A Prayer for Lasting PeaceBy Kristine Brown "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27 NIV) If you were to do a quick search on the internet for "how to find peace," you'd likely see a long list of advice: be active, get more sleep, spend time outside, eat well. All of these things are good habits to create, and taking care of ourselves is important. However, relying on our daily habits to bring us peace will only satisfy us in the short term. What we need to get through the trials of this life is a peace that lasts. When I pause to think about the people in my life and what they're going through, I get overwhelmed with worry. Health issues, family struggles, financial crises, and more run from one household to the next like a virus we can't escape. We want to do something to ease our troubled minds and find calm in the midst of it all. Healthy choices can certainly help strengthen us to face the challenges ahead, but only one habit brings supernatural, long-term relief- daily seeking Jesus' peace. Jesus freely gives us this lasting peace. His words were recorded in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid." At a time when Jesus' disciples expressed confusion and concern over uncertainty about events to come, Jesus comforted and encouraged them. Only his supernatural peace could sustain his followers through what he was about to endure. Nothing would ease the pain of seeing their Savior suffer except the peace that surpasses understanding. (Philippians 4:7) The disciples continued questioning Jesus about the future, and Jesus continued teaching them. As the time of his betrayal approached, Jesus said, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) Today, Jesus still offers peace that provides lasting relief through unspeakable pain. The world wants us to believe a message that peace can only be obtained when we step away from our cares for a while. It tries to convince us that our circumstances need to change in order for us to have a moment's rest. But that message contradicts the true peace offered through our Savior, Jesus. The truth for all believers says that even in the midst of difficult times, peace is available. It is our gift from Jesus. The peace the word offers is temporary. The peace Jesus provides lasts forever. Let's pray: Dear God,Right now I need your peace. The cares of this world are triggering worry and stress, and I am struggling to "cast my cares on you" like your Word says in 1 Peter 5:7. Forgive me for relying on the ways of the world to give me peace. I know the peace the world gives is only temporary, but the peace of Jesus lasts forever. Lord, you told us not to "let our hearts be troubled." I know the only way to release my troubles and find rest is by accepting your gift of peace. I need more than the short-term peace I feel when things settle down, and I have a moment of calm between storms. I need lasting peace that can only come from my Savior, Jesus Christ. Help me remember the most important habit of all. To seek your peace today and every day. Let your peace flow through my mind and spirit, and let it sustain me through whatever I face. Thank you, God, that in the midst of trouble and pain, I have the most incredible gift available to me. Thank you for lasting peace.In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen. Image credit: DALL.E 2024 AI technology  For more spiritual growth resources, check out the 5-day email devotional, How to Be Free from Bitterness, by today's devotion writer, Kristine Brown. Learn more about women in the Bible and find encouragement to help you "become more than yourself through God's Word" at Kristine's website, morethanyourself.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 Lasting Peace – Your Daily Prayer – May 17 appeared first on GodUpdates.

Listen to the first song from System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian's solo EP Foundations

The collaboration appears on Little Feat's first album in a dozen years, Sam's Place

Inspired by journeys across 250 million years, Gregory Spawton and the late David Longdon intended the band’s 12th album to be bigger in scale than anything they’d done before

Want to see Poison The Well play their first London headline show since 2009? Do not sleep on snapping up tickets

The peace the word offers is temporary. The peace Jesus provides lasts forever.

CBS Evening News commemorated the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the historic Supreme Court opinion that reversed Plessy v. Ferguson and ended official segregation, by equating the historic struggles of black Americans to illegal immigration. I couldn’t believe it myself either the first time I watched, but see for yourselves: WATCH: CBS Evening News commemorates the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education by equating illegal immigration with the historic struggle for civil rights pic.twitter.com/4iMgeiFmVP — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) May 17, 2024 JANET SHAMLIAN: The historic district is transforming once again. This time opening its doors to refugees and migrants. PILAR MEJIA: Just because somebody doesn't speak English doesn't mean they are less valuable to a community. SHAMLIAN: Students from more than 40 countries have enrolled. MEJIA: We have clothing, we have… SHAMLIAN: Director of Cultural Innovation Pilar Mejia welcomes each one.  Without this program, where do you think some of these families would be right now? MEJIA: It would be tragic. They might end up in either not being able to come, um- stay in situations in their countries that are dire. SHAMLIAN: Is there any connection you can draw there between what’s happening now with these kids and the situation at the time? ANDERSON: The connection is they are all looking for a better and brighter future. They’re all hoping for something better for their lives. We’re dealing with families who want more for their children. SHAMLIAN: It’s that better, brighter future that was fought over 70 years ago in the schools of Topeka. Janet Shamlian, CBS News, Topeka, Kansas. The report began innocuously enough, and initially appeared to have been a straight commemoration of Brown v. Board. There was the profile of the district’s first-ever black school superintendent, and a spotlight on some of the reforms she’s instituted in service of the community.  But it is at that point that the report goes off the rails: The hardships resulting from the choice to come into this country outside our lawful immigration system is not even within the same galaxy of comparability as enduring the horrors of slavery and/or the post-Reconstruction regimes endured by descendants of the formerly enslaved. The old Jim Crow regime is, in fact, nothing at all like illegal immigration, no matter how much the left or CBS correspondent Janet Shamlian would like to make it so.  To suggest as much in a news report is a grievous insult, both to history and to human decency. Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on the CBS Evening News on Thursday, May 17th, 2024: MAURICE DUBOIS: President Biden met today with two of the original plaintiffs in the Brown v. Board of Education case, decided 70 years ago tomorrow. It outlawed segregation in schools, an important step in the fight for racial equality. Tonight, Janet Shamlian introduces us to the woman now running the Topeka schools, guided by the legacy of that Supreme Court decision. TIFFANY ANDERSON: I heard you had a birthday. JANET SHAMLIAN: Home delivered birthday gifts and cake aren’t generally part of a school curriculum. ANDERSON: Good morning! SHAMLIAN: But Topeka schools superintendent Tiffany Anderson rarely sticks to a lesson plan when there is a child in need. ANDERSON: If we don't do it, who will? SHAMLIAN: The district at the center of the 1954 Brown v Board of Education ruling outlawing racial segregation in schools… STUDENT: In the past, they had turned to "Separate but equal"... SHAMLIAN: …is now helmed by its first black female superintendent.  70 years later, do you live with the burden of their hope and dreams? ANDERSON: I think 70 years later, I live with the privilege to help their hopes and dreams come to life. I’m standing on their shoulders. SHAMLIAN: High school graduation rates have skyrocketed from near 70% to 91% during her eight year tenure. She's established morale-boosting programs, like graduation ceremonies for students in the nearby state correctional facility. ANDERSON: So have faith that you will make it through and be out of this space. SHAMLIAN: In a district where almost half of students qualify for subsidized lunch, she put washers and dryers in schools, as well as food and clothing pantries. ANDERSON: It's not really hard to get people on board when they know that you care and they know they can be part of something pretty incredible and transformational. SHAMLIAN: Why isn't it happening somewhere else? ANDERSON: Sometimes fear. Fear can make you choose not to accept other people. Fear can shut down systems in a way like nothing else can. SHAMLIAN: The historic district is transforming once again. This time opening its doors to refugees and migrants. PILAR MEJIA: Just because somebody doesn't speak English doesn't mean they are less valuable to a community. SHAMLIAN: Students from more than 40 countries have enrolled. MEJIA: We have clothing, we have… SHAMLIAN: Director of Cultural Innovation Pilar Mejia welcomes each one.  Without this program, where do you think some of these families would be right now? MEJIA: It would be tragic. They might end up in either not being able to come, um- stay in situations in their countries that are dire. SHAMLIAN: Is there any connection you can draw there between what’s happening now with these kids and the situation at the time? ANDERSON: The connection is they are all looking for a better and brighter future. They’re all hoping for something better for their lives. We’re dealing with families who want more for their children. SHAMLIAN: It’s that better, brighter future that was fought over 70 years ago in the schools of Topeka. Janet Shamlian, CBS News, Topeka, Kansas.