Yesterday, the Daily Mail published an article stating that Oliver Dowden, the UK Deputy Prime Minister, was going to advise people to make contingency plans for dealing with potential emergencies to help […]

by William Upton, The National Pulse: Former Federal Election Commission (FEC) Commissioner Bradley Smith has revealed what he would have told the jury in former President Donald J. Trump‘s hush money trial if Democrat-aligned Judge Juan Merchan had allowed him to testify. Smith, a Harvard-educated campaign finance lawyer, was slated to address claims made by District Attorney Alvin Bragg‘s prosecutors that the former President […]

A Prayer for When You Feel UnlovableBy Alicia Searl "We love because he first loved us." – John 4:19 Ever since I can remember, I have been infatuated with all things romance and sweet love. From cheesy rom-coms to over-the-top love gestures of tight hugs and jumping on my kiddos, covering them with momma smooches. I've even been known to strike up a conversation with strangers only to hug them moments later after hearing their "God story!" The amicable and amazing feeling love brings is awe-inspiring because God's love is evident and everywhere. But, for whatever reason, I'm just not feeling it today. I've lost that loving feeling, so to speak. Maybe it's hidden in the shadow of grief as my mom's heavenly anniversary closes in and friends have fallen silent. Perhaps it's been snuffed out by the wake of hurtful words my teen spewed out this morning, shattering my already bruised heart. Or it could have gotten lost in translation when plans with family changed, then got altogether canceled, and I somehow missed the memo yet again. For whatever reason, I have come to the place where I feel completely depleted of love and utterly unlovable. Not seen, not known, and in desperate need of a heart transplant. In all honesty, at this point a good ‘ole fashioned rom-com or a hug from my precious people wouldn't do much good. Sigh. Do you feel me? If so, then let's walk down memory lane and open our Bibles to the Gospels of Mark and John. Here, we meet a man who must have felt the sting of rejection, humiliation, and abandonment, even after expressing nothing but heartfelt love. In the Gospels, we see this beautiful depiction of our beloved Jesus. A sinless and perfect man who was on a mission to make the absolute truth known, with acts of humble service and a heart full of compassion and kindness. Yet, at the end of His life, He was ridiculed, mocked, and chastised (Mark 15:1-4, Mark 15:16-20). Even His closest followers began to walk away, doubting and denying Who He was, going as far as to brutally betray Him (John 6:66-71, John 20:24-29, Mark 14:66, Mark 14:44-46). Yet, Jesus still chose love. Even in His lowest moment. As imperfect beings, our love is conditional and easily flows when it is being reciprocated. However, when it is met with hurt of any kind, it can bring our loving actions to a bitter place or a screeching halt. Thankfully, Jesus models for us how to show love even when it's unbearably hard and we feel unlovable. It all begins by recognizing that real love isn't defined by how others make us feel, but about the heart of God that declares His love for us, taking shape in the form of a cross! We love because He first loved us! John 4:19 packs a powerful punch for such a short verse. Yet, when we love like Jesus, we choose to love the challenging neighbor, the wayward child, the grieving friend, and the difficult family member. We love those who are easy to love and those who aren't so easy to love. We love our friends, and we love our enemies. But we can only do that with the help of our loving God, as He leads and directs us to choose love. While others may cut off their love supply and leave our love tank empty, leading us to feel unlovable, we must take heart and cling to the cross. Jesus sees your hurt, knows your pain, and truly understands. Let Him love you today and reclaim your priceless worth, whispering to your heart, dear child, you are so very loved! Let's pray: Father God, we come before you with real and raw emotions of a heart that is running on fumes. We feel unlovable and need Your divine mercy and grace. Please forgive us for allowing others to define who we are and to put a price on our value and worth. Help us not bend or sway to the lies this world proclaims over us, and embrace the truth found in Your Word, which reminds us that You are the God of love, and Your love is evident and everywhere! Help us walk with that hope today. We ask this in Your precious name, Jesus. Amen. Photo credit: ©GettyImages/AntonioGuillem Alicia Searl is a devotional author, blogger, and speaker that is passionate about pouring out her heart and pointing ladies of all ages back to Jesus. She has an education background and master's in literacy.  Her favorite people call her Mom, which is why much of her time is spent cheering them on at a softball game or dance class. She is married to her heartthrob (a tall, spiky-haired blond) who can whip up a mean latte. She sips that goodness while writing her heart on a page while her puppy licks her feet. Visit her website at aliciasearl.com and connect with her on Instagram and Facebook. 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 You Feel Unloveable – Your Daily Prayer – May 23 appeared first on GodUpdates.

Where you can find your ultimate value May 23 "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." – Matthew 10:29-30 In 1975, six armed gunmen broke into a London bank where they went straight for the safety deposit boxes. Among the spoils they took away from their plunder was a box full of jewelry appraised at $500,000. The renter of the box came to the bank and was horrified upon discovering that her jewelry had been stolen. She wailed, "Everything I had was in there. My whole life was in that box!" What a sad statement. Yet, it seems more and more today that people are valuing their lives in terms of their possessions. You hear all the time on television that this or that person is worth so much money. But the truth is, there's no monetary value that can be placed on a human being. Even many Christians fall into this same trap. They don't have much in terms of finances, so they feel like they're not worth anything. Yet, the opposite is true. God valued you at such a high price that He sent Jesus to die for you. You're worth the life of God's own Son! Don't ever derive your value from what's in your bank account. God doesn't. Instead, find your value in who God says you are and what He did to purchase your eternal life. Prayer Challenge Pray that God would help you find your value not in what you have, but in whom He's declared you to be. Questions for Thought Think of a time when you struggled with this issue of finding your value in what you have. How did it make you feel? What does it say about your value that God sent Jesus to save you even when you were a sinner? Visit the Senior Living Ministries website Visit the Senior Living Ministries website The post Where You Can Find Your Ultimate Value – Senior Living – May 23 appeared first on GodUpdates.

A Prayer for When You Feel UnlovableBy Alicia Searl "We love because he first loved us." – John 4:19 Ever since I can remember, I have been infatuated with all things romance and sweet love. From cheesy rom-coms to over-the-top love gestures of tight hugs and jumping on my kiddos, covering them with momma smooches. I've even been known to strike up a conversation with strangers only to hug them moments later after hearing their "God story!" The amicable and amazing feeling love brings is awe-inspiring because God's love is evident and everywhere. But, for whatever reason, I'm just not feeling it today. I've lost that loving feeling, so to speak. Maybe it's hidden in the shadow of grief as my mom's heavenly anniversary closes in and friends have fallen silent. Perhaps it's been snuffed out by the wake of hurtful words my teen spewed out this morning, shattering my already bruised heart. Or it could have gotten lost in translation when plans with family changed, then got altogether canceled, and I somehow missed the memo yet again. For whatever reason, I have come to the place where I feel completely depleted of love and utterly unlovable. Not seen, not known, and in desperate need of a heart transplant. In all honesty, at this point a good ‘ole fashioned rom-com or a hug from my precious people wouldn't do much good. Sigh. Do you feel me? If so, then let's walk down memory lane and open our Bibles to the Gospels of Mark and John. Here, we meet a man who must have felt the sting of rejection, humiliation, and abandonment, even after expressing nothing but heartfelt love. In the Gospels, we see this beautiful depiction of our beloved Jesus. A sinless and perfect man who was on a mission to make the absolute truth known, with acts of humble service and a heart full of compassion and kindness. Yet, at the end of His life, He was ridiculed, mocked, and chastised (Mark 15:1-4, Mark 15:16-20). Even His closest followers began to walk away, doubting and denying Who He was, going as far as to brutally betray Him (John 6:66-71, John 20:24-29, Mark 14:66, Mark 14:44-46). Yet, Jesus still chose love. Even in His lowest moment. As imperfect beings, our love is conditional and easily flows when it is being reciprocated. However, when it is met with hurt of any kind, it can bring our loving actions to a bitter place or a screeching halt. Thankfully, Jesus models for us how to show love even when it's unbearably hard and we feel unlovable. It all begins by recognizing that real love isn't defined by how others make us feel, but about the heart of God that declares His love for us, taking shape in the form of a cross! We love because He first loved us! John 4:19 packs a powerful punch for such a short verse. Yet, when we love like Jesus, we choose to love the challenging neighbor, the wayward child, the grieving friend, and the difficult family member. We love those who are easy to love and those who aren't so easy to love. We love our friends, and we love our enemies. But we can only do that with the help of our loving God, as He leads and directs us to choose love. While others may cut off their love supply and leave our love tank empty, leading us to feel unlovable, we must take heart and cling to the cross. Jesus sees your hurt, knows your pain, and truly understands. Let Him love you today and reclaim your priceless worth, whispering to your heart, dear child, you are so very loved! Let's pray: Father God, we come before you with real and raw emotions of a heart that is running on fumes. We feel unlovable and need Your divine mercy and grace. Please forgive us for allowing others to define who we are and to put a price on our value and worth. Help us not bend or sway to the lies this world proclaims over us, and embrace the truth found in Your Word, which reminds us that You are the God of love, and Your love is evident and everywhere! Help us walk with that hope today. We ask this in Your precious name, Jesus. Amen. Photo credit: ©GettyImages/AntonioGuillem Alicia Searl is a devotional author, blogger, and speaker that is passionate about pouring out her heart and pointing ladies of all ages back to Jesus. She has an education background and master's in literacy.  Her favorite people call her Mom, which is why much of her time is spent cheering them on at a softball game or dance class. She is married to her heartthrob (a tall, spiky-haired blond) who can whip up a mean latte. She sips that goodness while writing her heart on a page while her puppy licks her feet. Visit her website at aliciasearl.com and connect with her on Instagram and Facebook. 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 You Feel Unloveable – Your Daily Prayer – May 23 appeared first on GodUpdates.

1568 - The Netherlands declares independence from Spain 1861 - Virginia citizens vote 3 to 1 in favor of secession from the Union 1865 - Flag flown at full mast over White House for the first time since Lincoln was shot 1915 - Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary during WW I 1928 - Bomb attack on Italian embassy in Buenos Aires, 22 die 1958 - US schools 1st use Cliff's Notes 1965 - Franz Jonas elected President of Austria 1989 - 3rd American Comedy Award: Paula Poundstone 2013 - Patrick Roy is named head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, his former team where he won two Stanley Cups 2014 - "Pauline" a chamber opera by Margaret Atwood and Tobin Stokes premieres at the York Theatre in Vancouver More Historical Events »