The Federal Bureau of Investigation, in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Homeland Security Investigations, has issued a national public safety alert in response to law enforcement receiving more than 7,000 reports of online sextortion of minors. Sextortion refers to minors being forced to send explicit images online and being extorted for money. There have been at least 3,000 victims, most of whom are boys, and over a dozen suicides. FBI Director Christopher Wray said the Bureau "has seen a horrific increase in reports of financial sextortion schemes targeting minor boys." U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston says parents need to be more attentive to their children’s online activities, explaining, "Unbeknownst to many parents, kids get caught on-line, tricked by adult predators into revealing something private or personal, even exposing themselves." The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says its CyberTipline has received more than 262,000 reports of "Online Enticement," a category that includes sextortion, since 2016. Read more.

A mother in Maine says a school social worker, who only has a conditional license to practice, gave her 13-year-old daughter a breast binder and told her to keep it a secret from the mother. Amber Lavigne, whose daughter attends Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta, found the breast binder in her daughter's bedroom. Breast binders, which are often used by girls who identify as boys to flatten their breasts, come with potential side effects such as breathing difficulties, breast tissue damage, and cracked ribs. School Superintendent Lynsey Johnson appeared to address the allegations in a public statement on Monday, asserting that the administration follows "specific policies and procedures" that align with state law. Johnson condemned individuals who "have sought to use this issue to try and divide" their community. Meanwhile, The Maine Wire reported Saturday that Lavigne contends that the social worker, Samuel Roy, and other staff members started encouraging her daughter to identify as the opposite sex in October without her knowledge or consent. Roy reportedly started addressing her daughter with masculine pronouns without the mother knowing and gave her a breast binder after meeting with her for less than two weeks. Read more.

The Rev. Charlie Holt was twice elected bishop coadjutor for the Episcopal Diocese of Florida this year, only to have both election results formally challenged by delegates. In a statement released Tuesday, Holt promised that, if put in power, he will allow for the blessing of same-sex unions in the diocese. Holt won an election to determine a successor to the diocese's current bishop coadjutor, the Rt. Rev. Samuel Johnson Howard, who intends to retire next year. However, a group of 37 clergy and lay deputies argued that the vote was invalid due to last-minute changes to the voting process and other complications. An investigation by the denomination's Court of Review concluded that the election had been improperly conducted. After Holt won a second election in November, a group of 29 clergy and lay delegates disputed the results, arguing that the process was "fundamentally unfair" and included issues like unfairly excluding certain clergy delegates. Read more.

Dr. Rex Rogers, the president of SAT-7 USA, shares that many Middle East Christians will worship in isolation this Christmas, forced to remain silent under threat of discovery and possible execution. Rogers discusses SAT-7 USA's launch of Church4Afghanistan, a live social media program that "brings interactive encouragement in the local Dari language to isolated Christians across the country," including in remote mountain and desert areas. "This Christmas, these believers will rejoice together over the most glorious event in history. The miracle Child born in the Middle East. God’s greatest gift of love and joy to the world. Are they isolated? Yes. Alone? Never," Rogers declares. Read more.

Lifeline Children’s Services President Herbie Newell reminds believers of Christ's sacrifice to conquer sin and death. While it is easy to get caught up in the busyness of the season, "[a]s much as Easter, Christmas should remind us of the sacrificial generosity found most fully in Jesus, and it should propel us to act in ways that reflect the sacrifice and kindness of our Savior," Newell writes. Read more.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined President Joe Biden at a press conference at the White House on Wednesday where Zelensky demanded that the "terrorist country" Russia be held accountable for its invasion of Ukraine. Zelensky also thanked the U.S. government for its expected $45 billion additional aid. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 and was expected to easily overrun the country, however, Ukraine has put up stiffer resistance than anticipated. Around 1,000 faith leaders in the U.S., representing a diverse array of beliefs, have called on both sides to hold a temporary "Christmas truce" ceasefire. The supporters of the truce compare their efforts to the "Christmas truce" of 1914, in which both sides of World War I halted their fighting and celebrated the Christian holiday together. The leaders wrote that they recognize that the "way out of the war in Ukraine will not be a military solution," adding that they "have signed on with the belief that a temporary ceasefire offers an opportunity for moral clarity that could be the first step toward a negotiated peace." Read more.

Have you ever had a strong urge or impulse toward a particular course of action in your life, especially when you feel driven by a strong conviction? Statistics show that from 1992 to 2017 the percentage of pastors under the age of 55 dropped from 75% to 50%. Has God stopped calling people into ministry? No, says Dr. Scott Pace. The issue is that many churches have forgotten how to cultivate the divine urges of young people, leaving a significant void in raising up leaders for the next generation. In this episode of "The Crossmap Podcast," Pace joins host Chris Carpenter to talk about what a calling actually is and how to boost conversations about discipleship and the call to ministry. Listen now.