Author: Shalem John
When Osama Sawarih arrived at one of Gaza’s new aid-distribution centers around 5 a.m. on Sunday, he encountered a scene he said he’ll never forget. A crowd had been gathering in the southern city of Rafah for hours, many with empty bellies after a 12-week Israeli blockade led to severe food shortages. Sawarih’s stock of food was running dangerously low, and his kids, who range from ages 2 to 17, often eat only flatbread and rocket lettuce for dinner. Like many others in Gaza, his entire family was beginning to show signs of malnutrition. Some people did not comply with…
For years, in city after city, Christy Gafford would invite Christians to come pray and worship with Sean Feucht. “It’s time to take back this ground for the Kingdom!” she wrote on Facebook as Feucht toured state capitols in 2023 and 2024. She shared a picture of demonstrators waving flags on the capitol lawn in Salem, Oregon, and a clip of praise dancers twirling in the rotunda of the Austin, Texas, statehouse. Gafford said she saw God on the move through Feucht and his ministry. She served for eight years leading a local chapter of Feucht’s Burn 24-7 prayer movement,…
Pastors face unique challenges in their role and often feel overwhelmed, but few decide to step away from the pulpit and pursue another career. Only around 1 in 100 pastors leave the ministry each year, according to a Lifeway Research study of evangelical and Black Protestant pastors. The percentage of pastors who leave for reasons other than retirement or death has remained statistically unchanged over the past decade: 1.3% in 2015, 1.5% in 2021 and 1.2% in 2025. “The rate of pastors departing the pastorate is steady and quite low given the demands of the role,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway…