A Prayer to Make Others Comfortable By Laura Bailey  Bible Reading "Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them.  Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on" – Mark 2:3-4 NIV  Listen or Read Below "Could you snap the back for me, please?" my daughter's friend whispered. I could tell she wanted to take her turn jumping off the diving board but wasn't entirely confident in her swimming skills to attempt it without a floating device. It was a typical summer day at our house. The pool was filled with giggling girls practicing cannon balls, swan dives, and the occasional belly flop. This day, we'd invited a few friends over to celebrate the end of the school year; these ladies were officially 3rd graders!  Being in the south, the only relief from the muggy, scorching summer weather is lounging in water, so most children learn to swim young. Being an 8-year-old who still depends on your floaties to wade in the deep can cause unsolicited remarks from a group.  "Why do you need those floaties? Don't you know how to swim?""Wait, can you not jump off the diving board without help?""Are you scared? You don't have to be; it's not that deep!" The comments weren't meant to hurt, but I could tell she was embarrassed by the blush on the little girl's cheek. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my daughter slipping in a pair of floaties and shouting, "Look at me, I can walk on water!" as she splashed in the pool. The group erupted in laughter, creating enough diversion for my daughter's friend to plop into the pool unnoticed.  I couldn't help but fight back the tears forming in the corner of my eyes, making a mental note to share with my daughter how proud I was of her attempt to make our guest feel more comfortable. Later, as we said our goodbyes, the little girl gave my daughter a big hug, smiling as she thanked her for inviting her over and being such a good friend. That night, before we went to bed, I told my daughter I wanted to read a story from the Bible about some pretty amazing friends, the kind she had been that day. We read of the four selfless companions prioritizing their comfort and risking people making fun of them for their actions. They could have just told their lame friend, "Oh, well, sorry you can't come, maybe next time." Instead, they laid down their desires,  not caring what other people would think, and made a way for their friend to see Jesus.  As I shared that story with my little girl, we discussed how what she did for her friend that day was like the friends in the story. She saw a need and, with a simple gesture, took a step to make her friend feel comfortable. She could have joined the other girls, questioned why, or ignored the conversation altogether. Instead, she moved closer and took action, just like in Mark 2:3-4. As I recalled the incident of the day and the story of the friends in Scripture, I felt a sense of guilt at how often I may not have participated in someone's pain, but I didn't make an effort to provide comfort. While the men in the scriptures gesture was pretty grand and can't be much bigger than putting a hole in the roof and lowering your friend down to see Jesus, every day offers small yet significant ways we can show the love of Jesus to those around us- we only need to keep our eyes opened, and our hearts in tune to the Spirit. Let's Pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of friendship. Help us to move toward people who need our help, love, and care, taking action to comfort them. Guide us as we look for ways to show compassion, taking action to care for others daily. We pray that we will be people whose hearts are turned to You and are easily pricked when You move us to co-labor with You.In Jesus' Name, Amen. Photo credit: ©Getty Images/SDI Productions Laura Bailey is a Bible teacher who challenges and encourages women to dive deep in the Scriptures, shift from an earthly to an eternal mindset, and filter life through the lens of God's Word. She is the author of Beyond the Noise, and loves any opportunity to speak and teach women of all ages. She is a wife and momma to three young girls. Connect with her on her website,  www.LauraRBailey.com, Facebook and Instagram. Related Resource: Jesus Calling – Stories of Faith Kerry Washington. Andrea Bocelli. Reba McEntire. Mark Wahlberg. Tony Dungy. Matthew McConaughey, What do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times-and they've shown up to tell their story of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.  Inspired by Sarah Young’s classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts. Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! The post A Prayer to Make Others Comfortable – Your Daily Prayer – October 12 appeared first on GodUpdates.

A Prayer to Make Others Comfortable By Laura Bailey  Bible Reading "Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them.  Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on" – Mark 2:3-4 NIV  Listen or Read Below "Could you snap the back for me, please?" my daughter's friend whispered. I could tell she wanted to take her turn jumping off the diving board but wasn't entirely confident in her swimming skills to attempt it without a floating device. It was a typical summer day at our house. The pool was filled with giggling girls practicing cannon balls, swan dives, and the occasional belly flop. This day, we'd invited a few friends over to celebrate the end of the school year; these ladies were officially 3rd graders!  Being in the south, the only relief from the muggy, scorching summer weather is lounging in water, so most children learn to swim young. Being an 8-year-old who still depends on your floaties to wade in the deep can cause unsolicited remarks from a group.  "Why do you need those floaties? Don't you know how to swim?""Wait, can you not jump off the diving board without help?""Are you scared? You don't have to be; it's not that deep!" The comments weren't meant to hurt, but I could tell she was embarrassed by the blush on the little girl's cheek. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my daughter slipping in a pair of floaties and shouting, "Look at me, I can walk on water!" as she splashed in the pool. The group erupted in laughter, creating enough diversion for my daughter's friend to plop into the pool unnoticed.  I couldn't help but fight back the tears forming in the corner of my eyes, making a mental note to share with my daughter how proud I was of her attempt to make our guest feel more comfortable. Later, as we said our goodbyes, the little girl gave my daughter a big hug, smiling as she thanked her for inviting her over and being such a good friend. That night, before we went to bed, I told my daughter I wanted to read a story from the Bible about some pretty amazing friends, the kind she had been that day. We read of the four selfless companions prioritizing their comfort and risking people making fun of them for their actions. They could have just told their lame friend, "Oh, well, sorry you can't come, maybe next time." Instead, they laid down their desires,  not caring what other people would think, and made a way for their friend to see Jesus.  As I shared that story with my little girl, we discussed how what she did for her friend that day was like the friends in the story. She saw a need and, with a simple gesture, took a step to make her friend feel comfortable. She could have joined the other girls, questioned why, or ignored the conversation altogether. Instead, she moved closer and took action, just like in Mark 2:3-4. As I recalled the incident of the day and the story of the friends in Scripture, I felt a sense of guilt at how often I may not have participated in someone's pain, but I didn't make an effort to provide comfort. While the men in the scriptures gesture was pretty grand and can't be much bigger than putting a hole in the roof and lowering your friend down to see Jesus, every day offers small yet significant ways we can show the love of Jesus to those around us- we only need to keep our eyes opened, and our hearts in tune to the Spirit. Let's Pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of friendship. Help us to move toward people who need our help, love, and care, taking action to comfort them. Guide us as we look for ways to show compassion, taking action to care for others daily. We pray that we will be people whose hearts are turned to You and are easily pricked when You move us to co-labor with You.In Jesus' Name, Amen. Photo credit: ©Getty Images/SDI Productions Laura Bailey is a Bible teacher who challenges and encourages women to dive deep in the Scriptures, shift from an earthly to an eternal mindset, and filter life through the lens of God's Word. She is the author of Beyond the Noise, and loves any opportunity to speak and teach women of all ages. She is a wife and momma to three young girls. Connect with her on her website,  www.LauraRBailey.com, Facebook and Instagram. Related Resource: Jesus Calling – Stories of Faith Kerry Washington. Andrea Bocelli. Reba McEntire. Mark Wahlberg. Tony Dungy. Matthew McConaughey, What do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times-and they've shown up to tell their story of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.  Inspired by Sarah Young’s classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts. Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! The post A Prayer to Make Others Comfortable – Your Daily Prayer – October 12 appeared first on GodUpdates.

Protesters who displayed the flags of terrorist group Hezbollah and allegedly chanted violent verses could be jailed for a year or have their visas cancelled and be deported after the federal government ordered a manhunt into weekend protests that sparked a firestorm over the limits of free speech. SMH In one of the Albanese government’s […]

The video exposed a strongly held solidarity with Hamas, and went viral. But Zach and his Muslim film crew almost didn’t make it out alive. While filming, they were surrounded by a group of Palestinian men who allegedly threatened to kill them if they didn’t delete their footage. Zach has now been able to recover […]

An Etruscan votive bull has returned to the National Roman Museum more than 100 years after it was loaned out and lost in the upheaval of World War II. The prodigal bull reemerged during the pandemic. It was mailed anonymously to the Civic Museums of Monza along with a typewritten letter entitled “The return home of 47220 after 80 years and more.” The brief letter from the anonymous writer declared “Before embarking on my last journey I want to return the bull, because I would like to see it exhibited in a museum.” That 47220 turned out to be an inventory number written on the side of the terracotta votive. First discovered in the 1910s during excavations of the Etruscan city of Veii that uncovered the exceptional terracotta statue of Apollo that once stood on the ridgebeam of the temple of Menerva (the Etruscan version of Athena/Minerva), the bull entered the collection of the National Roman Museum where it was assigned the 47220 inventory number. In the 1920s, it was loaned to the Humanitarian Society of Milan along with 22 other archaeological artifacts for use by the students of the Superior Institute of Artistic Industries which at the time was headquartered on Villa Reale in Monza. The Institute kept the artifacts until it was shuttered in 1943 during the war. The little bull disappeared with the rest of the loaned artifacts in the chaos of World War II and its aftermath. The Torello di Veio (Little Bull of Veii) is a zoomorphic figurine typical of Etruscan votive offerings between the 4th and 2nd centuries B.C. This was the period after the Roman conquest of Veii when the sanctuary was in decline and offerings were modest compared to the more elaborate votives from earlier phases. The votives from this period usually depicted domesticated livestock like cattle and pigs. They were used as symbolic replacements of animal sacrifices and/or to request divine protection for a farmer’s stock which was essential to a family’s survival in that age. According to the letter writer, the bull passed through numerous hands before he acquired it, but it doesn’t seem to have travelled too far from where it was last seen, as the letter writer was in Monza and believed it belonged to the museum there, not to its actual owner in Rome. Guilt and his impending demise apparently motivated him to return it at long last. The Carabinieri of the Unit for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Monza officially returned the wee bull to the museum on Wednesday.

It's been a busy week in science news. Can you get all the questions right in our quiz?

Former President Donald Trump announced “Operation Aurora,” aimed at expediting the removal of “every criminal network operating” in the United States, such as the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua (TdA)…

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