Sarah Stegall

Times are becoming increasingly difficult for men in America, with men hard-hit by recent job losses. That's why two events are being held this weekend to offer men encouragement, tools for healing and empowerment.

Beginning Thursday, Bishop T.D. Jakes will host his 16th annual ManPower event. The three-day conference is designed to give men facing "tremendous" pressure the skills "to overcome those forces that have traditionally held them back," said Jakes, senior pastor of The Potter's House in Dallas.

Thousands are expected to participate in Wednesday's National Facebook Fast, an event planned by Texas pastors Kerry and Chris Shook to encourage people to refocus on face-to-face relationships.

Chris August | Fervent Records Chris August didn’t always know he wanted to be in music. In fact, as a youngster he wanted to play in the NBA. His dreams fell through, however, “because of asthma … and a lack of talent,” August said. It wasn’t until he became a Christian as a teenager that …

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Christians ministering quietly in the Middle East say Muslims are coming to Christ at an unprecedented pace despite intense persecution of those who leave Islam.

"Probably in the last 10 years, more Muslims have come to faith in Christ than in the last 15 centuries of Islam," said Tom Doyle, Middle East-Central Asia director for e3 Partners, a Texas-based missions agency.

When Ramadan begins tomorrow, some Christians will be praying along with the Muslim world—for followers of Islam to come to Christ.

"We're praying for Muslims that ... they see Jesus during this time ... that they feel the Spirit move," said Michele Miller, director of ministries for Open Doors USA, an international nonprofit organization that supports persecuted Christians in oppressive countries.

Ten weeks ago, 24-year-old Brian Seeley wasn't at all new to the downtown scene in Lakeland, Fla. He'd been there many times before—hanging out with friends, including the city's homeless.  

On May 9, the Southeastern University senior decided to do more than just hang out—he went to live alongside Lakeland's homeless. The Long Island, N.Y., native gave up the comforts most college students enjoy—sometimes sleeping outdoors, taking bucket showers and eating with the homeless at places that offer free food—in hopes of building lasting relationships.

Josh Wilson | Sparrow Records

When the son of close friends Tim and Paula Beal was born with a life-threatening medical condition, singer-songwriter Josh Wilson could do only so much. Inspired by the family's perseverance and unfailing trust in God, Wilson did what he could and wrote a song, "Before the Morning," sharing their testimony.

The song has since resonated with countless people and has earned Wilson his first No. 1 Inspo charts hit. "I never anticipated the way people would respond to the song, and I'm thankful that so many have found hope in its lyrics—which, of course, are simply God's promises to be with us in times of trouble," Wilson says.

More than three decades ago, 63 men and women met in Anaheim, Calif., to encourage and support one another in their struggle with homosexuality. The event has since grown into an international conference and led to the founding of what is considered the world's largest ministry to people with unwanted same-sex attraction.

Exodus International, the organization birthed out of that first meeting in 1976, will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the event this week at Concordia University in Irvine, Calif.

Photo: Exodus International President Alan Chambers