The God Who rules the universe isn’t impersonal. He knows you, personally. You’re seen. You’re known. You’re intentional.
Scripture doesn’t describe humanity as an accident floating through a meaningless universe. It describes a Creator Who forms, sustains, calls, and loves with purpose. Psalm 139:13 says God knit you together in your mother’s womb. Jesus said “even the hairs on your head are numbered.” The same God Who holds galaxies in place, also knows your fears, your wounds, your prayers, and the battles nobody else sees.
You’re not forgotten in the crowd of humanity. You’re not invisible to God. Your life carries eternal significance because you were created by an eternal God. The culture may tell you your identity is something you invent for yourself, but Scripture says your deepest identity begins with being made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26a).
The cross proves how personal His love truly is. Christ didn’t enter history merely to establish a moral system or to inspire religious feelings. He stepped into human suffering to rescue sinners, conquer death, and reconcile humanity back to God. The Gospel is personal because God Himself moved toward us personally.
The invitation of the Gospel isn’t distant or abstract. It’s to be forgiven, reconciled, adopted, and brought near to the God Who has known you from the very beginning.
I listened quite a bit to American Family Radio (https://afr.net) this weekend, as I often do. One program that I often find interesting is “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist” with Dr. Frank Turek. Saturday’s program was “The Muslim Brotherhood Tried to Kill His Family – What Happened Next?”
Turek interviewed Martin Sedra. Born in Egypt, Martin was raised in the midst of Christian persecution under Islamic rule. Eventually, his dad moved the family to Australia. For several years, Martin and his wife, Millicent, have been Pastors at Echo Church in Sydney.
These are among the topics that Frank and Martin talked about:
What terrifying (and probably supernatural) events happened to Martin’s family when they lived in Egypt?
How did Egypt go from 90% Christian 1400 years ago to 10% Christian today?
What is the doctrine of abrogation in the Quran and why is it a problem?
What 3 covert strategies are currently being used to initiate an Islamic takeover of America?
The podcast of this program can be heard below. It is a little over 49 minutes in length.
Today is Armed Forces Day in the United States. Each year, it takes place on the third Saturday in May. It also is the last day of Armed Forces Week.
This day was created by President Harry Truman and first was observed on May 20, 1950. It’s purpose was to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and thank military members for their patriotic service in support of the U.S. republic and national interests and as an undeniable fact of American life.
This day also honors Americans serving in the five U.S. military branches. These include the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard.
This is Peace Officers Memorial Day. It is a day each year to pay tribute to local, state and federal peace officers who have died, or who have been disabled, in the line of duty. This holiday was enacted after President John F. Kennedy signed a congressional bill in 1962 designating May 15 each year to honor peace officers.
Today is the 78th anniversary of Israel Independence Day or, in Hebrew, Yom Ha’atzmaut. It began yesterday evening at sundown and will continue through today until sundown.
On the Gregorian calendar, Israel’s declaration of independence took place on May 14, 1948. On the Hebraic calendar, this was on 5 Iyar. This date occurs at different times on the Gregorian calendar each year.
The new State of Israel was recognized by the United States, the Soviet Union and many other countries. However, it was not recognized by the surrounding Arab states, which officially declared war on the new state.
Count the number of big and small birds above. There are a total of 18 birds. If you cannot find all of them, click on the image. Another image will appear with a small red dot on the head of each bird. It also will show the count of all 18 birds.
My mom is in heaven, and I look forward with great anticipation to seeing her again one day. There could not have been a better mom for me than the one I had.
Mexico’s independence from Spain was an armed conflict that lasted from 1808 to 1821. On September 16, 1810, Roman Catholic priest Miguel Hidaldo y Costilla rang the church bell in Dolores, Mexico. That gave the call to arms that triggered the war of independence.
Every May in the U.S. is Jewish American Heritage Month. It is a month of acknowledgement and remembrance of the achievements and contributions to the United States of American Jews.
President George W. Bush announced in April 2006 that the following month, May 2006, would be Jewish American Heritage Month. It was the proclamation of a month that would provide annual recognition of over 350 years of Jewish contributions to America and the American culture. This is the 20th anniversary of Jewish American Heritage Month.
Today, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted to leave its federal funds rate unchanged in the 3.50% to 3.75% range. The interest rate paid on reserve balances will be maintained at 3.65%. Many economists predict that the Fed will hold off on interest rate cuts until later in 2026 or even 2027.
Of the FOMC’s 12-person voting members, 11 members (including Fed Chair Jerome Powell) voted to keep the the target rate range unchanged. Fed Governor Stephen Miran dissented, preferring to lower the rate change by 0.25%. There also were three other FOMC members who dissented by opposing the inclusion of language showing a bias toward interest rates. They included Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack, Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari and Dallas Fed President Lori Logan. This total of four dissents (by Miran, Hammack, Kashkari and Logan) was the highest total for a FOMC meeting since 1992.
This is the last FOMC meeting to be under the leadership of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. His term as Fed chairman is due to expire on May 15. However, Powell has said that he intends to continue serving as a member of the Fed’s Board of Governors for an unknown period of time that has yet to be determined. He stated that he has concerns about the Trump administrations’s investigation of the Fed.
In the previous two meetings this year, on Jan. 28 and on Mar. 18, rates remained unchanged. Back in the Fall of 2025, there were three 0.25% rate cuts in a row. These cuts were on Dec. 10, Oct. 29 and Sep. 17. The next Fed meeting is scheduled to begin on June 16.
Today is the 76th anniversary of “Earth Day.” It was founded, in 1970, by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-Wisconsin). In school at the time, I remember the first Earth Day well. We had a big rally, and then we were released from classes early and encouraged to clean up the school grounds.
I do not see this day as a celebration of “Mother Earth” or “Mother Nature” but, rather, as an acclamation and exaltation of God. He conceived of, brought into existence and energized into motion everything in the universe. Without Him, nothing that exists would exist, including this awesome and amazing planet Earth.
Yesterday, an opening ceremony took place at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. Numerous people talked about the importance of Americans reading their Bibles this year to commemorate America’s 250 anniversary.
This whole week, hundreds of national leaders and Christian leaders in the U.S. will be reading the entire Bible, aloud, from cover to cover. The readings will begin today, Apr. 19, and will continue through Sat., Apr. 25. The Bible being read will be the King James Bible.
On Tue., Apr. 21, President Trump is scheduled to read 2 Chronicles 7:11-22. He will read it from the Oval Office.
I have read the holy Bible, from cover to cover, 25 times. Each time, I began in January and ended in December. I highly recommend that everyone read the Bible, all the way through, at least once or twice.
According to Jesus, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matthew 24:6-8)
Dear God, we pray that good would overcome evil and that light would overcome darkness. We lift up the people of Iran, Israel, and Lebanon, as well as the young men and women serving in our military. Please give them wisdom, courage, and safety. We ask that you would resolve this conflict as soon as possible. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Today is Tax Day in the United States. Tax Day was first introduced in 1913. The only things that are certain for most Americans are death and taxes. The first day of tax season this year was Jan. 26, and this is the final day to file taxes in the U.S.
The tax filing deadline is midnight tonight in each time zone, unless someone has requested a six-month extension (to Oct. 15). For someone filing his/her taxes by mail today, as long as it is postmarked with today’s date, the IRS will consider the return filed on time. Electronic returns must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. local time tonight.
American taxpayers living outside of the U.S. and Puerto Rico on April 15 will receive an automatic two-month extension to file their 2025 returns. This moves their tax deadline to June 15.
The following was stated by the apostle Paul:
Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:7)
On Friday, April 3, a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran, forcing the two-man crew to eject deep behind enemy lines. The pilot was rescued relatively quickly, but the Weapons Systems Officer (WSO), a highly respected colonel, spent over 36 hours evading Iranian forces in rugged mountainous terrain.
During this time, he transmitted the brief message, “God is good” over the radio, signaling that he was alive and capable of communication. This also reflected his personal faith and resilience under extreme conditions. The message ultimately guided U.S. Special Operations forces, including Navy SEALs and Air Force Special Operations teams, to find the colonel and rescue him safely on April 5 (Resurrection Sunday).
Commonly called Easter, today is the observance of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead on Resurrection Sunday. It took place on the Feast of Firstfruits that always is on the Sunday following Passover, which was on Apr. 2 this year.
Today is the first full day of Pesach or Passover, which began at sunset last evening. There also was a full moon early this morning. This day is a commemoration of the exodus of Israel out of Egypt, as described in Exodus 12:1-51. It is followed by the week of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Just as lambs were slain on the first and subsequent Passovers, the Lamb of God, Yeshua/Jesus, also died on Passover. His shed blood atoned for the sins of all who will accept His unique sacrifice on their behalf. According to John the Baptist and the apostle Paul,
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. (1 Corinthians 5:7b)
His death, of the righteous for the unrighteous, is the only thing that can bring us to God the Father. According to the apostle Peter,
Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. (1 Peter 3:18)
There are clear links between the life, death, resurrection and future return of Yeshua/Jesus and the feasts and holy days of Israel. (See more in Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 of my online book.) More connections also can be found in my Good Thursday commentary.
Indeed, Yeshua/Jesus our Passover Lamb was slain, and He lay in the tomb during the first few days and nights of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Fortunately for us, He did not remain there; He rose from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits = Resurrection Day (Easter Sunday).
He is in heaven now waiting to return to earth, at which time He will sit on his throne in Jerusalem. There, He will rule and reign as King over all the earth. I hardly can wait!
This evening, President Trump delivered an address to the nation from the White House. He primarily talked about the 2026 Iran war, which has been going on since Feb. 28 (just over a month). It is uncertain whether or not a deal between the two nations will be made. If not, Trump will consider increasing massive destruction of key targets in Iran.
His address lasted a little less than 18 minutes. In the video below, fast-forward to the 9-minute 11-second (9:11) point, when Trump begins walking to the podium where he gives his address.
