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War with Iran seems more likely than ever, and the United States is about to move its embassy to Jerusalem. But on Sunday morning Israelis could talk of little else than the nation's victory at the Eurovision song contest.
Eurovision was launched in 1956 as an initiative to bring the nations of Europe closer together following the trauma of World War II. It has since grown into a massive media event with no fewer than 200 million viewers across Europe and the Middle East.
Viewers from every participating country are able to call in to vote for their favorite performances, which means that Israel's entrant, Neta Barzilai, needed the support of a great many European viewers to bring home the victory on Saturday night.
Prior to the contest, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement worked hard to make sure Neta didn't garner support outside of Israel.
The effort failed. Big time.
Neta's song "Toy" was about female empowerment and combatting the phenomenon of sexual harassment, but many saw in it a double message - Israel is not the "toy" of its regional enemies or international antagonists.
Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan played on that theme in his tweet congratulating Neta:
The victory means that the 2019 Eurovision contest will be held in Israel, most likely in Jerusalem, giving the Holy City yet another opportunity to shine.
An excited Mayor Nir Barkat told local Hebrew media following Neta's win: "The city of Jerusalem will grant any help needed in putting up Eurovision 2019 in the capital of Israel and together we will expose the beautiful face of Jerusalem to the whole world."
Neta also seemed enthusiastic about bringing Eurovision to the Israeli capital, shouting from the stage, "Next year in Jerusalem," where the world will get a chance to see "how wonderful we are. What a vibe we have. Best people… the best place in the world."
Below is a replay of Neta's catchy and quirky contest-winning performance:
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Thousands of Iranians took to the streets of their capital and other major cities across the country Friday, chanting, "Down with USA, down with Israel, down with England" following America's decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal.
"We must rely on our own capabilities and if we do so, rest assured that we will win, and the West's domination will not be successful, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, a member of Iran's judiciary, said.
Amidst chants of "Death to America" and "Death to Israel," an Iranian religious leader says his nation will continue to develop its missile capabilities.
"The holy system of the Islamic Republic will step up its missile capabilities day by day so that Israel, this occupying regime, will become sleepless and the nightmare will constantly haunt it that if it does anything foolish, Tel Aviv and Haifa will be brought down in ruins and totally destroyed," said Ahmed Khatami, a member of Iran's Assembly of Experts.
Iran's foreign minister Javad Zariff released a statement Friday saying his nation is restarting its nuclear program and "taking all necessary steps in preparation for Iran to pursue industrial-scale enrichment without any restrictions."
Ayatollah Khatami believes Trump's decision to pull out of the nuclear agreement is just another sign that America's only goal is regime change in Iran.
"They have always been after the toppling of Iran's regime and this exit is in line with that aim," Khatami said during weekly Friday prayers in Tehran.
He may have some cause for concern. On Thursday, the Washington Free Beacon obtained a document alleging a White House plan to help Iranians topple their government.
"The three-page white paper being circulated among National Security Council officials in the White House offers a strategy by which the Trump administration can actively work to assist an already aggravated Iranian public topple the hardline ruling regime through a democratization strategy that focuses on driving a deeper wedge between the Iranian people and the ruling regime," the paper reported.
Tensions between Israel and Iran dramatically escalated this week following a salvo of rocket attacks by both sides, leading many experts to warn of a larger conflict in the region.
"It is a possibility that this could be the beginning of an even wider war," said Chris Mitchell, CBN News' Jerusalem bureau chief.
On Thursday, Israeli warplanes struck dozens of Iranian targets inside Syria to stop the Islamic regime from gaining a foothold close to its borders.
"We are in a continuous campaign, and our policy is clear: We will not allow Iran to establish itself militarily in Syria," Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Thursday.
Mr. Netanyahu said "Iran crossed a red line" and urged the world to "unite in order to sever the arms of evil spreading there and everywhere."
"I repeat: whoever attacks us, we will attack them sevenfold and whoever prepares to attack us, we will act against them first. That is what we have done and will continue to do," Netanyahu said.
"Things are about to get biblical," warned Rabbi Pinchas Winston, who has written several books on biblical end times.
Winston told Breaking Israel News that he believes war between Iran and Israel is looming.
"Some people thought the Bible was dead," Winston said. "They thought they could sit back and relax. That is clearly not the case in Syria and soon, that will be clear to everyone."
Three days after Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal, the U.S. Treasury department is putting the economic squeeze back on Iran, slapping various financial institutions, individuals and political figures with tougher sanctions.
Parts of this story were reprinted with permission from CBN.com. Copyright The Christian Broadcasting Network, all rights reserved.
In honor of Mother's Day, one of our Medi-Share teammates, Rebecca Barrack, shares a powerful and heartwarming story of the love God places in hearts of mothers for their children.
I didn't even want to be a mom.
There, I said it. And it's almost Mother's Day. Let the flogging begin (no, wait ... please don't!)
I'm not sure what it was that made me feel that way, but at some point during my early adulthood years, I was convinced I was not meant to be a mom. Perhaps it was because I was so career-focused. I was doing what I loved and in some way felt I would be required to give that up to have a family.
It sounds so selfish, now that I think about it.
I suppose there were several things that shaped the way I thought about my future and whether that future included children. For one thing, I grew up in a single-parent home, so the only thing I knew was "Mom worked; therefore, it's totally normal for me to want to work."
I had also received excellent career advice from mentors and others along the way, which included one of my favorite quotes, "Find something you love and do it." So, I did.
Although I wasn't making plans for motherhood at any point in my 20s, I was already an aunt. In fact, as my pack of nieces and nephews started to grow in my 30s, I determined to be the best aunt I could be to my group of love bugs, as I called them.
And that was fine with me. Love on them and give them back. Then return to my life; the one I had carefully crafted for myself with everything I ever needed.
Or so I thought.
It was just before I turned 32 that God started changing my heart.
Not all at once, but little things here and there would catch me off guard. Like being out to lunch and seeing a pregnant woman about my age, and getting a lump in my throat.
I remember trying to brush those things off, thinking it was just my head playing games with my heart. But, after some time, I couldn't ignore the overwhelming emotions that were flooding over me. As I continued to struggle and pray, it became crystal clear that God had designed me to be a mother.
"So now what?" I remember thinking to myself on several occasions. What did this mean for my career? And, oh yeah, there was a crucial part of the family equation missing because I wasn't married at the time.
Well, isn't it like God to show Himself faithful?
Of course, I wanted things to happen immediately. But I'm here to testify that's almost never how things happen in God's economy. I still had a lot of learning to do in the waiting. And waiting ... and waiting...
And finally, after about three and a half more years of waiting and applying all that God wanted to do in my life, He started to bring the pieces of the puzzle together.
Thankfully, God brought me a man who felt the same way I did about children and wanted to start a family right away. We weren't getting any younger, after all. But, God had more for us to learn. Together.
Starting our family certainly did not go according to plan. At least not our plan.
After trying for several months, I found out I was unable to get pregnant on my own.
After talking it over extensively with my husband and praying about how to move forward, we decided we would try the medication route. With high hopes, we pressed on with this course of action and waited again. And waited ... and waited. (I now see the pattern in all this).
With each month that went by, more and more friends were announcing their own pregnancies. On the outside, I could not have been happier. On the inside, the pain was excruciating.
Then, it happened. My brother and sister-in-law FaceTimed with us to announce they were expecting their third child. And the world stood still for a few minutes.
I was honestly filled with joy at the thought of becoming an aunt again. But, after they hung up, my husband lovingly held me as I sobbed in his arms for a solid 30 minutes. No words. Just love. Just what I needed.
Little did we know at that moment... we were already pregnant.
A couple of weeks later, it was my birthday, and while I didn't want to ruin the day with more bad news, I knew I had to take "the test."
My 6 a.m. alarm came too soon, but I dragged myself out of bed to face another year. After taking the test, I placed it on the bathroom counter as I had so many times before, without a second thought. For some reason, just as I was about to hop in the shower, I thought to glance down.
I rubbed my eyes, not sure that I saw what I thought I saw. I looked again. I pulled the instructions out of the trash because I had never needed them before, but I needed confirmation.
Then I just stared. And the tears flowed.
Not even thinking to turn the shower off, I ran into the other room to wake my husband and share the news. It quickly became the best birthday ever!
Our first miracle baby arrived on Dec. 2, 2014. I say our first, because God, in his crazy, perfect, sometimes hilarious plan, was not finished yet.
It was January 2016 when we got the second shock of our lives. We were pregnant once again. No drugs. No planning. Just God.
As our precious new little one arrived in September 2016, I realized, as a parent of multiple children, your love is never divided; it's multiplied. Times infinity.
I never knew my capacity to love until the day I held both of them in my arms. It caused me to reflect on God's own love for us and how infinite it is. I knew in that moment that no matter how much I loved my kids, my Savior loved me even more. What a thought!
I cannot imagine another life now. I'm a mom. I know I am fulfilling who God has called me to be. Life may not look exactly how I thought it would (I am a full-time working mom with two kids just 21 months apart), but my heart is full.
With all its twists and turns, setbacks, heartaches and even victories, this motherhood story is amazing to me, because I know it's one only the Creator himself could have orchestrated.
I also know there are many others out there who have somewhat similar stories, and even some who are still waiting for their miracles. There are some who have endured more tragedy in their journey than I will ever know or could ever minister to.
I see you.
I mourn with you.
I rejoice with you.
I endure with you.
I pray for you.
Florida-based Christian Care Ministry operates the Medi-Share health care sharing program through which members voluntarily and directly share each other's medical bills. Since the program's inception in 1993, Medi-Share members have shared more than $1.2 billion in medical bills. And because of access to an extensive network of more than 700,000 health care providers, members have saved an additional $690 million in medical costs during that time. Medi-Share has over 400,000 members in all 50 states. During 2017, Medi-Share members shared nearly $57 million for more than 3,200 births.
More than just health care, Christian Care Ministry is a community of people who share their lives, faith, talents and resources and pray for and encourage one another. For more information, visit MyChristianCare.org/Medi-Share.
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