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Words at the Well

Here for the Hard Parts of Happily Ever After

KL Loveology 2023 Masthead Tile (Feb. 6)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden called on Republicans in his State of the Union address Tuesday night to work with him to “finish the job” of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he sought to overcome pessimism in the country and navigate political divisions in Washington.The backdrop of the annual address was markedly different from the previous two years, with a Republican speaker sitting behind Biden and GOP lawmakers in the audience preparing to scrutinize both his administration and his policies. He sought to reassure the nation that his stewardship of the country has delivered results both at home and abroad, as he also set out to prove his fitness for a likely re-election bid.The challenges for Biden are many: economic uncertainty, a wearying war in Ukraine, growing tensions with China and more. And signs of the past trauma at the Capitol, most notably the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol, were unavoidable, with a large fence encircling the complex as lawmakers and those in attendance faced tighter-than-usual security measures.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-privacy-united-states-government-veterans-ae670a0ca55f83a4216f44d284b7fd28">Rather than rolling out flashy policy proposals,</a> the president set out to offer a reassuring assessment of the nation’s condition, declaring that two years after the Capitol attack, America's democracy was “unbowed and unbroken.”"The story of America is a story of progress and resilience," he said, highlighting record job creation during his tenure as the country has emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic.Biden also pointed to areas of bipartisan progress in his first two years in office, including on states' vital infrastructure and high tech manufacturing. And he says, "There is no reason we can’t work together in this new Congress.”“The people sent us a clear message. Fighting for the sake of fighting, power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict, gets us nowhere,” Biden said. “And that’s always been my vision for the country: to restore the soul of the nation, to rebuild the backbone of America — the middle class — to unite the country.""We’ve been sent here to finish the job!”<figure class="image"><img src="https://emfservices.azureedge.net/news/42075.jpg" alt="Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., talk before President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool] Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., talk before President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol</figcaption></figure>The president took to the House rostrum at a time when just a quarter of U.S. adults say things in the country are headed in the right direction, according to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-norc-poll-biden-2024-presidential-prospects-c843c5af6775b4c8a0cff8e2b1db03f6">a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research</a>. About three-quarters say things are on the wrong track. And a majority of Democrats don’t want Biden to seek another term.He sought to confront those sentiments head-on."You wonder whether a path even exists anymore for you and your children to get ahead without moving away, I get it,” Biden said. “That’s why we’re building an economy where no one is left behind. Jobs are coming back, pride is coming back because of the choices we made in the last two years.”Republican House Speaker <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kevin-mccarthy">Kevin McCarthy,</a> who was seated behind Biden urged his conference to be respectful ahead of Biden's address and in turn asked Biden to refrain from using the phrase “extreme MAGA Republicans,” which the president deployed on the campaign trail in 2022.“I won’t tear up the speech, I won’t play games,” McCarthy told reporters, a reference to Pelosi’s dramatic action after President Donald Trump’s final State of the Union address.Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who gained a national profile as Trump’s press secretary, was to deliver the Republican response to Biden’s speech.She was to focus much of her remarks on social issues, including race in business and education and alleged big-tech censorship of conservatives.“While you reap the consequences of their failures, the Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day,” she was to say, according to excerpts released by her office. “Most Americans simply want to live their lives in freedom and peace, but we are under attack in a left-wing culture war we didn’t start and never wanted to fight.”With COVID-19 restrictions now lifted, the White House and legislators from both parties invited guests designed to drive home political messages with their presence in the House chamber. The parents of <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/tyre-nichols">Tyre Nichols</a>, who was severely beaten by police officers in Memphis and later died, are <a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-the-union-biden-guests-cc0d350feb6264e3ce9305355720c508">among those seated with first lady Jill Biden.</a> Other Biden guests included the rock star/humanitarian Bono and the 26-year-old who disarmed a gunman in last month’s Monterey Park, California, shooting.Members of the Congressional Black Caucus invited family members of those involved in police incidents, as they sought to press for action on police reform in the wake of Nichols' death. The White House, ahead of the speech, paired police reform with bringing down violence, suggesting that giving police better training tools could lead to less crime nationwide.Biden was shifting his sights after spending his first two years pushing through major bills such as the bipartisan infrastructure package, legislation to promote high-tech manufacturing and climate measures. With Republicans now in control of the House, he is turning his focus to implementing those massive laws and making sure voters credit him for the improvements.The switch is largely by necessity. The newly empowered GOP is itching to undo many of his achievements and vowing to pursue a multitude of investigations — including looking into the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-district-of-columbia-indiana-d6ce5c8f83a3cec3307f0f9f8311b8d7">recent discoveries of classified documents</a> from his time as vice president at his home and former office.At the same time, Biden will need to find a way to work across the aisle to keep the government funded by raising the federal debt limit by this summer. He has insisted that he won’t negotiate on meeting the country’s debt obligations; Republicans have been equally adamant that he must make spending concessions.On the eve of the president's address, McCarthy challenged Biden to come to the negotiating table with House Republicans to slash spending as part of a deal to raise the debt ceiling.“We must move towards a balanced budget and insist on genuine accountability for every dollar we spend,” McCarthy said.While hopes for large-scale bipartisanship are slim, Biden reissued his 2022 appeal for Congress to get behind his “unity agenda” of actions to address the opioid epidemic, mental health, veterans’ health and cancer. He announced new executive action and call for lawmakers to act to support new measures to support cancer research, address housing needs and suicide among veterans, boost access to mental health care, and move to further crack down on deadly trafficking in fentanyl.The president also called for extending the new $35 per month price cap on insulin for people on Medicare to everyone in the country. And he pushed Congress to quadruple the 1% tax on corporate share buybacks that was enacted in the Democrats' climate and health care bill passed last year known as the Inflation Reduction Act.The speech comes days after Biden ordered the military to shoot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that flew brazenly across the country, captivating the nation and serving as a reminder of tense relations between the two global powers.Last year's address occurred just days after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine and as many in the West doubted Kyiv’s ability to withstand the onslaught. Over the past year, the U.S. and other allies have sent tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance to bolster Ukraine’s defenses. Now, Biden must make the case — both at home and abroad — for sustaining that coalition as the war drags on.

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President Joe Biden greets people as he arrives in the House chamber to deliver the State of the Union address 

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About three-quarters of Americans surveyed say things are on the wrong track. And a majority of Democrats don’t want Biden to seek another term.

President Biden Says State of Union Is ‘Unbowed, Unbroken’

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders painted a dystopian portrait of the country in her rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s <a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-the-union-biden-2023-b9bebd876a42a9510f068a04a3f2a348">State of the Union address</a> Tuesday night, leaning heavily into Republican culture war issues and accusing Biden of pursuing “woke fantasies.”Speaking from the governor’s mansion in Little Rock, Sanders sounded a lot like her former boss, Donald Trump, as she warned of a nation whose ideals are under attack and whose citizens are fighting for their freedoms.“While you reap the consequences of their failures, the Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day,” said Sanders, the former White House press secretary. “Most Americans simply want to live their lives in freedom and peace, but we are under attack in a left-wing culture war we didn’t start and never wanted to fight.”Sanders, 40, delivered the speech less than a month after being <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sarah-huckabee-sanders-politics-arkansas-state-government-f8b8627b06b3ef8fac85900aaa39434d">sworn in as the first female governor</a> of Arkansas. The daughter of former Gov. Mike Huckabee, she is also the first Arkansan to deliver the response to a president’s State of the Union since Bill Clinton as governor in 1985.Sanders’ speech was a reintroduction for the former press secretary, who as Trump’s chief spokesperson scaled back daily televised briefings after repeatedly sparring with reporters who aggressively questioned her.She didn't mention Trump by name during Tuesday's speech, which embraced conservatives' fights against the way race is taught in public school. She called Biden's administration “completely hijacked by the radical left."“The dividing line in America is no longer right or left," she said. “The choice is between normal or crazy."Sanders' speech was a stark contrast to Biden's address, which sought to reassure the country and urged Congress to work with him on rebuilding the economy.With her speech, GOP leaders gave a platform to a figure linked closely to Trump, who remains influential within the party even as Republicans question how much of a hindrance his quest to return to the White House has become. The star turn for Sanders also puts the spotlight on the nation’s youngest governor at a time when recent polling suggests that even many Democrats view the 80-year-old Biden’s age as a liability.Sanders highlighted that contrast, citing Biden's age as the oldest U.S. president.“It’s time for a new generation of Republican leadership," she said.Her speech comes as a Republican field for 2024 is beginning to form to challenge Trump, 76, as he seeks the White House for a third time. The field includes former South Carolina Gov. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nikki-haley-2024-white-house-campaign-87487ec1d99e3f92125348fbcb0d7a5e">Nikki Haley</a>, who served as U.N. ambassador under Trump and is expected to launch her candidacy next week.Sanders' predecessor, former Gov. Asa Hutchinson, is also considering seeking the Republican presidential nomination. Hutchinson has been an outspoken critic of Trump and has said Trump being the GOP’s nominee would be the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arkansas-asa-hutchinson-government-and-politics-51b6dd54e7e56d35abc15ca01a094360">“worst scenario”</a> for the party.Sanders, who served roughly two years as White House press secretary, focused heavily on her criticism of Biden during her successful bid for governor last year. She frequently railed against the Democratic president’s COVID-19 pandemic response, immigration policies and other stances.But since the election, Sanders has mostly avoided weighing in on Trump, who endorsed her bid for governor and was featured in her campaign materials. Sanders hasn’t said whether she plans to endorse Trump, who’s making a third bid for president.In her speech Tuesday, Sanders praised her time in the Trump administration and the work they accomplished. She also talked about her diagnosis last year with thyroid cancer, and said she is cancer-free after undergoing surgery.Sanders also embraced the criticism of technology companies that has become a rallying cry for Republicans after Trump was suspended from social media sites following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Trump has since been reinstated on Twitter, and Meta last month said the former president’s Facebook and Instagram accounts will be restored.In her speech, Sanders complained that “big government colludes with Big Tech to strip away the most American thing there is — your freedom of speech.”“That’s not normal. It’s crazy, and it’s wrong,” she said.The culture wars are familiar territory for Sanders, who signed executive orders within hours of taking office that were cheered by conservatives. They included a prohibition on teaching critical race theory in public schools and a ban on most state agencies using the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sarah-huckabee-sanders-politics-united-states-government-arkansas-hispanics-4f23386e609acd8206d2396719c17cab">gender-neutral term Latinx</a>.Sanders has also said she’d support Arkansas enacting a measure similar to Florida’s law banning instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. Critics have dubbed Florida’s measure the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-dont-say-gay-law-signed-56aee61f075a12663f25990c7b31624d">“Don’t Say Gay” law.</a>The president, who's expected to announce in the next few months that he'll seek reelection, faces a tough political environment and a divided Congress. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-norc-poll-biden-2024-presidential-prospects-c843c5af6775b4c8a0cff8e2b1db03f6?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_04&amp;utm_content=eyebrows">Polling released this week</a> by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed just 37% of Democrats say they want him to seek a second term.Sanders delivered the speech the day before she's set to unveil an education proposal she's called her priority in this year's legislative session. Sanders has said the proposal will include teacher pay raises and some form of school choice that would allow public money to pay for private schooling.“We will educate, not indoctrinate our kids, and put students on a path to success," she said.___Follow AP’s coverage of the State of the Union address at: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/state-of-the-union-address">https://apnews.com/hub/state-of-the-union-address</a>

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Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, R-Ark., speaks while delivering the Republican response to President Biden's State of the Union address, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Little Rock, Ark.

"Most Americans simply want to live their lives in freedom and peace."

Arkansas Gov. Sanders Slams Biden In Her Rebuttal

(Harker Heights, Texas) Heather Schaefer, a U.S. Army wife and stay-at-home mom living in Texas, felt a 'nudge' in her spirit when she saw a special request on a Christian Facebook group. A woman in New Jersey was asking for urgent prayer for her husband, Roy, to receive a rare, B-positive kidney.Rather hear the story? Click <a href="https://soundcloud.com/emf-public-affairs-audio/positive-people-podcast-monika-kelly-with-guest-heather-schaefer?si=994579eebc9846a383d2cc4a16b36965&amp;utm_source=clipboard&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=social_sharing">here</a>.When Roy McIntosh's wife, "Chula", posted the prayer request, her husband was already in stage 5 of kidney failure. He had no idea that his wife had put a post on Facebook. Roy had been battling severe renal failure for most of his life and when his wife posted the request, she added, "We believe in God for a miracle."<figure class="image"><img src="https://emfservices.azureedge.net/news/42066.jpg" alt="A woman next to a man and his wife, smiling"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: Virtual Health] Heather, Roy and Chula after the surgery</figcaption></figure>After reading the post, Heather immediately felt moved to action.&nbsp;“I happened to be B positive so as soon as I saw that post, I just felt like that was a message for me. I was supposed to give him my kidney.”What made Heather decide to do something so selfless?“It was definitely a pretty crazy decision. The only answer I have is it was God. I didn’t even know how kidney donation worked but I knew I was going to do it.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://emfservices.azureedge.net/news/42064.jpg" alt="Woman lying in hospital bed, surrounded by doctors"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: Heather Schaefer] Heather shortly after surgery</figcaption></figure>Heather's experience of kidney donation? She says it was about a six-month process and included blood tests, physical exams and then more thorough tests like an MRI, a chest X-ray for blood clots as well as a psychological test.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://emfservices.azureedge.net/news/42067.jpg" alt="Woman with ocean in background, smiling"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: Heather Schaefer] Heather Schaefer</figcaption></figure>After finding out they were a perfect match, Heather was especially thrilled to get to know Roy and his family and loved that they had a strong faith.&nbsp;Roy's reaction to his kind kidney donor? Absolute gratitude. The two families feel a strong bond now that they feel will last forever.<figure class="image"><img src="https://emfservices.azureedge.net/news/42065.jpg" alt="man lying in hospital bed with oxygen and monitors"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: Heather Schaefer] Roy McIntosh after surgery</figcaption></figure>“He has such a kind soul and such a strong faith…that meant a lot to me. We are family."<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://soundcloud.com/emf-public-affairs-audio/positive-people-podcast-monika-kelly-with-guest-heather-schaefer?si=994579eebc9846a383d2cc4a16b36965&amp;utm_source=clipboard&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=social_sharing"></oembed></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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When Heather saw the prayer request on Facebook, she just knew she wanted to donate her kidney

Prayer Request Turns Into Organ Donation: Heather Schaefer Shares Her Story (+podcast)

JINDERIS, Syria (AP) — Residents digging through a collapsed building in a northwest Syrian town discovered a crying infant whose mother appears to have given birth to her while buried underneath the rubble from this week’s devastating earthquake, relatives and a doctor said Tuesday.The newborn girl’s umbilical cord was still connected to her mother, Afraa Abu Hadiya, who was dead, they said. The baby was the only member of her family to survive from the building collapse Monday in the small town of Jinderis, next to the Turkish border, Ramadan Sleiman, a relative, told The Associated Press.Monday’s pre-dawn 7.8 magnitude earthquake, followed by multiple aftershocks, caused widespread destruction across southern Turkey and northern Syria. Thousands have been killed, with more victims being discovered. But dramatic rescues have also occurred. Elsewhere in Jinderis, a young girl was found alive, buried in concrete under the wreckage of her home.<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://twitter.com/ABC7/status/1623084358566572032"></oembed></figure>The newborn baby was rescued Monday afternoon, more than 10 hours after the quake struck. After rescuers dug her out, a female neighbor cut the cord, and she and others rushed with the baby to a children’s hospital in the nearby town of Afrin, where she has been kept on an incubator, said the doctor treating the baby, Dr. Hani Maarouf.Video of the rescue circulating on social media shows the moments after the baby was removed from the rubble, as a man lifts her up, her umbilical cord still dangling, and rushes away as another man throws him a blanket to wrap her in.<figure class="image"><img src="https://emfservices.azureedge.net/news/42054.jpg" alt="A baby girl who was born under the rubble "><figcaption>[Photo Credit: AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed] A baby girl who was born under the rubble&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>The baby’s body temperature had fallen to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and she had bruises, including a large one on her back, but she is in stable condition, he said.Abu Hadiya must have been conscious during the birth and must have died soon after, Maarouf said. He estimated the baby was born several hours before being found, given the amount her temperature had dropped. If the girl had been born just before the quake, she wouldn’t have survived so many hours in the cold, he said.“Had the girl been left for an hour more, she would have died,” he said.When the earthquake hit before dawn on Monday, Abu Hadiya, her husband and four children apparently tried to rush out of their apartment building, but the structure collapsed on them. Their bodies were found near the building’s entrance, said Sleiman, who arrived at the scene just after the newborn was discovered.“She was found in front of her mother’s legs,” he said. “After the dust and rocks were removed the girl was found alive.”Maarouf said the baby weighed 3.175 kilograms (7 pounds), an average weight for a newborn, and so was carried nearly to term. “Our only concern is the bruise on her back, and we have to see whether there is any problem with her spinal cord,” he said, saying she has been moving her legs and arms normally.Jinderis, located in the rebel-held enclave of northwest Syria, was hard hit in the quake, with dozens of buildings that collapsed.Abu Hadiya and her family were among the millions of Syrians who fled to the rebel-held territory from other parts of the country. They were originally from the village of Khsham in eastern Deir el-Zour province, but left in 2014 after the Islamic State group captured their village, said a relative who identified himself as Saleh al-Badran.In 2018, the family moved to Jinderis after the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, an umbrella for several insurgent groups, captured the town from U.S.-backed Kurdish led fighters, Sleiman said.On Tuesday, Abu Hadiya and the girl’s father Abdullah Turki Mleihan, along with their four other children were laid to rest in a cemetery on the outskirts of Jinderis.Back inside the town, rescue operations were still ongoing in their building hoping to find survivors.The town saw another dramatic rescue Monday evening, when a toddler was pulled alive from the wreckage of a collapsed building. Video from the White Helmets, the emergency service in the region, shows a rescuer digging through crushed concrete amid twisted metal until the little girl, named Nour, appeared. The girl, still half buried, looks up dazedly as they tell her, “Dad is here, don’t be scared. … Talk to your dad, talk.”A rescuer cradled her head in his hands and tenderly wiped dust from around her eyes before she was pulled out.The quake has brought new devastation in the opposition-held zone, centered on the Syrian province of Idlib, which was already been battered by years of war and strained by the influx of displaced people from the country’s civil war, which began in 2011.Monday’s earthquake killed hundreds across the area, and the toll was continually mounting with hundreds believed still lost under the rubble. The quake completely or partially toppled more than 730 buildings and damaged thousands more in the territory, according to the White Helmets, as the area’s civil defense is known.The White Helmets have years of experience in digging victims out from buildings crushed by bombardment from Russian warplanes or Syrian government forces. An earthquake is a new disaster for them.“They are both catastrophes — a catastrophe that has been ongoing for 12 years and the criminal has not been held accountable, and this one is a natural catastrophe,” said the deputy head of the White Helmets, Munir Mustafa.Asked if there was a difference between rescue work in the quake and during the war, he said, “We cannot compare death with death … What we are witnessing today is death on top of death.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://emfservices.azureedge.net/news/42028.jpg" alt="Civil defense workers and residents search through the rubble of collapsed buildings in the town of Harem near the Turkish border, Idlib province, Syria"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed] Civil defense workers and residents search through the rubble of collapsed buildings in the town of Harem near the Turkish border, Idlib province, Syria</figcaption></figure>

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A baby girl who was born under the rubble caused by an earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey receives treatment inside an incubator at a children's hospital in the town of Afrin, Aleppo province, Syria. Her mother did not survive.

The baby was the only member of her family to survive from the building collapse

Watch: Near-Miraculous Rescues: Newborn Baby, Then Entire Family Pulled From Quake Rubble

With YouVersion daily Bible engagement reaching an all-time high, the creators of the world’s most downloaded Bible App recently hired three senior-level leaders: Nona Jones, Greg Hall, and James Chung.&nbsp;Formerly the Head of Global Faith Partnerships for Meta, Jones is now YouVersion’s Chief Content and Partnerships Officer. Hall, who most recently served as Chief Consumer Officer of Hanesbrands, Inc., stepped into the role of YouVersion Chief Operating and Growth Officer. And with more than 30 years of experience working in Silicon Valley, James Chung is serving as YouVersion’s Chief Technology Officer.&nbsp;“They are all world-class leaders who bring a wealth of knowledge to our team,” said Bobby Gruenewald, Founder and CEO of YouVersion. “We’re incredibly grateful that they’ve chosen to step away from their successful corporate careers to join us in helping people around the world grow closer to God through Bible engagement.”&nbsp;Jones has experience as a preacher, business executive, author, and entrepreneur. In her new role as Chief Content and Partnerships Officer, she will help grow YouVersion’s global partnerships and oversee content strategy as the app continues to expand its offerings in multiple languages. She has authored three bestselling books, been profiled by ESSENCE Magazine as an “Under 40 Woman to Watch,” and served as a YouVersion Teaching Partner. She and her husband, Pastor Tim, lead Open Door Church in Gainesville, Florida.&nbsp;Hall has led major marketing efforts for many national and global brands, including Hanes, Walmart, and PepsiCo. As Chief Operating and Growth Officer for YouVersion, he will oversee daily operations, create growth strategies, and lead local and international marketing communications. In his 14 years with Walmart, Hall served in many leadership roles, including senior vice president of Walmart’s multi-billion-dollar food and consumables brand. He also led brand management at PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay division for some of the company’s most iconic brands. He and his wife, Frisa, are relocating from North Carolina to Oklahoma where YouVersion is based.Chung is a technology leader with expertise across multiple disciplines. As CTO, he will make executive technology decisions on behalf of YouVersion, including technology strategy, innovation, team scaling, and resource allocation. Chung has experience working for Intuit, Apple, eBay/PayPal, as well as several startups. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Technical Operations at Globality, a startup serving B2B clients. He and his wife, Caryn, are relocating to Oklahoma from California.&nbsp;“We are grateful to have found the right leaders who will help support the growth we’re currently seeing and help drive the app forward in the future,” said Gruenewald. “We don’t believe it’s an accident that these leaders all came together at this exact moment in time, and we’re expectant for what God is going to do through this incredibly talented team.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://emfservices.azureedge.net/news/8583.jpg" alt="Pastor Bobby Gruenewald with YouVersion team"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: YouVersion Bible] Pastor Bobby Gruenewald with YouVersion team</figcaption></figure>About YouVersionCreated by&nbsp;<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.life.church%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard%40klove.com%7C2ee03a47956d4a6cb4cb08db090b7f62%7C1e2152463fb64aeab4e0009f2a1de44e%7C0%7C0%7C638113717238240595%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C7000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=QIdJJ70s%2FsQwbQmFBir7HxNCY7kP72M6wBbFjnqcJoI%3D&amp;reserved=0">Life.Church</a>, YouVersion designs biblically centered experiences that encourage and challenge people to seek God throughout each day. The YouVersion&nbsp;<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bible.com%2Fapp&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard%40klove.com%7C2ee03a47956d4a6cb4cb08db090b7f62%7C1e2152463fb64aeab4e0009f2a1de44e%7C0%7C0%7C638113717238240595%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C7000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=wOIn%2Bf7gj37n0kMXOdsrV%2FshTrG8VLJzg4fKvpKn89E%3D&amp;reserved=0">Bible App</a> offers a free Bible experience in more than 1,900 languages and has been installed on more than 550 million unique devices.&nbsp;<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bible.com%2Fkids&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard%40klove.com%7C2ee03a47956d4a6cb4cb08db090b7f62%7C1e2152463fb64aeab4e0009f2a1de44e%7C0%7C0%7C638113717238240595%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C7000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=ZefFgnGMvu638FgYmphOCCUiukKZSzYJfKlSZrPlvnQ%3D&amp;reserved=0">Bible App for Kids,</a> which was developed in partnership with OneHope, helps children engage with the stories of the Bible through interactive animations and fun activities. It has been installed on more than 95 million unique devices. For more information about YouVersion, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youversion.com%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Crichard%40klove.com%7C2ee03a47956d4a6cb4cb08db090b7f62%7C1e2152463fb64aeab4e0009f2a1de44e%7C0%7C0%7C638113717238240595%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C7000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=GYKUX61zrjTFuK6C2yGzO7JExrzUgqyT%2BQnnSi0VrQA%3D&amp;reserved=0">youversion.com</a>.

youversion-app-gears-up-for-the-future-3-major-talents-hired-for-leadership

World-class leaders step away from corporate roles and into full-time ministry

YouVersion App Gears Up For The Future - 3 Major Talents Hired For Leadership

NURDAGI, Turkey (AP) — Rescuers raced against time early Wednesday to pull survivors from the rubble before they succumbed to cold weather two days after an earthquake tore through southern Turkey and war-ravaged northern Syria. The death toll climbed above 7,700 and was expected to rise further.The last two days have brought dramatic rescues, including small children emerging from mounds of debris more than 30 hours after Monday's pre-dawn quake. But there was also widespread despair and growing anger at the slow pace of rescue efforts in some areas.“It’s like we woke up to hell,” said Osman Can Taninmis, whose family members were still beneath the rubble in Hatay, Turkey's hardest-hit province. “We can’t respond to absolutely anything. Help isn’t coming, can’t come. We can’t reach anyone at all. Everywhere is destroyed.”In Syria, residents found a crying newborn still connected by the umbilical cord to her mother, who was dead. The baby was the only member of her family to survive a building collapse in the small town of Jinderis, relatives told The Associated Press.<figure class="image"><img src="https://emfservices.azureedge.net/news/42054.jpg" alt="A baby girl who was born under the rubble "><figcaption>[Photo Credit: AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed] A baby girl who was born under the rubble&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>Search teams from nearly 30 countries and aid pledges poured in. But with the damage spread across several cities and towns — some isolated by Syria's ongoing conflict — voices crying for help from within mounds of rubble fell silent.<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://twitter.com/ABC7/status/1623084358566572032"></oembed></figure>Monday's magnitude 7.8 quake and powerful aftershocks cut a swath of destruction that stretched hundreds of kilometers (miles) across southeastern Turkey and neighboring Syria. The shaking toppled thousands of buildings and heaped more misery on a region wracked by Syria’s 12-year civil war and refugee crisis.Turkey is home to millions of refugees from the war. The affected area in Syria is divided between government-controlled territory and the country’s last opposition-held enclave, where millions rely on humanitarian aid to survive.Unstable piles of metal and concrete made the search efforts perilous, while freezing temperatures made them ever more urgent, as worries grew about how long trapped survivors could last in the cold. Snow swirled around rescuers in parts of Turkey.The scale of the suffering — and the accompanying rescue effort — were staggering.Adelheid Marschang, a senior emergencies officer with the World Health Organization, said up to 23 million people could be affected in the entire quake-hit area, calling it a “crisis on top of multiple crises.”Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 13 million of the country's 85 million people were affected, and he declared a state of emergency in 10 provinces. More than 8,000 people have been pulled from the debris in Turkey, and some 380,000 have taken refuge in government shelters or hotels, authorities said.But authorities faced criticism from residents of hard-hit Hatay, sandwiched between Syria and the Mediterranean Sea, who say rescue efforts have lagged. Erdogan's handling of the crisis could weigh heavily on elections planned for May, and his office has already dismissed the criticism as disinformation.Nurgul Atay told The Associated Press she could hear her mother’s voice beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in the Turkish city of Antakya, the capital of Hatay province. But rescuers did not have the heavy equipment needed to rescue her.“If only we could lift the concrete slab, we’d be able to reach her,” she said. “My mother is 70 years old, she won’t be able to withstand this for long.”Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 1,647 people were killed in Hatay alone, the highest toll of any Turkish province. At least 1,846 people had been rescued there as of Tuesday evening, he said. Hatay’s airport was closed after the quake destroyed the runway, complicating rescue efforts.<figure class="image"><img src="https://emfservices.azureedge.net/news/42073.jpg" alt="Aerial photo shows the destruction in Hatay city center, southern Turkey"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: IHA via AP] Aerial photo shows the destruction in Hatay city center, southern Turkey</figcaption></figure>In Syria, meanwhile, aid efforts have been hampered by the ongoing war and the isolation of the rebel-held region along the border, which is surrounded by Russia-backed government forces. Syria itself is an international pariah under Western sanctions linked to the war.Volunteer first responders known as the White Helmets have years of experience rescuing people from buildings destroyed by Syrian and Russian airstrikes in the rebel-held enclave, but they say the earthquake has overwhelmed their capabilities.Mounir al-Mostafa, the deputy head of the White Helmets, said they were able to respond efficiently to up to 30 locations at a time but now face calls for help from more than 700.“Teams are present in those locations, but the available machinery and equipment are not enough,” he said, adding that the first 72 hours were crucial for any rescue effort.<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1623078615222046720"></oembed></figure>The United Nations said it was “exploring all avenues” to get supplies to the rebel-held northwest.U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the road leading to the Bab al-Hawa border crossing — the only terminal through which U.N. aid is allowed to enter the rebel-held area — was damaged by the quake, disrupting deliveries.Dujarric said the U.N. was preparing a convoy to cross the conflict lines within Syria.The U.N. already delivers aid across conflict lines to the rebel-held enclave. But it can’t move the quantities needed because of difficulties in arranging convoys with opposing parties, making aid deliveries from Turkey critical.Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government has pressed for years for all humanitarian aid to be sent from within Syria, including to the opposition-held enclave. The U.N. has increased cross-conflict line deliveries but not enough for the millions in need.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent a message of condolences to Syrian President Bashar Assad over the devastating earthquake that killed thousands in that country and in Turkey.North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday that Kim in the message expressed “deep sympathy” and said that Syria under Assad’s leadership would “eradicate the aftermath of the earthquake damage as soon as possible.”North Korean state media haven’t mentioned any statements by Kim toward Turkey, which sent thousands of troops to South Korea to fight under U.S.-led U.N. forces as they repelled a North Korea invasion during the 1950-53 Korean War.North Korea and Syria are the only nations other than Russia to recognize the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk, two Russian-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, as they align with Moscow over the war in Ukraine.Turkey has large numbers of troops in the border region and has tasked the military with aiding its rescue efforts, including setting up tents for survivors and a field hospital in Hatay province.A navy ship docked Tuesday at the province’s port of Iskenderun, where a hospital collapsed, to transport people in need of medical care to a nearby city.A large fire at the port, caused by containers that toppled over during the earthquake, sent thick plumes of black smoke into the sky. The Defense Ministry said the blaze was extinguished with the help of military aircraft, but live footage broadcast by CNN Turk showed it was still burning.Vice President Fuat Oktoy said at least 5,894 people have died from the earthquake in Turkey, with another 34,810 injured.The number of deaths in government-held areas of Syria has climbed to 812, with some 1,400 injured, according to the Health Ministry. At least 1,020 people have died in the rebel-held northwest, according to the White Helmets, with more than 2,300 injured.The region sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes. Some 18,000 were killed in similarly powerful earthquakes that hit northwest Turkey in 1999.___Alsayed reported from Azmarin, Syria. Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Associated Press writers David Rising in Bangkok, Zeynep Bilginsoy and Robert Badendieck in Istanbul, Bassem Mroue and Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut, Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, and Riazat Butt in Islamabad, contributed to this report.

human-tragedy-quakes-damage-staggering-thousands-of-lives-lost-snow-freezing-now-moves-in

Family sits beside their collapsed home in Turkey

More than 8,000 people have been pulled alive from the debris in Turkey, and some 380,000 have taken refuge 

Human Tragedy: Quake's Damage Staggering, Thousands Of Lives Lost - Snow, Freezing Now Moves In

dwayne-the-rock-johnson-thanks-god-for-protecting-his-mother-after-major-wreck

"Angels of mercy watched over my mom as she was in a car crash late last night. She’ll survive and continue to get evaluated.”

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Thanks God For Protecting His Mother After Major Wreck

house-committee-chair-invites-members-read-bible-in-a-year

Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, distributed Bibles

House Committee Chair Invites Members: 'Read Bible In A Year'

irs-tells-millions-hold-off-filing-taxes

Tax agency said it is trying to determine whether tax rebates, issued in many states last year, count as income.

IRS Tells Millions: Hold Off Filing Taxes

3-truths-to-help-you-grow-in-gentleness

We can call these things to mind and find the same love with which God loved us replacing that sense of entitled anger.

3 Truths To Help You Grow In Gentleness

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Several thousand workers at CSX will soon get one of the things that pushed the U.S. railroad industry to the brink of a strike last fall: paid sick time.CSX announced a deal Tuesday with two of its 12 unions, becoming the first major railroad to offer that benefit that most U.S. workers take for granted.About 4,000 track-maintenance workers in the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division union and another 1,000 mechanical workers in the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen union will get four days of paid sick leave as part of the agreements. The workers will also be able to convert three of their personal leave days into sick-leave days.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-government-and-politics-207229bcd558b6a6c1d58f3f85e2d804">Quality-of-life concerns</a> about the lack of paid sick time and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-omaha-b78421c68440ad22587b3d1e5a126e26">demanding schedules</a> that keep many rail workers on call 24-7 dominated contract talks with all the major railroads last fall. More than half of all the roughly 115,000 rail workers involved voted to reject five-year contracts that included 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses because of those concerns.Ultimately, that contract was imposed on all the workers at CSX, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific and Kansas City Southern railroads after Congress and President Joe Biden <a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-pete-buttigieg-strikes-congress-c95510555dcd4cdc2d839e61d1195b06">stepped in</a> to block a strike because of concerns about the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-strikes-climate-and-environment-government-politics-92ea7632a29f807ccc0e2658c50d731e">potential dire economic consequences</a>.Tuesday's deal is especially welcome to rail workers who <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-strikes-congress-d2ae4d3aecb27f176418518d977e69e1">remained frustrated</a> after the contract was imposed because the new contract didn’t resolve most of their quality-of-life issues. Many workers say their jobs became unbearable after more than one-third of all railroad jobs were eliminated over the last six years as the railroads <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-aab7d3084a8d17d8d721d2cb750be323">retooled their operations</a>.“It’s a beautiful thing because that’s what we’re fighting for,” said Matt Weaver, a BMWED member based in Toledo, Ohio. “Things are moving in the right direction. We just have to keep the momentum going.”CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs said the agreements show that the railroad “is committed to listening to our railroaders and working with their representatives to find solutions that improve their quality of life and experience as employees.”But the head of the union representing engineers said the deal doesn't do enough to help railroad workers, especially for train crews.“This agreement is a good start; however engineers are on call every day of the year and four paid sick days per year does not fulfill their needs," said Eddie Hall, the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-omaha-252a2c1830e2def19aaa83d5e6ea2e54">newly elected</a> president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. "Railroaders are essential workers, essential to keeping the supply chain moving, it’s essential that they be provided with adequate sick leave by all of the carriers.”CSX, which is based in Jacksonville, Florida, and the other major freight railroads <a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-business-strikes-940da8fc519f8c526ca614e201d01216">refused</a> to offer paid sick time last fall because they said the unions had agreed over the decades to forego paid sick leave in favor of strong short-term disability benefits and higher pay. Railroad officials also said it was too late in the yearslong negotiations to work sick time into the deal.“This paid sick leave agreement with CSX is certainly welcome but long overdue," said Greg Regan, president of the AFL-CIO's Transportation Trades Department labor coalition that includes all the major rail unions. "We look forward to other rail crafts reaching similar agreements with CSX and other railroads following suit.”All the other freight railroads promised to negotiate further with the unions about finding ways to improve their quality of life. Tuesday's announcement is the first significant result of those talks.There have been a couple other <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-business-strikes-df14983a4b7b7623bf68390587beef94">small encouraging signs</a> of progress this year, with CSX announcing that workers would no longer be penalized for missing work for medical appointments, and Union Pacific launching a small scheduling pilot that's giving a handful of engineers regularly scheduled days off.BMWED spokesman Clark Ballew said the union expects the other major freight railroads to reach similar agreements on sick time, “otherwise, they look especially greedy now.” He said this agreement appears to be an effort by CSX to address the simmering concerns of its workers and sinking morale at the railroad.

in-a-first-some-csx-railroad-workers-to-get-paid-sick-leave

A CSX freight train sits on a siding in downtown Pittsburgh, Nov. 19, 2022. Several thousand workers at CSX will soon get one of the things that pushed the railroad industry to the brink of a strike last fall: paid sick time. CSX will become the first major railroad to offer that benefit that most U.S. workers can take for granted after announcing a deal Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, with two of its 12 unions.

“This agreement is a good start; however engineers are on call every day of the year and four paid sick days per year does not fulfill their needs."

In A First, Some CSX Railroad Workers To Get Paid Sick Leave

WASHINGTON (AP) — The extraordinary scene of U.S. fighter jets getting ready to strike <a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-antony-blinken-china-b1b03193b7abeb7bbeca169bbc7c2c53">a Chinese balloon</a> had many people along the Carolina coast straining their necks and pointing their smartphones to the sky to capture the moment of impact.But a group of aviation enthusiasts was, instead, intently scanning radio frequencies for the exchanges between the pilots that would follow, as, Huntress, NORAD’s eastern air defense sector controller, tracked the exact distance as two Air Force F-22 fighter jets closed in on the target.The pilots had to balance striking the balloon when it was at least six miles (10 kilometers) off shore — the distance NASA had advised the military allow to keep debris from falling on land — with ensuring it was still in U.S. territorial airspace.“Five miles offshore,” Huntress advises in a transmission that was captured by aviation hobbyist Ken Harrell, in a recording that was authenticated by NORAD.“Frank One is switches hot," the first F-22 reports. The call sign “Frank” was given to both aircraft to honor 2nd Lt. Frank Luke, who earned the Medal of Honor in World War I for downing multiple balloons and aircraft.“Frank Two is switches hot," the second F-22 radios in.When Huntress calls out that the balloon is exactly six nautical miles out, Frank One takes the shot.“The balloon is completely destroyed!” radios an F-15 fighter jet that also took part in the mission, advising quickly that “there appears to be metal chaff clouds. … It’s definitely metal breaking apart.”This audio, which was first reported by The Drive, wasn’t on the civilian radio frequencies that commercial pilots use. The Air Force pilots were communicating on an unencrypted military frequency that the North American Aerospace Defense Command uses to conduct missions to secure the eastern United States, under the control center named Huntress.Aviation enthusiasts with the right radios scan for Huntress missions and other military flights as a hobby, calling out exercises.Ken Harrell, a 68-year-old retiree from Summerville, South Carolina, is one of those enthusiasts. On Saturday, he recorded the exchange of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-51e49202f2a0a50541cde059934c4cfb">the balloon shoot down</a>.NORAD confirmed the authenticity of the recording to The Associated Press in a statement.When Harrell got started a few years ago, he said he “bought the right kind of scanner, put up, you know, a decent antenna and a lot of software to connect to the scanner and just started listening." He said the scanner only cost about $160 to get started.On Saturday, he got a call from a fellow enthusiast who said Huntress was guiding F-22s in to hit what the Pentagon has said was a spy balloon and China has insisted was a civilian weather balloon.“He says, get on the scanner, man! Huntress has been controlling the F-22 Raptors, you know for the balloon, they’re gonna do it,” Harrell said. “So I jump up, crank up everything, and started listening in.”When Harrell heard the pilots' and controller's voices, “I was excited,” he said. “I've listened to a lot of other stuff — fighters practicing, intercept exercises, and that's cool, but when I first turned the scanner on and it went to my local Huntress frequency, it was pretty apparent: This was a mission. Boom."

as-jets-closed-in-on-china-balloon-hobbyists-were-listening

This photo provided by the U.S. Air Force shows a U.S. Air Force pilot taking off in an F-22 Raptor at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. At the direction President Joe Biden, military aircraft brought down a high altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina.

A group of aviation enthusiasts was, instead, intently scanning radio frequencies for the exchanges between the pilots

As Jets Closed In On China Balloon, Hobbyists Were Listening

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Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

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Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

1 John 3:18 (NLT)

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