Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Friday that at least 137 Ukrainians have died in the wake of Russia's invasion of the country, 10 of whom were military officers. The Ukrainian president also reported at least 316 people have been wounded and accused Moscow of targeting civilians. With many fearing this could be the beginning of an attempt to "reestablish" the former Soviet Union, global Evangelical figures are calling for peace and prayer as the Russian attacks continue. Click here to read statements from various Evangelical leaders worldwide, including the Slavic Global Association, Franklin Graham, and Pastor Jentezen Franklin, who stated on Facebook, "I have preached in Kyiv 5 times and these are some wonderful people. The nation needs God’s protection as they are facing a barrage of missile, artillery, and air attacks. This is potentially a major prophetic fulfillment.”

At a press conference on Thursday, President Joe Biden addressed the country as Russia's invasion of Ukraine intensified, saying he would enact additional sanctions to hurt the Russian economy and President Vladimir Putin’s “long-term strategic ambitions." Saying "freedom will prevail," he called Russia's attacks "a dangerous moment for all of Europe, for the freedom around the world" but stated the sanctions would "maximize the long-term impact on Russia [and] minimize the impact on the United States and our allies."

Schools across the United States are urging students to read books about trans-identified children as part of an annual campaign from LGBT activist organization the Human Rights Campaign to “support transgender and non-binary youth.” The event was first conceived after what the HRC characterized as “a national anti-LGBTQ hate group [bullying] a young transgender girl in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin” and “her community rallied behind her by hosting a community reading of I am Jazz by transgender advocate Jazz Jennings.” Liberty Counsel, the religious liberty law firm that was derided by the Human Rights Campaign as a “national anti-LGBTQ hate group,” wrote a letter to the president of Mt. Horeb Area School District Board of Education in 2015, expressing opposition to plans to read the book, I am Jazz, to first-grade students. After the firm threatened to file a federal lawsuit against teachers and staff for a violation of parental rights, the school district canceled its plans. However, a parent later presented the book reading at a public library in a show of support for the trans-identified student in the district.

"The brother of my personal assistant is married to a Ukrainian woman (they both live here in the US), and as of Thursday morning, my assistant received this report from his brother: 'Her parents, who live now in Nova Kakhovka [in Ukraine] have Russian flags planted in their city. Roads and bridges and some airports have been blown up. There’s no access to fuel and the grocery stores have no food,'" writes Michael Brown. In this op-ed, Brown questions the implications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and what may be coming next. Continue reading.

In Friday's Ask Chuck column with Crown Financial Ministries CEO Chuck Bentley, a reader says inflation is hitting their family hard and asks what they can do to ease the strain. Bentley's advice includes establishing and reviewing a clear budget where you are "living well below your means" and focusing on prioritizing what you can spend after you save instead of the other way around.

Dr. Hayes and his wife Michelle are in the process of completing a new biblical counseling book, Biblical Counseling 2.0. This book will bring Ephesians 1:1-14 to bear on the counseling session.

It is the hope of the authors that the book will challenge all biblical counselors to think about their own theological system which supports and affects their own counseling sessions. Read More

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has demanded answers from the Alabama High School Athletic Association after the Oakwood Adventist Academy's boys basketball team was forced to forfeit a semifinal game in the state tournament that impinged on their observance of the sabbath. In a letter to AHSAA Executive Director Alvin Briggs on Tuesday, the Republican governor stated that she is “most disturbed” by “Oakwood’s alleged treatment at the AHSAA’s basketball tournament" and said the school being forced to forfeit due to the agency's unwillingness to swap timeslots with other schools "raises some very pressing questions."

Singer Katy Nichole has landed a record deal with Christian label Centricity Music following the release of her debut single "In Jesus Name (God of Possible)" on TikTok. The song, which went viral and clocked more than 80 million views, was written during the COVID-19 pandemic when the singer was struggling with a scoliosis diagnosis and subsequent surgeries. "I go into the second surgery, and I come out of it, and the smoke cloud of depression was gone. I encountered the Lord in that moment,” Nichole explained in a statement shared with The Christian Post. “When I got my X-rays after surgery, my spine was actually straighter than when the rods had been in it. So when I say that God can do miracles, I mean it, because I’ve seen it.”