Update from the President

Beverly and I arrived in Bergamo, Italy, on Thursday morning where we are visiting Carmelo Anastasi, the church office and the congregation on the Sabbath. Angelo Di Vita came up from Sicily and will also be with us this during this visit. Both of these gentlemen picked us up at the airport in Milan. On Friday, we will have a comprehensive visit at the office and on the Sabbath will meet with the congregation in Bergamo. You can follow our reports on this trip by going to our TravelPod blog at http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/victorkubik/18/tpod.html .

Truth and Hope in an Age of Terror

In the aftermath of destabilizing tragedy in Orlando, what do we need to be saying? A terrorist targeted a gay night club. Forty-nine were killed and more than that were maimed.

Darris McNeely in his BT Dailys this week offered a biblical point-of-view on the tragedy. I'd like to bring to you some further thoughts.

In the media some dangerous things are being said and promoted. Are they twisting and perverting what happened? What are the facts? Our immediate response should be one of concern, grief and prayer. Sarcasm and incivility have no place.

However, this time we're seeing a different dimension in overall news reporting and organized reaction from certain public sectors. Usually attention focuses on the killer(s), his or her background and those who endorse and might have helped him or her commit the horrific act.

Not this time. This time we see considerable attention focused on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities and on how recognition of the validity of their alternative non-biblical lifestyle will make things right. We see Op-Eds and commentary that attempt to advance a political agenda. Never in modern times has attention shifted so quickly and radically from the persona of the killers to an eager notion to portray the victims as martyrs of a political cause.

In the days following this awful act, editorials appeared proclaiming that the tragedy served up cruel victory in the need for non-discriminatory laws. Even one Midwestern newspaper--The Indianapolis Star--opined: "In the aftermath of Orlando, how can anyone make such an argument again [that the gay community doesn't need a whole new set of laws]? If LGBT citizens are targets of extreme violence in our nation, why would we believe they are immune from far more subtle forms of discrimination?"

That's quite the editorial leap!

Another major error reverberating throughout the current coverage is the claim that Jesus Christ not only condones homosexual alliances, He actively approves them through some sort of "love."

Both New and Old Testaments declare many times that any sexual conduct between two people outside of marriage is sin. The only definition of a biblically sanctioned marriage is between man and woman.

Sustained sinful behavior that is not repented of and forgiven through the sacrifice of Jesus bars one from eternal life. It's that serious.

For certain, the Bible rightly declares that "God is love" (1 John 4:8). But the same writer also made this remarkable clarifying statement: "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments" (1 John 5:3). And by the way, the same writer also clearly noted that sin is defined as "lawlessness" (1 John 3:4)--the breaking of God's law.

In the short-term, there are mounting consequences from the application of a twisted distortion of "love" and the continued advancement of a destructive political agenda that strikes at the heart of family life. The Bible overflows with prophecies that simply reflect the collective and cumulative consequences of breaking God's law.

I asked Rick Shabi our Orlando, Florida, pastor about what he saw and thought in the aftermath. His response? "It brings to mind one of the curses God says He will bring on a disobedient nation that turns his back on Him." What are one of those statements? Read it for yourself in Leviticus: "If you do not listen to me...I will punish you, I will bring sudden terrors on upon you...And if you fail to learn the lesson and continue your hostility toward me, then I myself will be hostile toward you" (Leviticus 26:14, 16, 21, New Living Translation).

Collectively, the sad news is that the outlook is not good. Numerous sources like Pew Research continue to document the growing public hostility toward the truth of God. The good news is that God Himself will intervene and bring this nonsense to a close.

Can our nation turn this around now? There is a choice. Our people can exercise free will, turn to God, surrender their lives to Him and be blessed. Even as He said to ancient Israel, God thunders to us today: "'As surely as I live,' declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die?" (Ezekiel 33:11, New International Version).

Relieving Hunger and Malnutrition in Guatemala and Malawi

We must always be aware of our brethren living in impoverished areas who are at risk of starvation. There are places with severe droughts where many people will starve to death. In South Central Africa, 14 million people are at risk. We have brethren who live in these areas.

We recently had initiatives by the San Jose, California, and Cincinnati East congregations to provide food for Guatemala and Malawi. The food is bought and distributed with the pastor's oversight. In Malawi we stockpiled maize (corn) now at harvest while prices are still reasonable, in anticipation of skyrocketing costs later in the year at planting time.

You can read both stories here: Guatemala and Malawi

Latin American Scholarships

Also, Mario Seiglie sent me a video report about the outcomes of another year of scholarship support that we have provided in Latin America. Around the world we provide scholarship support for more than 100 students.