A Prayer for When God's Great Things for You Feel SmallBy Chelsey DeMatteis  “So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; this is the one." 1 Samuel 16:12 Have you ever looked at the gifts God has given you or the life God's given you and wondered, "Is this really it?" This is a deep question; it’s typically laced with worrying about what lies ahead, wondering what you could've done differently, and filled with wishful thinking of what you thought would be. I think it’s safe to assume we’ve all been here, but the truth is we can’t stay in these thoughts for long. It will take us to a place of questioning who God is, what He’s doing, and if He really wants good things for us.  I remember a specific time this question washed over me: I was sitting at a table with a group of women. They were all highly esteemed with their degrees, personally crafted websites, dreams, and a confidence that certainly didn’t match what I was feeling. “Why would God bring me here? Do I really have something to offer in this sea of women who seem to have it all together?” I asked. I felt humiliated, defeated, and suddenly questioning what I knew God gifted me to do. I wanted to shut down, quit, and act like the entire experience over the course of 3 days never happened. It would’ve been easier to live in that reality, but the Lord taught me something else.  David in the Bible was a shepherd boy, the youngest of his brothers, and nothing was set to come of his life in a big, outlandish way. Imagine how that felt and imagine the thoughts that went through his mind at night. I wonder if, while keeping watch over his sheep for long periods of time, he found himself asking God (in the same way we do), “Is this really all you have planned for me?”  Little did David know God had many plans for his life. Plans that David could’ve never imagined for himself. Plans that could only unfold by the hand of God. David’s small beginnings and small gifts were just the start of God’s incredible future for His life. That said, even if the only plan God had for David was to be a shepherd, that would’ve been the perfect life God had penned for his days. But, because of how his life panned out, we can look to David’s life to be encouraged and know we can trust that no matter what the plans are, they will be for our good. “Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The Lord has not chosen these." So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest," Jesse answered. "He is tending the sheep." Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives." So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; this is the one." So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.” 1 Samuel 16:10-13 Here, we see the plans unfolding. Wow, I can imagine that after this encounter happened for Jesse and his older sons, they found themselves sitting in complete disbelief, probably asking: “How could God choose the youngest boy?” “How could God choose the shepherd boy?” “How could God choose the one who doesn’t look to have a great life ahead of him?” This might be how you feel about yourself, asking how God could ever choose you and how God will ever open doors for your gifts to be used. This goes back to what I shared at the beginning; these questions are fine only for a moment. We cannot stay stuck here because God wants to use you right where He has you. God wants you to see that every single day, He is giving you an opportunity to work for the Kingdom of God. I want to invite you to trust what God is doing in your life and to trust that He will continue to open doors for you to use the gifts He’s given you. It may look different than you pictured; it may look smaller than you were hoping for, but the way it pans out and the size of its unfolding doesn’t discount the faithfulness of God to use you. He is faithful to use His children’s gifts in big and small ways. Like David, He makes a way in His perfect timing. Trust Him with your life and with your story. Trust Him when you’re sitting at the table feeling like the “lesser” one. Trust Him when you feel looked over. Let Him lead and follow Him boldly. He will be faithful to use you! Let's pray: Lord, in the moments when I feel discouraged with my life and question the gifts you’ve given me, encourage my heart with the reminders of your goodness. Help me lean into you and the Holy Spirit as I grow in my ability to trust you. May I always remember that you created me with great purpose. In Jesus’ name, amen. Photo credit: ©Getty Images/LaylaBird Chelsey is the voice behind the Living with Less Podcast and author of the 52-week devotional More of Him, Less of Me: Living a Christ-centered Life in a Me-centered World. She writes devotions for Lifeway Women’s Journey Magazine, Crosswalk.com, and iBelieve.com. She also writes Bible reading plans for the YouVersion Bible App. Chelsey lives in Ohio with her husband and two children. You can connect with her on Instagram @chelseydematteis and at her website ChelseyDeMatteis.com. Teach Us to Pray is a FREE prayer podcast hosted by iBelieve writer Christina Patterson. Each week, she gives you practical, real-life tips on how to grow your faith and relationship with God through the power of prayer. To listen to her episode on What to Pray in the Morning for a Worry-Free Day, click below! Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! Visit iBelieve.com for more inspiring prayer content. The post A Prayer for When God’s Great Things Feel Small for You – Your Daily Prayer – May 30 appeared first on GodUpdates.

Chicago police are asking for the public's help in finding a missing 13-year-old boy.

Dozens of Hamas supporters gathered outside the Israeli embassy in Mexico City as part of an anti-Israel protest that led to clashes with police and the firebombing of the Israeli Embassy. Officers in riot gear used fire extinguishers to disperse protesters who threw firebombs, stones, pipes and other objects. Six police officers suffered burns to […]

Readers of this byline may find my general characterization of the Regime Media’s coverage of the Trump business records trial in New York City, “onanistic”, to be too harsh. After watching MSNBC’s coverage of the trial today, I may need to reconsider- but in the other direction. Watch as Andrew Weissman, former Mueller prosecutor and MSNBC legal analyst, openly and unabashedly declares his undying prosecutorial man-love for Judge Juan Merchán, as aired during ongoing Trump trial coverage on Wednesday, May 29th, 2024: ANDREA MITCHELL: And describe the rapport between the judge and the jurors in this case, in many cases. ANDREW WEISSMANN: Yeah, I mean- almost all jurors, unless you’ve got a really erratic judge, develop a real bond with the judge. There, you know- the judge, he or she is looking out for the jurors. They’re paying careful attention to their time, it’s making things move along. Um- and with, as you noted with respect to judge Merchán, I mean, I am like now -- you know, I have, like, a man crush on him. He is such a great judge that it's hard to see that the jurors wouldn't have the same impression. And he’s just- you just keep on thinking, if you looked in a dictionary for, like, judicial temperament, that's what you would get. And just remember, he has had to put up with a defendant who committed ten acts of contempt, who’s threatened not just him but his family. And in spite of all of that, you would not know for a second that that is in any way weighing on him, because it has just been such an impeccably fair trial. MITCHELL: Which is, you know, just a fascinating context here, especially given all the ruckus in social media and in- outside the courtroom. One half-expected Weissmann to fawn forever here, going on and on about Merchán’s judgely intonations and the stately flow of his robe in an attempt to emulate a David Brooksian Niebuhr-and-pants-creases type of smart fangirling. But Weissmann’s fangirling comes off as crass; as the admiration for a process of weaponization of government against the sitting president’s chief political opponent by one who specializes in the application of such weaponization. It is vulgar and unseemly, even by MSNBC’s standards.  Watching Weissman fangirl to Merchán evokes imagery of some Saudi cleric doing TV analysis of the state head-chopper, expressing awe at the manner in which the head-chopper wields his sword and oohing over his head-chopping technique. It is all grotesque, and just one in a long parade of grotesqueries that we watch (and cover) so you don’t have to. You may be tempted to feel some sort of sympathy for us for watching this nonsense but remember that, as Hyman Roth said to Don Michael Corleone: this is the business we’ve chosen.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon now offers restaurant food delivery. And if you pay for Amazon Prime, the delivery part is free. Amazon is now embedding Grubhub into Amazon.com and the Amazon Shopping app, and Amazon Prime customers paying $139 per year for Amazon Prime will now pay $0 for food delivery fees on orders of $12 or more, among other benefits. Amazon had previously offered Prime customers a free one-year subscription to GrubHub Plus, but that one auto-renewed at $129 per year. Now, it’s a permanent part of the Amazon Prime subscription. Amazon says the ordering experience is “identical” to ordering from Grubhub’s website or app and is accessible to all customers, even without Prime. Amazon and Grubhub say they’ll continue collaborating on other... Continue reading…

Researchers have discovered cutmarks around cancerous lesions on a 4,000-year-old Egyptian skull that suggest ancient Egyptian doctors may have attempted a surgical remedy for malignant tumors. We know from ancient papyri that even 4,000 years ago Egypt had advanced knowledge of anatomy and physiology, and thanks to their medical and mummification practices, their surgical know-how was also advanced compared to other ancient cultures. They did not have a full understanding of cancer as we know it. There are references to tumors and “eating lesions” with suggested treatments in the texts, and evidence of malignancy in human remains. Given Egyptian expertise, it stands to reason that they may have explored surgical solutions to excise a malignant tumor. To explore ancient Egyptian knowledge and treatment of tumors, researchers took a closer look at two skulls in Cambridge University’s Duckworth Collection from different dynasties with different conditions. Skull E270 dates to the Late Period (664–343 B.C.) and belonged to a woman older than 50 when she died. The skull shows evidence of one primary tumor and several healed cranial fractures. Skull 236 dates to the Old Kingdom (2,687–2,345 B.C.) and belonged to a man between 30 and 35 years of age. It reveals evidence of two tumors and is one of the oldest cases of malignancy known. Microscopic examination of Skull 236 found a large lesion with associated tissue destruction (neoplasm), plus about 30 small round lesions from metastasis. The surprise discovery were cutmarks made repeatedly around the lesions that were inflicted near the time of death (perimortem), not during mummification. [A]lthough neoplasms were a clear medical frontier, skull 236 reveals new insights on a potential exploratory phase amongst medical practise concerning neoplastic lesions. As seen, reliable perimortem cutmarks on the bone surface have been identified in clear association with the metastatic lesions on the posterior cranial region. The position of the marks, running through two of the lesions with a clear associated start and end at both sides of the lytic lesions (stopped by the margins of the pathologies), suggest some kind of perimortem anthropic intervention given that they were generated on a bone in fresh condition. Although this might indicate medical surgical exploration or an attempt of care or treatment, our study has a clear limitation in the identification of the timing of the cutting. Although they are perimortem, they might also indicate a postmortem manipulation of the corpse. In turn, this might also indicate a postmortem exploration of the tumoural pathology.

New materials engineered to be both stiff and heat-insulating could revolutionize thermal insulation applications in electronics. Scientists have successfully engineered materials that are both rigid...

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