Every new year ushers in hope for change. Out with the old and in with the new. This will be the best year ever.

Don’t you just love prophetic words of good tidings? All that I’ve been hearing for the past few days is how good 2017 will be for us. Prosperity. Favor. Growth.

“I believe. Help me in my unbelief.”

Perhaps I struggle with the new year “words” of hope because I’ve heard it all before. I can finish the sentences of these well-meaning prophets. The message has become redundant. My cynicism on this topic is rooted in my experiences and observations of people at work and to a lesser degree in college classrooms. This is my observation:

People speak change but function in the status quo. The great delusion is that, “I don’t need to do things differently but I know things will get better for me this year.”

College students start every semester with a great hope for a 4.0 grade point average. But by week 2 of classes, past behaviors show up and results become predictable. Grades change only when study habits change.

Organizational hope isn’t much different. The organization is dormant until people behave for the organization. People are the change agents for an organization. And therein lies the rub. People tend to embrace sameness. “Leave it alone. It will get better. It’s a new year, after all.”

It’s safer, easier and quieter to do status quo. Organizations seem fond of polishing the obsolete. Hire and fire, but keep the same paradigms in control of processes.

The only status quo I wish to support is the mission. “Go ye” provides all the purpose and stimulus needed for a life’s work. The “why” is crystal clear and inherent in the mission.

But through time, methods must morph. The Holy Spirit provides fresh anointing for a reason. We need fresh! The sign in public restrooms is powerful, “Please flush after use.” Fresh, living water is in ample supply.

Leaders must be nimble minded. Brain-flex is inspired by God. We must be open to new thoughts. We don’t change for change sake, but growth is often preceded by a shift in thinking and systems.

We don’t wish others a happy old year. We greet one another with a hope for new.

Morph a few methods this year. It will help as ye go.

Today’s Scripture

“See, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not be aware of it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19). 

Platform Tip No. 146

Platform leaders must build trust. Effective content builds trust.

The more frequently you post good material, the faster you will earn trust.

Make daily deposits.

{eoa}

One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is to improve one’s financial state. A 2015 Pew Survey on American Family Finances revealed 33 percent of Americans have zero savings. Do we dare disclose the average amount of debt under which most Americans, including Christians, live?

Here’s the deal: Saving money and breaking free from debt comes from healthy habits agreed upon and adhered to faithfully. Jesus said regarding wealth, “So if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” (Luke 16:11).

Although I grew up in a very modest setting, I do thank God for the example my dad and mom provided. They demonstrated wise principles from Proverbs, although they were not born-again Christians until later in life. As a result, we didn’t just “get by”—we prospered.

My father was a Polish immigrant, never completed high school and worked on a Ford assembly line, then later as a maintenance man at a bank. My mother was disabled, yet scrubbed floors on her knees three days each week. “I want you to have it better than us, son,” she’d often say.

We had no automobile, never went on vacations and had no air conditioning. We rode buses, took cabs or walked wherever we needed to go.

My parents, who married in their mid-30s, provided my sister and me with a relatively secure upbringing. I had 12 years of Catholic schooling and later went on to graduate from Cleveland State University as president of my class.

I was selected for a position at the AFL–CIO headquarters in Washington, D.C.; met my wife of now 40 years; and currently enjoy our grown children and six grandchildren, with whom we just shared holiday cheer.

I’ve transferred my parents’ secrets to saving money to my children who follow the Lord. It’s fun to see them living out things with their children for which they once teased me (“Hey, turn off the lights!”) now reaping the benefits of being wise, frugal and generous in the stewarding of their resources.

My oldest son recently paid off his debt from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and surprised his wife on Christmas morning by doing likewise with her college debt after retiring her remaining van payments.

All of us enjoy sharing “Jesus deals” when we discover discounts or extraordinary bargains. One daughter-in-law made my day as she reviewed the children’s gifts and related how she found many from wealthy-area yard sales and unbelievable specials found on the Internet and clearance sales. A brand-new child’s bike was $38. Cowboy boots valued at $165 were $45.

I have a beautiful niece who returned from the mission field not long ago with an adopted young daughter. Although she had no business experience, she sought God, who gave her an entrepreneurial idea for an innovative product. She’s inspiring us all as the business is exploding, and she currently employs 26 workers in only a couple of years.

How about you? Do you desire to retire debt, save money, spend less and prosper in 2017? From our experience, I offer these creative money-saving ideas to encourage you in the new year.

10 Tips to Save Money and Spend Less

1. Make a quality decision not to rob God, but be faithful with all your first-fruits tithes and offerings. Claim by faith God’s promises from Malachi 3:8-12. As John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s Progress, stated, “I shovel it out, God shovels it back, but God has the bigger shovel.”

2. Learn to live by two life principles: 1. If I can’t afford it, I don’t need it. 2. If I need it, I’ll save for it. Remember, Scripture tells us, “Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender” (Prov. 22:7). Stay free.

3. Since housing expenses are usually 50 percent of our monthly income, cut, cut, cut. Time to downsize? How about reducing utilities by adjusting the thermostat seasonally two to three degrees? Install an attic fan to suck out hot air and cool your home. Close blinds and drapes where you can to maintain temperature. Reduce water usage with shorter showers; keep the water off when brushing teeth; use full loads in washer and dishwasher. Do lawn and landscaping work yourself? Cut Internet package? Raise insurance deductible? Appeal for rent reduction? Wear sweatshirts and sweaters in winter?

4. Exercise self-control and eliminate the unnecessary. Use money-saving coupons. Get your gas at Costco and pay $ instead of $ a gallon (recent Tennessee figures). Stop going to Starbucks (strong supporter of LGBTQ agenda and abortion) to save approximately $2000 yearly. See movies at early discount times ($ vs. $ x four or five). Use free DVDs from the library vs. costly cable (We have 3000 selections at our library and can keep 10 for six weeks). Eat a full meal before attending sporting events plus bring along your own bag of “goodies” rather than be captive to their astronomical prices. Host children’s birthday parties at home rather than paying $200-$300 for a rented room and pricey, unhealthy foods.

5. Be wise with cars. Financial guru Dave Ramsey advises not buying new or leasing cars but purchasing quality, prior-owned vehicles. Maintain them and keep them as long as you can (Irv Gordon passed the 3 million miles mark with his Volvo and said the secret was doing exactly what the manufacture’s handbook stated). And don’t be concerned with image. Warren Buffett drives an older Honda plus lives in the same house he bought in 1957. Walmart heir Jim Walton drives a 15-year-old pickup truck.

6. When shopping, plan ahead and have a prepared list. Avoid last-minute and impulse buying. Marketing experts design stores to ensnare you here. Prepare for inevitable birthday, anniversary and Christmas gifts. Search the Internet. Shop the day after Christmas to get 50 to 75 percent off items and store them in a gift closet (I already have half my Christmas gifts for next year). Buy bulk quantities of often-used items at discount places.

7. Stay away from get rich quick schemes and stop gambling or participating in the lottery. Your odds of winning the Powerball are 1 in 190 million. Don’t be seduced. Be responsible with God’s money.

8. Saving for college: Be very discerning and disciplined to avoid burdensome debt for decades. With some exceptions, it is not essential for someone to go to a prestigious, exorbitantly priced, out-of-state institution unless God clearly directs. The Wall Street Journal‘s front page article “Employers Favor State Schools for Hire” (9/13/10) states, “U.S. companies largely favor graduates of big state universities over Ivy League and other elite liberal arts schools when hiring …” They surveyed almost 500 companies, public and private, for this informative piece.

I graduated cum laude from Cleveland State University with its 13,000 students. Applying for financial assistance, going to a commuter school, working jobs throughout and gaining free tuition my senior year as student government president, enabled me to graduate debt-free, and God blessed me with a job across the street from the White House.

9. Be self-controlled and selective in dining out. You can save thousands of dollars by simply changing some habits you may have unwittingly developed here.

Consider the frequency with which you indulge. Is it essential? Is it merely convenience? Are there creative alternatives? Could I lose some weight and actually be healthier if I brought a nutritious smoothie, grabbed a $ Burrito Bowl at Chipotle or a $ sandwich at Subway?

For birthdays and anniversaries, do we take advantage of available specials and complimentary appetizers? If I’m a senior, am I availing myself of free coffee and discounts at restaurants in my area?

When going out with my spouse, could we avoid appetizers? Dessert? Adult beverages? Get water with lemon rather than sodas? It all adds up plus lowers the tip.

Check out how much you’ve been spending by going out for lunches, dinners and those more convenient carry-outs in the past year. It may shock you how much money has been going here.

10. Get serious this year regarding self-controlled stewardship. It’s easy to be enticed by seduction in this area. I minored in marketing, and a marketer’s goal is to influence people to want things they don’t need and buy things they can’t afford.

Scripture tells us, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another …” (Rom. 13:8). How liberating it is to be debt-free or be on the pathway to that goal.

Are you ready to make adjustments and live within your means in the new year? Hasn’t the church been bloated and undisciplined long enough?

“May it soon be seen, the church wise and lean, saving bucks in ’17!”

Happy New Year! {eoa}

Arabs in Israel maintain a higher quality of life than their brethren in most other places in the Middle East, yet a significant number continue to support the Palestinian-Arab struggle against the Jewish state.

One of the latest incidents occurred in the Arab city of Nazareth, where the municipality, headed by Mayor Ali Salam, held a recent event that ended up glorifying terrorist murderer Baha Alyan, who along with an accomplice murdered three Israelis on a bus in Jerusalem last year.

“Hundreds of elementary and high school students and young men and women of all ages arranged themselves in rows” holding books in their laps, a formation they called a “chain of readers,” in the event organized by the Nazareth municipality and the Inma’a Association for Democracy and Capacity Building, the Jerusalem-based Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds reported last month, according to Palestinian Media Watch.

Itamar Marcus, founder and director of Palestinian Media Watch, told that when Nazareth officials were notified about the report, they insisted that they never knew about the event’s intention to glorify terrorism.

“They said that in spite of what the press reported, the municipality only approved the readers chain” and did not have prior knowledge about the praise for Alyan, Marcus said.

Indeed, it appears likely that Mayor Salam had no prior knowledge of the plans to glorify a terrorist, since he has been waging an ongoing public battle against Arab politicians whom he accuses of radicalism.

Many Israeli Arabs strongly back the Palestinian narrative in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but decide not to act on those beliefs, perhaps because they see Israel as too strong; they continue to work and interact with Israeli Jews on a daily basis.

Yet some Arabs, like Member of Knesset (MK) Basel Ghattas (Joint Arab List), have decided to work against the state through political means and even by supporting terrorists. Ghattas is under investigation for allegedly smuggling cellphones and SIM cards to Palestinian Fatah security prisoners in Israel.

Arab Knesset members like Ghattas have been increasing their visits to Palestinian terrorist and security prisoners, a new report by Israel’s Shin Bet security agency revealed last week. The report found that in 2016, Arab lawmakers submitted 13 requests to visit arch-terrorist Marwan Barghouti and 14 requests to visit Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the outlawed northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel.

At the same time, the Arab community is divided on the issue of relations with the state, with many Druze, Christians, Bedouin and a growing number of Muslims rejecting the violent and non-violent struggle against Israel.

Dr. Mordechai Zaken, head of minority affairs in the Israeli Public Security Ministry, told that Israel’s Arab public can be divided into various parts and should not be generalized. Arabs can be grouped according to location, religion, sect, professional affiliation and other factors, he said.

For example, in the “triangle”—a cluster of Israeli-Arab towns located near the 1967 lines, including Umm al-Fahm and Kafr Qasem—”there is a greater likelihood of [Arab] support for the Palestinian cause because many families have relatives in the West Bank,” said Zaken.

On the other hand, in northern Israel’s Galilee region, most local Bedouins do not have family members in the West Bank and are less focused on what is going on in the disputed territories.

Asked about Arab politicians’ ability to mobilize Arab citizens against the state, Zaken replied that “they use the land issue because this has been traditionally one of the major unresolved problems of Arabs in Israel, and it has been a cause easier to unite behind. The War of Independence and later acts of land-expropriation throughout the years has roused opposition against the government.”

Regarding the Bedouin living in the southern Negev, Zaken explained that they have long rebelled against whatever regime ruled their territory, going as far back as the Ottoman Empire. 

“Rebellion is in their nature and the nomad culture still affects them, as they have for generations lived in constant tension with the sedentary communities,” Zaken said, adding that “Arab politicians use these feelings to try to get them directed against the state, as if they are not receiving all of their rights.”

Arab Christians’ quality of life in Israel continues to improve, and Muslims are catching up to the traditionally high Christian levels of income, education and mobility, said the government official. 

“The Christians have led in trying to integrate into Israel society, moving out of their towns and into the big cities. Now many Muslim professionals are following in their footsteps,” said Zaken, who in 2013 initiated Israel’s “Government-Christian Forum,” which attempts to address Israeli Christians’ concerns with the state.

The actions of MK Ghattas, according to Zaken, have sparked significant criticism among Israeli Arabs, with many acknowledging that the lawmaker crossed a line in his support of Palestinian prisoners. “This sentiment is present even among Arabs that support the establishment of a Palestinian state,” Zaken said.

Father Gabriel Naddaf, a Greek Orthodox priest who works to increase Christians’ voluntary enlistment in the Israel Defense Forces and their integration into Israeli society, told that since the so-called “Arab Spring” uprisings began in the region in late 2010, “the killing of Christians in the Middle East was a shock for the Christians in Israel.”

Christians living in Arab states, he said, “were not saved from massacres and destruction, and the radicals want to force Christians to change their religion. This is what caused me to talk about the identity of the Christians in Israel.”

Naddaf, whose pro-Israel views have been sharply criticized by many Muslims and Christian Arabs who identify with the Palestinian narrative, recalled that when he began speaking about Arab Christians integrating into Israeli society, his approach was not widely accepted. But with time, he has seen progress. In 2014, the first Israeli-Christian children were registered as “Aramean” instead of “Arab” on their national identification cards. Previously, all minorities in Israel were treated as one group—Arabs.

Some Arabs aggressively oppose Israeli Christians’ increasing desire to identify as Aramean, seeing it as an effort to divide the Arab community.

MK Ghattas and his Christian supporters “are people (who) don’t identify themselves as Christians first, but instead as Arabs first,” said Naddaf, describing them as people who value ideologies such as nationalism over religion.

Naddaf said most Arab Christians oppose Ghattas and that “his way is not leading anywhere but to hate. He hurts the security of us all.”

“Most of the Christians are moving in my direction” of increasing their integration into Israeli society, asserted Naddaf, adding that many politicians—including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself—are showing support for his cause.

“We must help the state and overcome all of the problems,” Naddaf said, “and not let its enemies and the terrorists that surround us weaken the country.” {eoa}

This article was originally published at . Used with permission.

After a long silence, Chip and Joanna Gaines addressed recent media controversy with a beautiful blog post touting the importance of loving disagreement. And Cosmo noticed.

Titled “New Year’s Revelation,” the Gaines’ post outlined their 2017 goal to practice and encourage love toward those with different viewpoints. “Jo and I refuse to be baited into using our influence in a way that will further harm an already hurting world,” Chip Gaines wrote, obviously addressing the November 29 BuzzFeed hit piece that embroiled his family in a media firestorm.

Although Cosmo‘s Peggy Truong called the controversy an “anti-LGBT scandal,” the writer described the post in a surprisingly positive light. In fact, it would be hard not to. The Gaineses are a light in a divided world and media landscape.

“You wanna talk about how to build bridges between people that disagree? We want to be a part of that conversation,” Gaines continued. “Do you want to talk about healing and compassion and kindness and restoration? We’re in the restoration business, we can for sure make time for that,” the Fixer Upper star wrote.

“Disagreement is not the same thing as hate, don’t believe that lie,” he concluded. “We propose operating with a love so real and true that you are willing to roll up your sleeves and work alongside the very people that are most unlike you.”

Chip Gaines practiced this on December 3 when he tweeted to followers: “Regardless of our decision to make a statement about all this craziness, or not, I ask that people please! Respect @KateAurthur & @ginamei.” Arthur and Mei were the respective writers of the BuzzFeed hit piece and a Cosmo article that followed.

If this sweet couple had expressed biblically based views on marriage, they would be labelled “hateful” … which is why their words are so very apt. Here’s hoping that Cosmo, BuzzFeed and other liberal media outlets take note. {eoa}

This article originally appeared on .

The Rev. Franklin Graham isn’t sure which Scripture he’ll read at the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.

The evangelist and head of both the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Christian international relief organization Samaritan’s Purse won’t get to make remarks at the event, but he will get to pick his own Bible passage, which could say a lot.

Will it be something hopeful to heal a divided nation? Something pointed about the importance of praying for leaders?

Graham was praying about that Thursday (Dec. 29), he told RNS, the day after it was announced he is one of six clergy chosen to offer the invocation, benediction and several readings at the swearing-in ceremony.

“You want it to be meaningful not only to your president-elect, but you want it to be meaningful also to the nation,” Graham said.

“I’m taking time just to pray and ask God to give me wisdom and guidance, because it’s a responsibility I take very seriously.”

This is the third inauguration Graham will have attended, he noted. The first was to assist his father Billy Graham at the second inaugural of President Bill Clinton in 1997; the second, to offer the invocation at the first inaugural of President George W. Bush in 2001.

It follows his Decision America Tour, during which he held rallies in each of the 50 U.S. state capitals to urge evangelical Christians to pray about the upcoming election and vote for candidates of any party who agree with their values.

Weeks before launching the tour, Graham announced he had resigned from the Republican Party and declared himself an independent. And he was careful to note throughout the campaign that he endorsed neither Trump, a Republican, nor Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

But, he said, he got the sense “God was going to do something in our country—just from the people coming early in the day, standing in hot sun, standing in freezing cold, standing in snow, standing in rain, and they came to pray. They didn’t come to hear me. They came to pray for their nation.”

Graham has had some supportive words for Trump, noting the president-elect has surrounded himself from the start with a number of evangelical Christians in a way he said Clinton didn’t. That included Vice President-elect Mike Pence; his choice to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson; Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr.; and former Arkansas governor and Baptist minister Mike Huckabee.

“Even though Donald Trump has some rough edges, there’s something inside of him that desires the counsel of Christian men and women, and I don’t know one Christian on Hillary Clinton’s team,” he said.

Clinton has spoken openly about her United Methodist faith. And asked about her choice of running mate, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, who volunteered with Jesuit missionaries in Honduras as a young man, Graham said the Democrat had difficulty connecting with evangelical Christians in the same way because he was Catholic and because of his party’s support for abortion rights and same-sex marriage.

He also pointed to the list of potential Supreme Court justices the Trump campaign had released, saying, as he had before the election, “It’s not about her emails. It’s not about his bad language. It’s about the Supreme Court … and who do you trust to appoint judges that are going to be in favor of Christian liberty?”

“I think maybe God has allowed Donald Trump to win this election to protect this nation for the next few years by giving maybe an opportunity to have some good judges,” he said.

It’s not the first time Graham expressed his belief God had played a role in the results of the November election. He tweeted earlier this month suggesting it was God, not Russia, who had interfered with the outcome.

In an interview Thursday, he said he doesn’t know if Russia hacked the election, and he doesn’t presume to know how God works. But he knows God answers prayer.

And, Graham said, “All I know is Donald Trump was supposed to lose the election,” according to projections of the results.

“For these states to go the way they did, in my opinion, I think it was the hand of God,” he said. “It wasn’t hacking. It wasn’t Wiki-leaky or whatever. It was God, in my opinion, and I believe His hand was at work, and I think He’s given Christians an opportunity.” {eoa}

Emily McFarlan Miller is a national reporter for RNS based in Chicago. She covers evangelical and mainline Protestant Christianity.

© 2017 Religion News Service. All rights reserved.

Wednesday morning, via the Elijah List email list, Kathie Walters and Beni Johnson shared an urgent prayer request for Israel through the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.

The focus of their prayer request is the upcoming Middle East peace summit in Paris being hosted by the United Nations. It’s looking more and more as though the world body intends to demand a settlement along the lines of the so-called “two-state solution” between Israel and the Palestinians.

Here’s what they wrote:

Most of us already have had an alert from the Holy Spirit to pray from 1st of January to the 20th, which is the presidential inauguration. However, please pray especially for the “Peace Summit” in Paris (happening on Jan. 15th). This is to establish (or try to) a two-state Israel and declare a Palestinian state. It means the most holy places of Jewish history will be in Palestine. This is not just talks and discussions; it’s going to be a tribunal against the state of Israel.

Israel’s defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman, said, “It’s a Dreyfus trial in a modern version, what they’re preparing there in Paris for Jan. 15, with one difference. Instead of one Jew being on trial, it will be the entire Jewish people and the state of Israel.” John Kerry will also be presenting his and President Obama’s agenda, which is the two-state plan. Let’s be praying about this!

There are 70 countries represented here and also the countries who voted at the U.N. meeting a couple of weeks ago. Pray for your own nation because there are consequences, according to the Bible, for those who seek to destroy Israel and to tear down. We’ve enclosed a word by Richard Booker (sent to me by Sid Roth) at the end.

Pray for Israel and surrounding area.

We felt led to pray this below, but also pray what the Holy Spirit tells you:

• • Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and all its God-given borders. 
  • Against U.N. control and mandates and for them to bow to God’s plans. 
  • Forgiveness towards leaders.
  • Mouths to be silenced against Israel and everything not for America’s good.
  • For ungodly mandates to be canceled.
  • For God’s intervention and interruption at the U.N.

Attached is a word from Richard Booker (Christian minister and Founder/Director of Sounds of the Trumpet, Inc.) that I received via Sid Roth:

On December 29, during the night while I was sleeping, the Lord gave me a prophetic word for our times. He did not wake me up but gave me the revelation in my sleep that He put into my mind. Here is what He said. You judge for yourself. If you think it important, please share with your contacts:

In the Book of Genesis, chapter 10, the descendants of Noah had 70 descendants who gave birth to what became the seventy primary nations of the Bible. In the Book of Numbers chapter 29, 70 bulls were offered for the seventy nations at the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast of Tabernacles is the feast for all the nations.

The recent U.N. vote against Israel, at which time the U.S. abstained, was at Hanukkah, making the U.S. betrayal even more diabolical. We are reminded that the small band of Maccabees defeated the superpower of their day, led by Antiochus Epiphanes. The descendants of the Maccabees, the little state of Israel, will also defeat the modern Antiochuses and superpowers of our day that try to divide the sacred land of Israel. A few days later, Secretary of State John Kerry, representing the U.S., gave the most distorted anti-Semitic speech imaginable. It was like the man has just consumed a bottle of “hate Israel” alcohol and was so drunk he couldn’t make any sense.

On Jan. 15, Secretary of State Kerry is scheduled to give another speech at a conference in Paris. It is believed that Kerry will declare U.S. support for a Palestinian state with conditions that would destroy the state of Israel if implemented. It is also believed that Kerry will push for another U.N. resolution in support of his plan before Jan. 20 when President-elect Trump will take office.

Now, here is what God brought to my attention. Guess how many nations are scheduled to be at the meeting on Jan. 15? If you guessed 70, you are right. The 70 nations attending represent all the nations of our time.

So what does this mean? It means the fulfillment of Zechariah 12 is at hand. The God of Israel writes for our times through the pen of Zechariah, ” I am going to make Jerusalem a cup of reeling before all the surrounding nations … And it will be on that day that I will set Jerusalem as a weighty stone to all the peoples. All who carry it will surely gash themselves, and all the nations of the land will be gathered against it” (Zech. 12:2a-3). {eoa}

Priests from Cuba’s Afro-Cuban religion forecast a prosperous 2017 in their New Year’s prophecy and told Cubans to be hopeful despite the economic and diplomatic headwinds the Caribbean island-nation faces.

The ritual-filled Santeria religion, which fuses ancient African beliefs brought to Cuba by slaves with Catholicism, is practiced by millions of Cubans, many of whom eagerly wait for guidance from its annual forecast.

“This (reading) forecasts a favorable development from the point of view of economic management,” priest Lazaro Cuesta, clad in white as a symbol of purity, told a news conference in Havana on Tuesday.

That forecast contrasted with President Raul Castro’s gloomy depiction of the economy last week. He told the National Assembly that Cuba entered a recession last year in tandem with the crisis in Venezuela, a key ally, although the economy might eke out growth in 2017.

It also flew in the face of darker prophecies in recent years. The Santeria priests, known as babalawos, had predicted an explosion in migration and social unrest in 2015 and 2016.

Asked about the future of relations given U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to end the fledgling detente, Cuesta used an image to suggest both sides would continue to negotiate.

Cuesta said the reigning Yoruba deity Oggun, god of iron, tools and weapons, would use his machetes to cut down the plants preventing communication.

“Independently of the instability anyone might feel, of the political happenings in the world, the letter of the year gives the Cuban people, and the world, hope,” he said.

“If we are capable of hearing, expressing, understanding, contributing, the results without doubt will arrive.”

The babalawos recommended santeria devotees wear white, avoid the excessive consumption of alcohol, and pay attention to possible acts of corruption.

They advised followers to protect coastal areas from waste and to encourage economic and sociocultural exchanges between countries.

Senior babalawo Bebo Padron said this year’s prophecy called for Cubans to unite, possibly a reference to opposition to the country’s government and those who have emigrated.

Two of the six slogans for 2017 chosen by the faith were “Only one king governs a people” and “no hat can be more famous than a crown.”

Santeria followers have believed their gods were on the side of the Cuban revolution ever since a white dove landed on the shoulder of late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro during a victory speech in Havana. {eoa}

© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.

Wouldn’t you love a new marriage for 2017?

Have you been making some New Year’s resolutions? Or perhaps you gave that up long ago, believing that doing so just sets you up for failure and disappointment.

Either way, we’re at the beginning of a new year. Remember that God loves to do new things—even in your marriage. “See, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not be aware of it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Is. 43:19).

In addition to losing 20 pounds and being more consistent with reading your Bible, perhaps you’ve also decided to work on your relationship in this new year. Perhaps you’d like to:

• Be more loving and respectful to your husband
• Stop nagging and complaining so much
• Be the submissive wife the Bible says you should be
• Pray for your husband more regularly

“Woah! Stop right there! You’ve just hit my red-button issues. You had me for a moment, but I’m not going to read any further!”

I get it! Being “submissive” has often come to mean getting stepped on and abused. “No nagging” sounds like letting him get away with whatever he wants. Praying more feels like spiritualizing something that falls apart the moment your needs aren’t getting met.

Take a deep breath, girlfriend. This is not the older “be nice” kind of religious marriage advice. Nor is it the newer “be yourself” message many women have tried and find less than satisfying in the end.

I believe God has a new marriage waiting for you. Remember, He loves creating new things!

You do want a new marriage, don’t you? If your marriage is full of misery, wouldn’t you welcome a “reset” button and an infusion of love and real intimacy? If your marriage is generally healthy, wouldn’t you enjoy a whole new level of security and fulfillment in your relationship?

Let me suggest five steps you can take toward experiencing the kind of marriage you most desire—a marriage that’s characterized by love, intimacy, safety and growth.

That’s the kind of new marriage that God wants for you too.

5 Steps to a New Marriage

1. Unravel Destructive Patterns in Your Relationship

How do you respond when your husband does something that hurts you? Or when you face problems over money? Or sex? Or parenting?

Do you nag and complain? Talk negatively behind his back? Or bottle it up inside?

To use Dr. Phil’s question, “How’s that been working for you?”

The patterns that naturally develop in our relationships may or may not be healthy.

The first step in experiencing a new marriage is looking honestly at what is or is not healthy in your current relationship.

Ask yourself these questions:

• How do (or don’t) you communicate?
• How do you handle conflict?
• How do you handle money?
• How do you handle intimacy and sex?

Whatever the patterns are, look at them honestly.

And then decide which you would like to be different in 2017.

2. Deal With Anxiety as you Develop New Patterns

Have you imagined a new behavior pattern you’d like to develop in your marriage?

Your brain is almost certain to complain loudly when you try to behave in a new way. You may feel very uncomfortable as you begin to practice new ways of interacting.

But that’s a good thing! In one study, 75 percent of people who made important improvements in their lives experienced significant anxiety in the process. Instead of pulling back, see anxiety as providing the emotional fuel you need to persist in developing new patterns.

Those less-than-helpful patterns didn’t develop overnight, and it will take time to develop new ones.

See small failures as an opportunity to learn what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes enlisting others to help—such as a “mother in the Lord,” a wise friend or a knowledgeable counselor—can help you work this through.

3. Stay Alert to the Enemy’s Attacks on Your Marriage

Your marriage is under attack! And the enemy of your marriage is not your husband, regardless of how irresponsible or inconsiderate he may be.

You may know that intellectually. But when you’re facing marriage misery it’s easy to see your spouse as the enemy.

I believe Satan attacks marriages with a special hatred because he knows:

• How much pain he can inflict on God’s children through disrupting marriages.
• How much damage a healthy marriage can do to his kingdom of darkness.

You can fight for your marriage this year!

You do that by praying for your marriage daily. Pray for yourself, for your spouse and for your union together.

And then take action on your prayers. Learn what healthy forgiveness is all about. Invest in friendship together. Talk about spiritual things together. Each action you take in fighting for your marriage is demonstrating that you will not allow the enemy to win! That’s true spiritual warfare.

4. Bring Your Best Self to Your Relationship

Marriage is not primarily about your happiness. It’s about learning to love well.

Loving well opens your heart to joy and intimacy, but it takes a consistent investment of time and energy. Sometimes loving well includes suffering. It always includes becoming increasingly mature.

Learning to love well includes taking care of yourself in a way that allows you to have something to give.

If you want to bring your best self to your marriage, you will need to get filled up again regularly.

Learn to Feed Yourself. Take some time to consider what nourishes your soul, and then find ways to do more of that. That may include time outdoors in God’s green earth, reading a good book, time with positive people, playing or creating music or art or time alone simply thinking. God makes nourishment available; it’s up to you to find it and take it into your being.

Look to God for what only He can provide. Even in the best marriage, spouses cannot give each other everything they need. Choose to enter God’s presence regularly. Invest regularly in your relationship with Jesus, and you will have much more to bring to your marriage.

5. Step Forward Into the New Marriage God Has for You

When God created you, He built into you the ability to nurture life. That goes far beyond giving birth to physical children. It means nurturing life in other people, in His church, in the world—and in your marriage!

And with that ability comes responsibility.

Your husband is always responsible for his own behavior. But it’s almost crazy empowering when you realize the degree to which offering or withholding the gift God put within you can minister either life or death to your marriage.

Your marriage has a purpose. As awesome as God’s purpose is for you as an individual woman, there is something especially awesome about what He can do through you as a couple.

I encourage you to sit in God’s presence for a time and ask Him to show you a piece of His purpose for your marriage.

Then take your husband’s hand (physically and spiritually), and joyously step forward into the next dimension of the new marriage God has for you. {eoa}

Dr. Carol Peters-Tanksley is both a board certified OB-Gyn physician and an ordained Doctor of Ministry. As an author and speaker, she loves helping people discover the Fully Alive kind of life that Jesus came to bring us. Visit her website at . 

President-elect Donald Trump’s new nominee for Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Jay Clayton, says his mission will be to deregulate Wall Street while providing oversight that doesn’t harm the American worker.

You don’t have to be an expert in stocks and bonds to know that’s going to be a tall order. But the president-elect firmly believes the partner with Sullivan & Cromwell is the right guy for the job.

“Jay Clayton is a highly talented expert on many aspects of financial and regulatory law, and he will ensure our financial institutions can thrive and create jobs while playing by the rules at the same time,” Trump said. “We need to undo many regulations, which have stifled investment in American businesses, and restore oversight of the financial industry in a way that does not harm American workers.”

The presidential transition team released the following statement regarding Clayton’s nomination:

[Clayton] brings decades of experience helping companies navigate complex federal regulations to the position. Clayton will play an important role in unleashing the job-creating power of our economy by encouraging investment in American companies while providing strong oversight of Wall Street and related industries.

Robust accountability will be a hallmark of his tenure atop the SEC, and the financial security of the American people will be his top priority …

Clayton has had a long and distinguished career advising on public and private mergers and acquisitions transactions, capital markets offerings, regulatory and enforcement proceedings and other matters. In addition to numerous awards recognizing him as one of the top corporate lawyers in America, Clayton has also authored multiple publications on regulatory law and has been an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law. Clayton received a B.S. in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1988 and a B.A. in economics from the University of Cambridge in 1990. He received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law in 1993.

“I want to thank President-elect Trump for the opportunity to serve as SEC Chairman,” Clayton said. “If confirmed, we are going to work together with key stakeholders in the financial system to make sure we provide investors and our companies with the confidence to invest together in America. We will carefully monitor our financial sector as we set policy that encourages American companies to do what they do best: create jobs.” {eoa}

Christian singer Lauren Daigle brought the gospel to the heart of New York City on Thursday morning, performing her hit song “Trust in You” on ABC’s Good Morning America.

Daigle has had some remarkable success over the past two years, seeing her debut full-length album, How Can It Be, spend six weeks at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Christian Albums chart after it released in April 2015.

She also released a 2016 Christmas album titled, Behold: A Christmas Collection, which fared quite well.

Daigle told Billboard last month that she’s currently writing and preparing for her next album, adding that her focus continues to remain on what God wants for her music and career.

“I want to be a good steward and make sure what’s in my heart is what God wants, and then once it’s done and released, at that point it’s up to God and what He does on the back end,” she said. “I sincerely find joy in not knowing.” {eoa}

Reprinted with permission from . Copyright The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., All rights reserved.