Exploring the Amazon with Good News; Hundreds of NC churches serving their communities; Living as a citizen of Heaven during a US election cylce

Good News for Today

Devon Faulkner knows about bumpy rides.

“Our small Cessna bobbled lower and lower until its wheels made contact with the gravel runway, slicing through its many puddles,” Faulkner wrote in a blog entry. After deplaning, Faulkner and his partner walked off the landing strip and into the jungle...the Amazon jungle.

Faulkner serves as a Project 3000 missionary explorer with the International Mission Board. As an explorer, Faulkner and his ministry partner, Rhett Clarke, seek out and research unengaged and unreached Indigenous people groups in remote areas of the Amazon, bringing with them the world’s most important message – the Gospel.

After a short walk, they met a man who invited them into his home. Faulkner describes how, over an open flame made a meal for them. Both the husband and wife listened intently as Faulkner and Clarke shared the story of Jesus calming the storm. During their two and a half weeks in the area, they visited the couple four times and shared more than 10 Bible stories and a Gospel presentation.

They later learned the family practiced withcraft. The explorers say it startled them at first, but the family’s zeal for hearing the Good News helped them overcome their fear.

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More than 1,000 churches from across North Carolina have pledged to take part in a statewide initiative in early August that calls on church members to serve their local communities.

The “ServeNC” initiative, scheduled for Aug. 3-10, asks churches to meet the needs of their surrounding neighborhoods throughout that week.

Participating churches can be found in 89 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. They have been encouraged to participate in service projects that meet specific needs in their local communities.

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As the Republican National Convention kicks off next week in Milwaukee and the Democratic convention happens in August…some believers may be wrestling with their approach to the election cycle.

Tony Martin writes, “Our identity in Christ should shape every other aspect of our lives, including how we engage with our nation.

Be concerned. Yes, it’s important to be aware of what’s happening in the world and to care about justice, peace, and the well-being of others. But let’s not allow these concerns to eclipse our faith. It’s easy to get caught up in the news cycle, social media debates, and the latest controversies. However, we must remember that our ultimate hope does not lie in any human institution or leader but in God.

Be patriotic. Love your country, pray for its leaders, and strive to make it a better place. But remember, our earthly nations are temporary.

Be passionate. It’s okay to have strong opinions and to advocate for what you believe is right. But let’s do so with grace and humility.

Above all, be God’s. Our primary allegiance is to our Heavenly Father. When we keep our eyes on the eternal, we gain perspective on the temporal. We are reminded that our true home is not here but in heaven, and our ultimate goal is not to build a perfect society but to bring glory to God.