Patrick Henry said, “This great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Watch this video and remember why you’re proud to be an American.

Independence Day is just around the corner, and most people couldn’t be more proud to be an American. But Dr. Michael Brown explains the important difference between patriotism and the kingdom of God. Do you agree?

Zach Williams’ “Chain Breaker” has been a hit on Christian radio for months. But in the official music video, the song’s themes get acted out in the real world—and it will leave you in tears.

After President Donald Trump lashed out at MSNBC’s Morning Joe hosts with an unflattering tweet, CNN devoted 13 hours of coverage Thursday on what he wrote.

Part 3 of James O’Keefe and Project Veritas’ American Pravda investigative series, however, suggests perhaps the network needs to take a long look in the mirror. At the opening of the latest installment, viewers are introduced to CNN’s New Day associate producer Johnny Carr, who held back nothing in his assessment of the president, his administration, and the American voters.

On the president, he said:

“On the inside, we all recognize he is a clown, that he is hilariously unqualified for this, that he’s really bad at this. That he does not have America’s interests. We recognize that he’s just [expletive] crazy …

“Here’s the deal. This is a man who’s not actually a Republican. He’s not actually a Republican. He just adopted that because that was the party he thought he could win in. He doesn’t believe anything that these people believe …

“The man’s on his third wife. I guarantee you he’s paid for abortions. He doesn’t [obscene phrase] about abortion. He doesn’t care about gay marriage. He doesn’t even really care about the budget. The man’s upping the budget even though he promised to rein it in.”

Lies, but told with such passion and conviction, it’s clearly obvious Carr really believes them. He went on to say, however, that he’s not alone at CNN in his assessment. He suggested “90 percent” of those who work at the network are “on board with just the fact that he’s crazy.” He got elected because, as Carr put it, American voters are “stupid as [expletive].”

He went on to add the following about White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway:

“We actually had that awful woman, Kellyanne Conway—you know, the blonde—she looks like she got hit with a shovel.”

When asked for clarification from the Project Veritas undercover journalist, he repeated the last part of his statement. O’Keefe said this kind of bias is a “plague” that has infected every aspect of the “once respected news organization.”

Like CNN Senior Medical Producer John Bonifield, who was introduced in Part 1 of the “American Pravda” series, Carr goes on to say ratings dictate news coverage at the network. But, he personally played a role in the next segment of the video in which O’Keefe demonstrates how CNN deceptively edits interviews and citizen panels to project its false narrative.

Earlier this year, at about the 60-day mark of the Trump presidency, New Day co-anchor Alisyn Camerota sat down with the president’s supporters in Connecticut to discuss how they would “grade” his administration so far. The panel was broadcast for a total of eight minutes, but according to audio leaked to Project Veritas, it actually lasted about 90 minutes.

Among those on the panel was William “Billy” Baer of New Jersey. In the broadcast version of the panel, he is portrayed as a conspiracy theorist who believed the president’s “unproven” assertion that illegal votes were cast in the election. But, the leaked audio provided an entirely different story. Baer cited actual incidents of voter fraud he witnessed as a poll watcher, and even noted O’Keefe’s investigative reporting into voter fraud.

“I have seen busloads, I guess I can’t cite the busloads I’ve seen, and where I’ve seen them and stuff,” he said. “But on television I’ve seen it, and um, I mean, has anybody looked into, like what James O’Keefe has done? When he went undercover, to those various polling places?”

“That was voter registration,” Camerota cut him off.

“I know. Well, no, he went in, he was basically ready to vote as somebody else. Nobody asked for ID. I was actually a poll watcher in New Jersey, and I saw what was going on there. There were college students voting, and there was no, there was basically …”

“Oh, so they gave them someone else’s name?” Camerota again interrupted.

“That’s right, or you use a provisional ballot and it’s never challenged. They just put it right through. This is common.”

None of that ever appeared in the segment CNN broadcast. O’Keefe said it was cut out because it didn’t fit the network’s narrative that the president pushes conspiracy theories without any basis in fact. He called it a “textbook lie of omission.”

In the final segment, O’Keefe camped outside CNN CEO Jeff Zucker’s home in Manhattan and attempted to confront him with questions, but was blocked by security guards. Zucker ignored the cameras and sped toward an SUV that sped him away. Click here to see that confrontation take place.

“In the final analysis, this is a conflict of visions between a dying, legacy, mainstream establishment media that seeks to characterize and interpret reality versus an American people that craves unfiltered, raw, real, true information,” O’Keefe said in conclusion. “No more fake news.” {eoa}

The third installment in the Despicable Me series hit theaters this weekend, and parents everywhere are wondering if the PG film is safe for their kids. Focus on the Family’s Plugged In gives their take.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration reversed a decision late on Thursday and said fiancés would be considered close family members and therefore allowed to travel to the United States as its revised travel ban took effect.

The U.S. State Department concluded “upon further review, fiancés would now be included as close family members,” said a State Department official who requested anonymity.

The Trump administration had previously decided, on the basis of its interpretation of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, that grandparents, grandchildren and fiancés traveling from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen would be barred from obtaining visas while the ban was in place.

The 90-day ban took effect at 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT Friday), along with a 120-day ban on all refugees.

On Monday, the Supreme Court revived parts of Trump’s travel ban on people from the six Muslim-majority countries, narrowing the scope of lower court rulings that had blocked parts of a March 6 executive order and allowing his temporary ban to go into effect for people with no strong ties to the United States.

A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, who also requested anonymity, said it would be updating its guidance to state that fiancés would not be barred from obtaining visas while the ban was in place.

The Supreme Court exempted from the ban travelers and refugees with a “bona fide relationship” with a person or entity in the United States. As an example, the court said those with a “close familial relationship” with someone in the United States would be covered.

The state of Hawaii asked a federal judge in Honolulu on Thursday evening to determine whether the Trump administration had interpreted the court’s decision too narrowly.

Hawaii said in a court filing that the U.S. government intended to violate the Supreme Court’s instructions by improperly excluding from the United States people who actually have a close family relationship to U.S. persons, echoing criticism from immigrant and refugee groups.

Hawaii called the refusal to recognize grandparents and other relatives as an acceptable family relationship “a plain violation of the Supreme Court’s command.”

Hawaii’s Attorney General Doug Chin asked U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson in Honolulu, who blocked Trump’s travel ban in March, to issue an order “as soon as possible” clarifying how the Supreme Court’s ruling should be interpreted.

Watson ordered the Justice Department to respond to Hawaii’s request by Monday, and said he would allow Hawaii to reply by July 6.

‘Keep Fighting’

A senior U.S. official did not answer directly when asked how barring grandparents or grandchildren would make the United States safer, but instead pointed to Trump’s guidance to pause “certain travel while we review our security posture.”

The U.S. government expected “things to run smoothly” and “business as usual” at U.S. ports of entry, another senior U.S. official told reporters.

A handful of immigration lawyers gathered at Dulles International Airport outside Washington on Thursday in case of any problems.

“We’re going to keep fighting this ban, even if it applies very narrowly,” said Sirine Shebaya, a senior staff attorney at Muslim Advocates. “It’s still a Muslim ban, and it’s still trying to send a message to a whole community that they’re not welcome here.”

The administration said refugees who have agreements with resettlement agencies but not close family in the United States would not be exempted from the ban, likely sharply limiting the number of refugees allowed entry in coming months.

Hawaii said in its court filing it was “preposterous” not to consider a formal link with a resettlement agency a qualifying relationship. Refugee resettlement agencies had expected that their formal links with would-be refugees would qualify as “bona fide.”

The administration’s decision likely means that few refugees beyond a 50,000-cap set by Trump would be allowed into the country this year. A U.S. official said that, as of Wednesday evening, 49,009 refugees had been allowed into the country this fiscal year. The State Department said refugees scheduled to arrive through July 6 could still enter.

Trump first announced a temporary travel ban on Jan. 27, calling it a counterterrorism measure to allow time to develop better security vetting. The order caused chaos at airports, as officials scrambled to enforce it before it was blocked by courts. Opponents argued that the measure discriminated against Muslims and that there was no security rationale for it.

A revised version of the ban was also halted by courts.

The State Department guidance, distributed to all U.S. diplomatic posts on Wednesday evening and seen by Reuters, fleshed out the Supreme Court’s ruling about people who have a “bona fide” relationship with an individual or entity in the United States.

It defined a close familial relationship as being a parent, spouse, child, adult son or daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law or sibling, including step-siblings and other step-family relations.

A department cable said grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, fiancés, “and any other ‘extended’ family members” were not considered close family.

The guidelines also said workers with offers of employment from a company in the United States or a lecturer addressing U.S. audiences would be exempt from the ban, but that arrangements such as a hotel reservation would not be considered bona fide relationships. {eoa}

© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.

The borrower is the servant of the lender, and through the mechanism of government debt, virtually the entire planet has become the servants of the global moneychangers. Politicians love to borrow money, but over time, government debt slowly but surely impoverishes a nation. As the elite get governments around the globe in increasing amounts of debt, those governments must raise taxes in order to keep servicing those debts. In the end, it is all about taking money from us and transferring it into government pockets, and then taking money from government pockets and transferring it into the hands of the elite. It is a game that has been going on for generations, and it is time for humanity to say that enough is enough.

According to the Institute of International Finance, global debt has now reached a new all-time record high of $217 trillion:

Global debt levels have surged to a record $217 trillion in the first quarter of the year. This is 327 percent of the world’s annual economic output (GDP), reports the Institute of International Finance (IIF).

The surging debt was driven by emerging economies, which have increased borrowing by $3 trillion to $56 trillion. This amounts to 218 percent of their combined economic output, five percentage points greater year on year.

Never before in human history has our world been so saturated with debt.

And what all of this debt does is that it funnels wealth to the very top of the global wealth pyramid. In other words, it makes global wealth inequality far worse because this system is designed to make the rich even richer and the poor even poorer.

Every year, the gap between the wealthy and the poor grows, and it has gotten to the point that eight men have as much wealth as the poorest 3.6 billion people on this planet combined:

Eight men own the same wealth as the 3.6 billion people who make up the poorest half of humanity, according to a new report published by Oxfam today to mark the annual meeting of political and business leaders in Davos.

This didn’t happen by accident. Sadly, most people don’t even understand that this is literally what our system was designed to do.

Today, more than 99 percent of the population of the planet lives in a country that has a central bank. And debt-based central banking is designed to get national governments trapped in endless debt spirals from which they can never possibly escape.

For example, just consider the Federal Reserve. During the four decades before the Federal Reserve was created, our country enjoyed the best period of economic growth in U.S. history. But since the Fed was established in 1913, the value of the U.S. dollar has fallen by approximately 98 percent and the size of our national debt has gotten more than 5000 times larger.

It isn’t an accident that we are $20 trillion in debt. The truth is that the debt-based Federal Reserve is doing exactly what it was originally designed to do. And no matter what politicians will tell you, we will never have a permanent solution to our debt problem until we get rid of the Federal Reserve.

In 2017, interest on the national debt will be nearly half a trillion dollars.

That means that close to 500 billion of our tax dollars will go out the door before our government spends a single penny on the military, on roads, on health care or on anything else.

And we continue to pile up debt at a rate of more than 100 million dollars an hour. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the federal government will add more than a trillion dollars to the national debt once again in 2018:

Unless current laws are changed, federal individual income tax collections will increase by 9.5 percent in fiscal 2018, which begins on October 1, according to data released today by the Congressional Budget Office.

At the same time, however, the federal debt will increase by more than $1 trillion.

We shouldn’t be doing this, but we just can’t seem to stop.

Let me try to put this into perspective. If you could somehow borrow a million dollars today and obligate your children to pay it off for you, would you do it?

Maybe if you really hate your children you would, but most loving parents would never do such a thing.

But that is precisely what we are doing on a national level.

Thomas Jefferson was strongly against government debt because he believed that it was a way for one generation to steal from another generation. And he actually wished that he could have added another amendment to the U.S. Constitution which would have banned government borrowing…

I wish it were possible to obtain a single amendment to our Constitution. I would be willing to depend on that alone for the reduction of the administration of our government to the genuine principles of its Constitution; I mean an additional article, taking from the federal government the power of borrowing.

And the really big secret that none of us are supposed to know is that governments don’t actually have to borrow money.

But if we start saying that too loudly the people that are making trillions of dollars from the current system are going to get very, very upset with us.

Today, we are living in the terminal phase of the biggest debt bubble in the history of the planet. Every debt bubble eventually ends tragically, and this one will too.

Bill Gross recently noted that “our highly levered financial system is like a truckload of nitroglycerin on a bumpy road.” One wrong move and the whole thing could blow sky-high.

When everything comes crashing down and a great crisis happens, we are going to have a choice.

We could try to rebuild the fundamentally flawed old system, or we could scrap it and start over with something much better.

My hope is that we will finally learn our lesson and discard the debt-based central banking model for good.

The reason I am writing about this so much ahead of time is so that people will actually understand why the coming crisis is happening as it unfolds.

If we can get everyone to understand how we are being systematically robbed and cheated, perhaps people will finally get mad enough to do something about it. {eoa}

President Donald Trump visited the U.S. Department of Energy headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Thursday with Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt at his side to announce a new national energy policy.

“We’re here today to usher in a new American energy policy—one that unlocks million and millions of jobs and trillions of dollars in wealth,” he said. “For over 40 years, America was vulnerable to foreign regimes that used energy as an economic weapon. Americans’ quality of life was diminished by the idea that energy resources were too scarce to support our people. We always thought that, and actually at the time it was right to think. We didn’t think we had this tremendous wealth under our feet. Many of us remember the long gas lines and the constant claims that the world was running out of oil and natural gas.

“Americans were told that our nation could only solve this energy crisis by imposing draconian restrictions on energy production. But we now know that was all a big, beautiful myth. It was fake.”

That led to short ribbing of CNN, during which the president suggested the network’s producers turned their cameras off. He returned to his speech with a promise he wouldn’t say anything else about the news organization.

“The truth is that we have near-limitless supplies of energy in our country. Powered by new innovation and technology, we are now on the cusp of a true energy revolution.

“Our country is blessed with extraordinary energy abundance, which we didn’t know of, even five years ago and certainly 10 years ago. We have nearly 100 years’ worth of natural gas and more than 250 years’ worth of clean, beautiful coal.

“We are a top producer of petroleum and the number-one producer of natural gas. We have so much more than we ever thought possible. We are really in the driving seat. And you know what? We don’t want to let other countries take away our sovereignty and tell us what to do and how to do it. That’s not going to happen. With these incredible resources, my administration will seek not only American energy independence that we’ve been looking for so long, but American energy dominance.”

You can watch the president’s entire speech in the video clip above. {eoa}

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. We know this.

The most direct route? The fastest way of accomplishing tasks? We like this.

Efficiency and speed make us happy. But life moments aren’t always conducive to efficiency and speed and they rarely make us feel like we’re going in a straight line.

We often use more accurate ways to describe how we see life.

A roller coaster? Sometimes.

Hill and valleys? Often.

Mountainous terrain? Occasionally.

A journey? Definitely.

But it’s rarely a straight line—or a bed of roses.

Sometimes the course of life events can seem strange. One minute, things are normal—you’re focused, meeting your goals, accomplishing tasks, even serving the Lord. The next thing you know, the unexpected completely interrupts your somewhat routine life.

We start the day with a couple challenges on our minds and end it with the unthinkable dominating our thoughts.

It’s no wonder the Lord wisely encouraged us not to worry about tomorrow: “Therefore, take no thought about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take thought about the things of itself” (Matt. 6:34).

He was well-aware of the world we would live in during our time on earth and what we would encounter and face in our daily lives. Culture, war, famine, disease—the Lord saw it all and yet still encouraged us to live our lives free from fear. It would seem impossible, except for the fact that this is the God who tells us “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Our all-knowing, all-powerful God lets us know that, yes, things are going to be challenging, but we can actually have peace during those times because of what He’s done—He’s overcome.

What He doesn’t tell us is to live life with the expectation that all will be perfect and free from chaos.

Life was great—once. And then Adam and Eve were disobedient.

Thankfully God has a plan to make all things new again when His Son returns to rule as King on the earth.

But until then, there are real storms in life.

Sickness, bankruptcy, incurable diseases, untimely death, injustice, prejudice, unbelievable acts of random violence . . .

Instead of entering His gates with thanksgiving, we’re ready to storm them with our list of all the things that need to be fixed, acting as if our great God has somehow overlooked the details of our lives.

Many times we can find ourselves like the disciples on the Lake of Galilee.

One day He went into a boat with His disciples, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. As they sailed, He fell asleep. Then a wind storm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in danger.

They came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”

Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm.  He said to them, “Where is your faith?”

Being afraid, they marveled, saying to each other, “Who then is this Man? He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him.”

They sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is across from Galilee (Luke 8:22-26).

In the midst of all that is happening, we forget what the Lord said we were going to accomplish together. We question His goodness and care. We panic and become fearful.

But we don’t have to be fearful, anxious or even worried by what we see, experience or encounter. Regardless of the height of the waves, God is actually greater. Despite the ferocity of the winds, He has all power. And He makes Himself available to us.

And although we can feel the reality of our lack of control, there are steps we can take to stay calm and maintain our peace in the midst of the storm.

1. Remember Not to Worry

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, yes, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Is. 41:10).

In our day, the temptation to worry can be great. And as good Christians, we sometimes refuse to worry, opting instead to delve into that all-too-familiar place of simply being “concerned.” When we read Jesus’ words not to worry or to “fear not,” there are times we take them as an unreasonable request. However, this is a command the Lord gives to us so that we engage His power to live it out.

We don’t refuse worry based on our feelings, but instead we choose to take hold of the truth: We have unhindered access to the Prince of Peace, even in the most challenging situations. He is our hope and our deliverer, the one who is victorious and undefeated and humbly calls Himself our Helper.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over” (Ps. 23:5).

2. Remember Who Speaks to the Storm and Call on Him

“I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Ps. 34:4).

Even when things feel uncontrollable, there is Someone who actually has all power and authority to change situations and circumstances. When we feel helpless, He remains stable, steadfast and faithful. When we feel we’re out of options, He holds all creative power.

And when our God speaks, things happen.

He easily commands the wind and the waves He created and they immediately comply, without hesitation.

So let us take comfort in the fact that what God says will happen will actually come to pass. When He speaks to you about where He is taking you, you can rest assured that you will arrive in that place, regardless of how things look. And when you do, you will marvel at His ability and power.

Some went down to the sea in ships, to do business in the vast waters; they saw the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep water. For He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the sea waves … Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distress. He made the storm calm, and the sea waves were still (Ps. 107:23-29).

3. Remember the Storm Is Temporary

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye on you” (Ps. 32:8).

As painful and caustic as life’s circumstances can be, we’re often exhorted to look up to the One who is able and willing to help us in our time of need. It’s only when we look to Jesus that the troubles of life can even be seen as “light and momentary affliction” that will pale in comparison to what He has awaiting us.

We have a Good Shepherd who guides us through each and every challenge in the way that is best for us, tailoring His guidance to best lead us. And regardless of the strength of the storm, we can look to the One who is stronger and know the destination He has set before us is victory.

You shall seek them and shall not find them, even those who contended with you. Those who war against you shall be as nothing, as a thing of nonexistence. For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, “Do not fear; I will help you” (Is. 41:12-13).

Throughout life, as storms arise, agitation and the temptation to worry may call our names. But in those moments, as the winds pick up and the waves become choppy, we can choose peace.

Without denying what’s happening, we can rest assured that the One who dwells within is greater. Because during our most unexpected and challenging moments, He is sovereign and Lord over the storm.

The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea (Ps. 93:4).