Wednesday, December 26th, in the year of our Lord 2018
By Adam McManus (adam@TheWorldView.com)
2 Mexican Politicians Killed in Helicopter Crash
Mexican President Andres Obrador announced that the governor of the Mexican state of Puebla, Martha Alonso, and her husband, Senator Rafael Valle, were killed on Monday in a helicopter crash.
“Green New Deal” Would Cost $5 Trillion
Democrats are lining up to support a “Green New Deal” which could end up being the largest expansion of government in decades, reports The Daily Caller.
Taking its name from the New Deal of the 1930s, the central goal is to move the U.S. to 100 percent green energy which could cost as much as $5.2 trillion over two decades, according to a 2010 study by the conservative Heritage Foundation.
1 in 3 Adults Suffering from “Holiday Burnout”
A new survey by Slumber Cloud finds that one in three adults are suffering from “holiday burnout.”
The survey found that the average American will spend 38 hours getting ready for the holidays. Shopping will account for most of that time, about 13 hours, followed by cooking. The survey found Americans spend nine hours in the kitchen preparing, serving, and cleaning up for holiday meals.
The average person also spends an additional nine hours just planning for all the holidays, and then devotes about seven hours to decorations.
It’s no wonder that many people find themselves sleeping less in December. Holiday burnout appears to take its toll on our rest, with 57 percent of respondents saying they sacrifice sleep during the holidays, losing about an hour of sleep per night.
God-Haters Strike Again!
An Indiana public school district says that starting in January 2019, coaches and staff will be barred from participating in team prayers led by the students, reports The Christian Post.
If you surmised that the God-hating group Freedom from Religion Foundation was behind the new rule, you would be correct.
The Third Circuit ruled that if a coach “manifests approval and solidarity with the student religious exercises, they cross the line between respect for religion and the endorsement of religion.”
US Postal Service Discriminates Against Christians
A program authorized by the U.S. Postal Service for companies to create custom Christmas stamps for consumers is under fire for rejecting one design because it included, in the background, the roofline of St. Basil’s Cathedral, reports WorldNetDaily.com.
The United States Postal Service bans any depiction of religious content on customized stamps. This despite the fact that the USPS hypocritically sells stamps itself depicting nativities and menorahs.
“Silent Night” Author Died a Pauper
Perhaps you sang “Silent Night” at a recent Christmas-related service. Ever wonder about its history?
The lyrics for “Silent Night” came from an Austrian Catholic priest named Joseph Franz Mohr, who penned the six verses as a poem while serving as an assistant priest in 1816, reports The Christian Post.
While living in Oberndorf, he became good friends with Franz Gruber, a local music teacher who composed the melody for the song in 1818.
Mohr was born out of wedlock and grew up in poverty before becoming a priest. Amazingly, despite the eventual success of “Silent Night,” Mohr would die poor, his estate only consisting of a single guitar.
Next James Bond Should Be Transgender?
Dominic West, a British actor best known for playing Jimmy McNulty in The Wire, believes the next 007, the next James Bond, should be transgender, reports the Sunday Times Magazine.
GoFundMe Scam
Do you remember the story of a homeless veteran who gave his last $20 to help a woman when her car ran out of gas? Well, the story, which turned out to be false, went viral prompting 14,000 people to contribute $402,000 through GoFundMe.com.
NBC News obtained a court filing which reveals that Mark D’Amico and Kate McClure, in concert with Johnny Bobbitt Jr., a Marine veteran, made the whole story up, using the money for fancy cars and exotic vacations. Last month, the three were charged with second-degree theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception.
As a result, GoFundMe.com, the online fundraising website, returned the money to all the donors, reports TheHill.com.
Pat Boone’s Wife is Dying
And finally, Christian singer Pat Boone, who has recorded 150 albums, is asking for prayers for his wife Shirley who is battling “vasculitis,” the inflammation of one’s blood vessels, reports Charisma News.
With Pat’s permission, Pastor Shawn Bolz announced that Shirley Boone was sent home by doctors two months ago for possible hospice. Bolz wrote, “So let everybody know the docs have given up except for home/hospice care, not believing Shirley can recover—she’s on the way out—but we’re believing Doctor Jesus makes house calls.”
Matthew 18:20 says, “where two or three gather in My name, there am I with them.” Lord, we pray that You would heal Shirley Boone and get all the glory.
Close
And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes on this Wednesday, December 26th in the year of our Lord 2018. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldView.com. I’m Adam McManus. Seize the day for Jesus Christ.
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U.S. Still Engaged in Syria
Despite President Trump’s announcement last week that the U.S. would withdraw its 2,000 troops from Syria, the U.S.-led coalition airstrikes against ISIS in Syria are continuing, and the coalition announced that attacks Dec. 16-22 “severely degraded” the group’s facilities and “removed several hundred ISIS fighters from the battlefield,” reports CNN.
According to Axios.com, the unspoken message is simple. The coalition doesn’t consider the terrorist group to be defeated.
Strongest Retail Sales in 6 Years
Shoppers delivered the strongest holiday sales increase for U.S. retailers in six years, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Total U.S. retail sales, excluding automobiles, rose 5.1% between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24 from a year earlier, according to MastercardSpendingPulse, which tracks both online and in-store spending with all forms of payment.
The figures suggest a stock-market swoon and partial government shutdown have not curbed consumer confidence and spending.
Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, a retail research and consulting firm, said, “Wall Street is running around like a chicken with its head cut off, while Mr. and Mrs. Main Street are happy with their jobs, enjoying their best wage increases in a decade.”