Displaying items by tag: North America

Dr Jerome Adams grew up poor in rural Maryland on a family farm. Government assistance sustained the family. His mother recently had a major stroke. His brother struggles with substance abuse. All four grandparents died prematurely of chronic disease. An uncomfortable childhood prepared him for an ‘uncomfortable’ tenure as US surgeon general. He said, ‘I’m a Christian and I believe God doesn’t put you where you’ll be comfortable, He puts you where He needs you.’ He has been criticised for recommending the use of masks and for working with a president who some believe is ‘insensitive to people of colour’, saying, ‘Our issues as people of colour are too important to go four years without representation in the highest levels of government. I personally have faith that I am put where I am most needed. I spent my life fighting and will keep fighting for the poor, the disadvantaged, the people of colour.’

Donald Trump took off his face mask to enter the White House after being hospitalised with coronavirus. This dismissive message - 'don't be afraid of Covid, don't let it dominate your life' - immediately met with angry statements saying he was putting Americans at risk. The American Medical Association warned that 'the only thing we have to fear is complacency'. Meanwhile the 74-year-old tweeted that he was feeling 'better than I did 20 years ago!' On 7 October Trump described his Covid-19 illness as a blessing from God. He wants all Americans to have access to the treatment he was given, even though the drug has not been approved by federal regulators and its use is known to carry a risk affecting behaviour and judgment.  Coronavirus has claimed over 210,000 American lives, and many are saying his message was 'a slap in the face' to bereaved families. He has refused to take part in a TV debate with Joe Biden because it would have to take place virtually.

On 6 October Louisiana’s governor warned, ‘It is time to prepare for Hurricane Delta as it intensifies in the Caribbean. It is common for people to experience hurricane fatigue during a busy season, but we need everyone to take this threat seriously.’ Delta is the 10th named storm in America this season. After tearing down trees and power lines across Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, Delta grew in size as it approached the northern Gulf Coast on 9 October. Life-threatening storm surges and hurricane-force winds are expected in the Louisiana coast, with as much as 12 inches of rain in places. State and local officials are shoring up levees, sandbagging and taking other protection measures in areas still recovering from Hurricane Laura, which roared ashore in August. Over 6,600 Laura evacuees remain in hotels around the state, mainly in New Orleans, because their homes are too heavily damaged to return. Pray for their peace of mind.

A New York Times investigation of Donald Trump’s taxes show chronic losses and years of tax avoidance. He paid $750 in federal income taxes the year he won the presidency, and the same amount in his first year in the White House. He paid no income taxes at all in ten years - because he reported losing more money than he made (see) Trump’s hair styling for television was claimed as $70,000 expenses, and $95,464 was the total sum that nine of Trump’s companies have paid to style his wife’s hair. Also $210,000 was written off as expenses to hire a photographer to take photographs at the Mar-a-Lago club. These are just a few of the expenses claimed. In total he paid no taxes in 11 of the 18 years the paper examined. A judge has ruled that his son, Eric Trump, must testify in the tax probe: see

A Louisville nurse, Breonna Taylor, was asleep with her partner Kenneth Walker III, when they heard a noise. They got up and went to the door shouting ‘Who is it?’ and got no reply. Plainclothes police entered the home without knocking, mistakenly thinking they would find drugs. Walker said he couldn't see but he fired one shot at the intruders, thinking they were burglars, hitting an officer in the leg. Next, the police fired over 30 rounds and killed Breonna. Their trial for murder was this week, but only one of the officers was indicted, on the charge of first-degree wanton endangerment. No-one was charged with murder. People are protesting nationally, saying that the message of this indictment is, ‘We don't care about you, especially if you are black, and even more if you are a woman.’ Police are using violence and pepper spray as the situation escalates in Philadelphia, Portland, Seattle, and elsewhere.

More than 1.8 million people tuned into Greg Laurie's new outreach film A Rush of Hope during the Labour Day weekend (4-7 September). It broke all attendance records in Harvest Crusades' thirty-year history as it aired on dozens of online streaming and on-demand channels and over 600 radio stations. It will also air on TV in major markets across the US and on cable networks; then it will be released to streaming platforms and on DVD in November. In a year of unending bad news the Harvest team heard from over 17,000 people who came to faith after they watched the film. Harvest’s founder said the film is a reminder that God is greater than a pandemic or any other challenge we are facing. He can do above and beyond anything we can dream, and He is still transforming lives. Watch the film’s trailer here

Black Lives Matter organiser Melina Abdullah called out the names of blacks killed by police and summoned the spirits of the dead by pouring out a drink offering on the pavement at a Los Angeles June march. ‘Our power comes not only from the people here but from the spirits that we cannot see’, said Abdullah, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. ‘When we say their name, we invoke their presence.’ In the 1960s, the leaders of Civil Rights movements were Christians. Today’s BLM leaders are completely different. Pray for the US church to weigh its response to racism and police brutality while filtering a movement whose values are diametrically opposed to the Bible’s. It blends African and indigenous cultures’ spiritual practices ,and beliefs, ancestor worship; chanting rituals, dancing, and summoning deities. This unsavoury underpinning has caused a parallel movement called One Race to be birthed, welcoming all races and based on prayer, praise, preaching, and education.

Hundreds of people near the Florida-Alabama border were being rescued from floodwaters brought on by Hurricane Sally on 16 September. Authorities fear many more could be in danger in the coming days. ‘We had four months of rain in four hours’, said the Pensacola fire department. Sally has weakened since making landfall as a Category 2 hurricane, but the devastation was visible across Southern states by nightfall. Sally continues to slowly move northwest causing torrential rain over eastern Alabama and western Georgia. Pensacola and parts of Florida and Alabama are submerged, with rivers approaching dangerous levels. Numerous counties are under curfews to keep residents safe. A commissioner in Florida said they are still in evacuation and lifesaving recovery missions, as historic and catastrophic flooding threatens more communities. There could be thousands of evacuations. Pray for the families and businesses in areas looking like war zones. 

Commissioner of Public Lands said new fires are starting   in every corner of the state.  60+ hikers and campers were rescued by military helicopters.  A fire in Southern California was sparked by a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used to reveal a baby’s gender. That fire is only 7% contained. Hundreds of homes have been lost. From California to Minnesota millions are choking and wheezing from toxic smoke blanketing the area and blocking sunshine. Pray for those with chest complaints struggling to breath. See also

A poll shows a continued decline in active-duty service members’ views of President Donald Trump and a slight but significant preference for former vice president Joe Biden in the upcoming November election. The results, collected before the political conventions earlier this month, appear to undercut claims from the president that his support among military members is strong thanks to big defence budget increases in recent years and promised moves to draw down troops from overseas conflict zones. But active-duty troops and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) have seen a steady drop in troops’ opinion of the commander-in-chief since his election four years ago. The dipping popularity among troops - considered by Republican Party leaders to be part of the base of Trump’s support - could prove problematic for him, as there is significant disagreement among active-duty respondents about several recent controversial presidential policy statements.