Undocumented, after the 2016 presidential election. “In some cases, it’s economic, of course. But in many cases it’s absolutely obscene violence that’s taking place.”

---

Be Careful Using Proverbs 22:6 to Judge One’s Parenting!

Here’s a point we cannot afford to miss—PROVERBS ARE NOT ABSOLUTE TRUTHS! Proverbs are principles, not promises. They set forth general rules for living. They are great words to live by, but they are not iron-clad rules. In the book of Isaiah, it reads: “Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; for the Lord speaks, ‘Sons I have reared and brought up, but they have revolted against Me (Isa. 1:2).’” God often referred to Israel as His children. Here, in Isaiah 1:2, He calls them “sons.” God’s “sons” revolted. What does this say about the heavenly Father? There could never be a more perfect father than the Almighty God. Do we dare accuse Him of being an unfit parent because His children rebelled? Do the actions of God’s children mean that God failed as a Father?

---

5 Ways We Get the Great Commission Wrong

• When We See ‘Teaching’ as Exclusively or Primarily Informational
• When We Weigh Christ’s Imperatives
• When We See Its Application as Primarily Individualistic
• When We Isolate the Commission from Old Testament Foundations
• When We Isolate the Commission from the Gospels’ Vision of Discipleship

---

Facebook Is Losing Younger Users at an Even Faster Than Expected Rate

Last year alone, the social network lost more than 1.4 million users in the 12 to 17-year old demographic, according to new report from research firm eMarketer. That represents a decline of nearly 10 percent, or roughly three times what analysts had predicted. Notably, 2017 was the first time that analysts expected the company to see a drop in usage for any age group. Overall, Facebook lost 2.8 million U.S. users under the age of 25, the data found.

---

This Is A Boring Shark Attack: 8 Rules for Fascinating Storytelling

1. Never start a story with weather unless the weather directly influences what actually happens in the story.
2. Start at the beginning of the story and end at the end.
3. Never use a verb other than “said” to carry dialogue.
4. Never, ever use internet language in a verbal context.
5. Never use the words “suddenly” or “all hell broke loose.”
6. Use dialect sparingly.
7. Take full responsibility for your role in the story.
8. Show the audience who you are and what you want in the story.

---

This Couple’s Last-Minute Wedding At A Hospital Will Have You In Tears

After recognizing the name of the hospital, Teal reached out and offered to shoot the wedding for free. “It soon became clear that everybody involved in the wedding had donated their services to this young couple, as the mother of the bride was given a week to live just days beforehand,” Teal wrote in a blog post. As Teal arrived to shoot the wedding, she realized that not only was it the same hospital where both of her parents died of stage 4 cancer, but the ceremony was taking place in the exact same room where her mother’s funeral was held.

---

Woman’s act of kindness toward Pearland mom goes a long way

“I said go ahead and do your grocery shopping, and I’ll just hold Jacob and I’ll talk to him,” Guillory said. “I picked him up, put him in my arms, (and) I talked to him with a soothing voice.”
They walked around the store for 45 minutes, and as Paterson checked out she took a photo and shared it in a private Pearland moms Facebook group to thank a stranger for her kindness.
“It really touched me,” Guillory said. “I know how it is. I’ve been there. I have two kids, it’s frustrating, and that baby is 2 months. You have hormones going…and people are looking at you crazy, and I just wanted to help. God sent me there to help her.”

---

How Not to Read the Parables

Jesus is the embodiment of the wisdom of God—he is the Word of God—so at their center, the wisdom scenes of the parables picture the centrality and the supremacy of Christ. But they come at this central proclamation from different angles, revealing different applications and implications of Christ’s Lordship. The parables, in fact, allow us to peek behind the veil between earth and the place where God’s will is most manifest, showing us glimpses of the day when that veil will be torn in two.

---

A Lot More People Are Reading the Bible Than You Think, And More Often

So, read your Bible!
Talk about it with people!
People around you are probably reading it, too. And there is a good chance they are reading it often— 1 in 4 daily, 1 in 3 weekly. They would probably like to talk about it.

---

Full, Not Busy

If our lives are scheduled to the brim—even with good things—it doesn’t give us time to see or appreciate humans as more than an appointment or nature as more than the ground on which we walk from car to coffee shop. My life is full, full and brimming over, but it is not busy.

---

Obama Campaign’s “Targeted Share” App Also Used Facebook Data From Millions Of Unknowing Users

Two GOP campaign analytics sources told me the Obama camp used a common Facebook developer API–the same one used to access the data for Cambridge Analytica–to create a Facebook app that could capture the personal data not only of the app user, but also of all that person’s friends.

---

US officials: Kaspersky “Slingshot” report burned anti-terror operation

A malware campaign discovered by researchers for Kaspersky Lab this month was in fact a US military operation, according to a report by CyberScoop’s Chris Bing and Patrick Howell O’Neill. Unnamed US intelligence officials told CyberScoop that Kaspersky’s report had exposed a long-running Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) operation targeting the Islamic State and Al Qaeda.

---

Texas judge: ‘Three things you can do to guarantee your child goes to jail’

No. 1: “Don’t hold your child accountable. Don’t know where they’re at, don’t know who they’re hanging out with. Don’t know where they’re going. Just let them go anywhere they want to (go) do anything they want to do.”
No. 2: “Don’t teach them the greatest ability of responsibility. They don’t have to be responsible for what they say. They don’t have to be responsible for what they do. They don’t have to go to school. They don’t have to do chores around your house. If they whine and complain enough, you just do it yourself so you don’t have to worry about it.”
No. 3: “Let them lie to you. Every time they tell you a lie, and you know they’re telling you a lie, do the easiest thing, is just to ignore it and pretend it didn’t happen.”

---

Bible Translated Into 49 Languages in 2017

In 2017, United Bible Societies (UBS) (@ubsbible) assisted in translating the Bible or Scripture portions into 49 languages spoken by more than 580 million people, as reported in UBS’ Global Scripture Access Report 2017 Annual Progress.

---

These Dreamers Were Deported to Mexico. Now, They’re Helping Others Start Again

So non-profits like New Comienzos are stepping in to help out. The location for its offices is strategic; a nearby call center employs dozens of young Dreamers because of their fluency in English, a language which for most is more familiar than Spanish. The call center is something of a hub, and a number of businesses, from barber shops to burger joints, have sprung up in the area to cater to this new Americanized population — so much so that the neighborhood is known as ‘Little L.A.’

---

As Castro Prepares to Leave Office, Trump’s Cuba Policy Is a Road to Nowhere

Trump’s bullying only makes it more likely that the Cubans, with or without a Castro, will do what they have done for the past fifty-nine years: exhibit stubborn pride and, if necessary, forge tactical alliances with any of America’s geostrategic foes who might be willing to watch their back.

---

5 Ways Your Church’s Impact Can Become Bigger Than Its Footprint

1. Equip The Saints
2. Minister From The Church, Not Just In The Church
3. Leverage Social Media
4. Truly, Genuinely Love People
5. Keep Jesus Front-and-Center

---

Why Reading Books Should Be Your Priority, According To Science

More than a quarter–26 percent–of American adults admit to not having read even part of a book within the past year. That’s according to statistics coming out of the Pew Research Center. If you’re part of this group, know that science supports the idea that reading is good for you on several levels.

---

12 Things Everyone Should Understand About Tech

1. Tech is not neutral.
2. Tech is not inevitable.
3. Most people in tech sincerely want to do good.
4. Tech history is poorly documented and poorly understood.
5. Most tech education doesn’t include ethical training.
6. Tech is often built with surprising ignorance about its users.
7. There is never just one single genius creator of technology.
8. Most tech isn’t from startups or by startups.
9. Most big tech companies make money in just one of three ways.
10. The economic model of big companies skews all of tech.
11. The process or methodology by which tech is created can follow fads or trends that are in fashion.
12. No institution has the power to rein in tech’s abuses.

---

A Year in Space Changed How Astronaut Scott Kelly’s Genes Behaved

Other genetic differences stuck around even months after landing. “Although 93 percent of genes’ expression returned to normal post-flight, a subset of several hundred ‘space genes’ were still disrupted after return to Earth,” acccording to a NASA press release. About 7 percent of Scott’s genes may show longer-term changes, included the genes associated with DNA repair, immune health, bone formation, hypoxia (an oxygen deficiency in the tissues) and hypercapnia (excessive carbon dioxide in the bloodstream).

---

Impaired Driver Pulls Up to Jail Security Booth, Tries to Order Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sandwich: Authorities

The 44-year-old Jamesport woman was arrested on driving while ability impaired by drugs and unlicensed driving charges after the authorities said she pulled up to the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office Correctional Facility and tried to put in a breakfast order at the the Riverhead Correctional Facility’s security booth.
Authorities said after the woman pulled up and tried to place an order for “bacon, egg and cheese,” Deputy Yvonne DeCaro, who was manning the booth at the time, told her that she was at the county jail.

---

Think On These Things

Spend more time with people different than you. Share a cup of coffee with someone and spend time face-to-face. Stop watching cable news. Stop spending so much time on Facebook.
Garbage in? Garbage out.

---

Internet Trolls in Church Clothes

How now shall we comment? Consider some examples of the kind of questions we can ask ourselves before posting.

• Am I speaking from a soul satisfied in God or from my discontent?
• Have I prayed for this person to whom I’m about to respond?
• Have I labored to understand what he is saying?
• Do I love this person (1 Peter 2:15–17) — even if they feel like an enemy (Matthew 5:43)?
• Am I merely trying to one-up him?
• How would I phrase this critique if I had to speak it to him face to face?
• Can I raise my critique in private instead of in public?
• How can I say this in a way that aims to build him up as well as the hearers?
• Is this particular critique needful at this point in time?
• Could I be wrong?
• Am I sowing discord or delight?

---

You’re Invited to the Table

That’s why Jesus invites us to his table. He wants to see our lives transformed by providing a place to belong. When Jesus told his disciples how much he had looked forward to being with them at the Passover table he was telling them in a big way that they were welcome at his table. He wanted them there. He accepted them as they were.

---

Stop Giving Toxic People Your Time

So when you recognize someone who doesn’t have principles, shows nasty behavior, and has multiple personalities — step away.
Instead, surround yourself with people who want the best for you.
Not with people who are jealous, can’t see your success, and thrive off negativity. I think this is important to realize for anyone who wants to live a good life.

---

Greeters and Gifts: How Churches Welcome Guests

If the average pastor has anything to do with it, church guests can expect multiple greetings and may even leave with a gift.
A new study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research asked 1,000 Protestant pastors what their churches do to welcome guests.

---

Stop Excommunicating Christians Who Disagree with You

Once we’ve done the damaging work of kicking people out our lives, are we giving them the opportunity to come back in? If we, as Christians, can’t live out the Matthew 18 directive of conflict resolution, how will anyone else in our polarized culture know how to live differently? This Lent let us resolve to “pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.” Romans 14:19.

---

Why Jewish Kids Don’t Have Peanut Allergies

It’s all a sign, according to both Sacks and Haidt, that it’s the parents who are nuts. Children raised in bubbles, not afforded the rigour of pushback, never taught bit by bit to be strengthened and tempered against a future in which their views are going to be challenged, inevitably succumb to the intellectual equivalent of anaphelactic shock.

---

When well-meaning people can’t see it the same way

Yes, there are a few people who are mendacious, who are not seeking what you’re seeking. And yet, most of the time, there are plenty of good people who disagree with you–they want a good outcome, but the narrative they bring insists on getting there in a very different way. They have different glasses on and are using a different map as well.

---

Switzerland has lots of guns. But its gun culture takes different path from US.

When it comes to guns, many sit somewhere in the middle, like Chris Völkle, who works in sales in Bern. The gun in his home would be counted in the surveys that put Switzerland at the top of global gun ownership. Having finished his military training in 2016, he still must practice shooting annually, so he keeps it at home for convenience. But following strict guidelines, the rifle is in the cellar, the firing pin is in the cupboard, and the ammunition is at a military facility. “I don’t look at it like a gun,” he says. “It’s like a long, heavy piece of metal. It’s useless.”

---

Industry Evangelicals vs. Identity Evangelicals

There are significant differences between the frames. The Industry folks see the changes in society over recent decades as more negative the positive while the Identity folks see the opposite. The Identity group felt that their denomination had been too cautious in responding to changes in society while the Industry group was mildly supportive.
Here’s the important point: Both groups are committed to remaining part of their denomination. Over 72% of the Identity group and 82% of the Industry group see it as important or very important to remain inside. This suggests that the changing frame is not a long term challenge to the institutional church.

---

Read the Bible with the Jewish Eyes of Jesus: An Interview with Lois Tverberg

I was raised in a devout Christian home. A little over 20 years ago I signed up for a church seminar on ancient Israel and the Jewish setting of the Bible, and Bible stories that were foggy and confusing became clear and deeply relevant to my life. I started hearing the words of Scripture through the ears of its ancient listeners, and it made all the difference in the world. Sayings of Jesus that were divorced of their context sounded like vague platitudes, but situated within the larger first-century conversation, their true brilliance became apparent.

---

Marriage Planning or Wedding Planning
Tips to Improve Your Marriage:

• Schedule Time for Each Other
• Pray for Each Other
• Stop Using the Word “I”
• Have a Devotional Together

---

No hugging: are we living through a crisis of touch?

In countless ways social touch is being nudged from our lives. In the UK, doctors were warned last month to avoid comforting patients with hugs lest they provoke legal action, and a government report found that foster carers were frightened to hug children in their care for the same reason. In the US the Girl Scouts caused a furore last December when it admonished parents for telling their daughters to hug relatives because “she doesn’t owe anyone a hug”. Teachers hesitate to touch pupils. And in the UK, in a loneliness epidemic, half a million older people go at least five days a week without seeing or touching a soul.

---

This House Can Be 3D-Printed For $4,000

In Austin, the team 3D-printed the first home in the backyard of a converted house that serves as shared office space for Icon and an architect and developer. Icon’s staff plans to use it as an office, so they can experience spending long periods of time in the space, and tweak the design as needed. The team will also make some engineering improvements to the printer, and test it for earthquake safety (the Austin house is already the first to be permitted to U.S. building standards). Later this year, they’ll bring the printer to El Salvador, print some test homes, and finally print a community of 50 houses.

---

Galveston teen receives sweet surprise after helping elderly customer at Waffle House

Her kind gesture went viral on social media, and on Thursday, it was returned with a big surprise for one Galveston teen caught in the act cutting up food for her customer at a Waffle House in La Marque.

---