Kathy Keller, the wife of pastor and author Tim Keller, shared an update on her husband's health via social media on Saturday, requesting prayers after he suffered "complications" from his cancer treatment. The influential pastor and author has continued to write and teach on topics ranging from race to sexuality since being diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in May 2020. His latest book, Forgive, examines why society is hesitant to forgive and outlines why forgiveness is an essential part of the Christian life. Read more.

The Rev. Franklin Graham was the keynote speaker at Liberty University's commencement ceremony on Friday night. Graham, the president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, addressed the quickly changing world, moral decline, and his belief that the nation is "in a freefall" because the country has "turned our back on God and His truth." Graham called on the graduates to be a "beacon of light," "standing on the Word of God" while living in "a culture of confusion and lies." Read more.

More than 130 congregations in Alabama have voted to leave the United Methodist Church, with the UMC North Alabama Conference voting to approve the disaffiliation votes on Thursday. Combined with the 198 churches that left last December, the regional body has seen its number of member congregations drop by more than half, going from 635 at the start of 2022 to 305 as of last week. The conference expressed optimism, saying it was "a time to give thanks, reflect and dream together." Read more.

Bill Connor, a retired Army Infantry colonel, author and Orangeburg attorney, discusses the obesity epidemic and why it is time to move past accusations of "fatphobia" and speak the truth when it comes to having a healthy body. Pointing to military recruitment challenges due to the overwhelming number of obese Americans of prime recruiting age, Connor writes, "It is time for Americans to show true love for our children, the kind of tough love many of us remember from our parents and grandparents growing up." Read more.

The Washington Stand's Suzanne Bowdey calls out Republican politicians for wavering on the issue of abortion, asserting that Republicans such as Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump have been popular among voters because they lead without apology. Bowdey points to Family Research Council’s Mary Szoch, who argues, "The Republican Party cannot become the party of ‘not in my state, but still legal.'" Read more.

What comes to mind when you think about a messy area of your life? For many people, I imagine their home or some part of it comes to mind. To them, messy means a physical, tangible display of random objects and disorganized debris. Simply put, things are not where they should be.

Which brings us to the other definition of messy—the more complicated, mental, emotional, relational and situational kind of messy. Others may not be able to see this kind of messy in your life—at least, not initially. This form of messy often dwells in shadows and secrets, in shame and subversion. When we live with sinful secrets, habits and relationships that go against what we know is right or what we know God has told us to do, then we experience distress. As the consequences of our choices play out, problems may snowball into an avalanche encompassing most areas of our lives. This kind of messy can seem harder to clean up than the tangible kind, because it requires supernatural intervention to restore not just what you have lost, but what you did not have before. Read more.

A survey from Communio utilizing responses from 19,000 Sunday church attendees across 112 evangelical, Protestant and Catholic congregations has revealed that most never-married Christian singles aren't living lives of sexual chastity. Communio founder and President JP DeGance called on church leaders to address the lack of unmarried men in their congregations and stressed the need for influential Christians to use their voices to push back against secular views on marriage. "This silence is increasingly at odds with the avalanche of evidence that marriage greatly benefits today’s mothers, fathers, and children," he stated. Read more.

A study from the American Bible Society shows that Christians who change Christian faith traditions tend to have a higher level of Scripture engagement than those who do not. Based on responses to a series of 14 questions, researchers used a "Scripture Engagement Scale" to determine an individual's level of Scripture engagement, ranging from "Bible Centered" to "Bible Disengaged." Read more.

Actress, singer and filmmaker Jessica Oyelowo has released a new storybook album titled (M)other that is based on her journey through motherhood and how she felt like an "other." In this interview with CP, Oyelowo reflects on her journey through motherhood, the realities of loss, and her motivations for creating the album. Watch now.