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After Pastor’s Wife, Baby Horrifically Murdered, He Chooses Faith, Forgiveness
Davey Blackburn faced an absolute nightmare Nov. 10, 2015, when he arrived home from a morning workout to find his wife, Amanda, experiencing what he thought was an unexplained health crisis.
He soon discovered she had been shot by an intruder who barged into their Indianapolis home — and nothing would ever be the same again.
It’s a harrowing story told in Blackburn’s new book, “Nothing Is Wasted: A True Story of Hope, Forgiveness, and Finding Purpose in Pain.”
“I walked in and my wife of seven years and my 15-month-old were in the house at the time,” he said. “My wife was pregnant with … our second … and, when I walked in, I discovered my wife was lying on our living room floor, and she was surrounded by blood.”
At first, he thought she might have gotten dizzy and fallen, but, once she was transported to the hospital, he learned Amanda, who was 13 weeks pregnant, had suffered three bullet wounds.
Tragically, the prognosis wasn’t good.
“They were going to try to see if they could operate, but it … didn’t look good,” Blackburn said. “And what they had surmised was that there were three men … they broke into the home three doors down from us, saw me leave for the gym that morning, and decided to break into our home, and Amanda … got caught up in that.”
Blackburn and Amanda were pastors and church planters at the time. The couple had left their dream job a few years earlier in South Carolina to follow God’s call to plant a church in Indianapolis.
The shocking murder unfolded just as the church was “taking some roots and getting some momentum,” he said. Things had just seemed to be falling into place when the unthinkable happened.
Before Amanda’s death, Blackburn recalled a conversation with his wife.
“She looked at me … I’ll never forget, she looked at me and she said, ‘I think … we’re like beginning to live our dreams. This is beginning to take root,’” he said. “And, then, Tuesday, Nov. 10, I walk in and I find her lying on our living room floor.”
The preacher called the entire ordeal — which quickly became a local and national news story — an “unimaginable, traumatic experience.”
Amanda was pronounced dead on Nov. 11, four years to the day that the couple packed up a moving van to leave for Indianapolis.
“My world had just been turned upside down,” Blackburn said. “I was reeling over the grief and the loss of my best friend, my soulmate, my ministry partner. I was trying to figure out how to be a single dad to my son, Weston, who had been untouched and unharmed in his crib the entire time.”
On top of losing Amanda and their unborn baby, Blackburn also had to contend with media scrutiny considering the story’s wide reach — speculation that only added to the pain.
“Nobody expects to go through what we went through, and, then, when you do … at least you would think you would be able to grieve privately,” he said. “We had virtually the entire world looking on, which on one hand was amazing, because we had the support of so many Christian brothers and sisters who were supporting us in prayer. And we had access to the best of the best resources.”
Blackburn continued, “But, on the other hand, we also had a media narrative that was beginning to spin things on certain levels in some of the minor pockets of the media where they were beginning to, you know, wonder if I was behind it.”
This added to the chaos and grief, inflicting further torment he said was “excruciating,” especially as it played out so publicly. Throughout the grief and uncertainty, though, he said his faith sustained him.
“I don’t know how you go through things like this or anything remotely close to this — any kind of loss, grief, tragedy, trauma without Jesus,” he said. “The Holy Spirit ministers to you in a way that nobody else can. And, so, Scripture was very it was very near to me. When it says, ‘He gives you a peace that passes all understanding — that guards your heart and mind in Christ Jesus,’ I understood what that meant.”
Despite experiencing God’s peace, Blackburn still had to deal with the very real emotions of hatred, unforgiveness, and all that comes along with such a tragic scenario.
“It’s not something where it’s just this on-off switch, where one day you hate … you’re full of bitterness and hatred, and then all of a sudden the next day you’re like, ‘Oh, I think I’m ready to forgive,’” he said. “Immediately, I came out into the media and said, ‘I’ve chosen to forgive.’”
Blackburn said he had spent years preaching forgiveness and knew the “right thing to do” and the “right thing to say.” Still, he had been confronted with the incomprehensible and needed to work his way through it all.
“I knew what … I wanted my heart to feel, but it wasn’t feeling that because forgiveness is not a feeling,” he said. “It’s a decision, and, as you begin to walk in that decision daily, then … the Lord does things to begin to heal your heart, grow your heart, stretch your heart.”
Blackburn shares in “Nothing Is Wasted: A True Story of Hope, Forgiveness, and Finding Purpose in Pain” what this journey looked like, including his recognition that a refusal to forgive would be like “a cancer” to his soul that would “destroy” him.
“Forgiving someone doesn’t mean that … they’re no longer held by the consequences of the decision that they made, and the justice system all of a sudden now is just thrown out the window,” he said. “It means, ‘I no longer choose to hold it against you, because my debt was paid for by Jesus.’”
Thus, Blackburn had to fully trust Jesus in the process as he navigated the bitterness, grief, and loss. he said he sought God and asked not only for forgiveness but also for “compassion and grace for the men who did this.”
Looking back, Blackburn believes God has been incredibly faithful both in his ministry and personal life.
“There are so many things where God has shown up for me, even in ways that are unseen,” he said. “He’s healed me, He’s restored me, He’s put me back together, made me whole again, so that I can help other people. And that’s really what your healing and wholeness is for. It’s not for you. … It’s so that you can begin to comfort others with the same comfort that you’ve been comforted [with].”
He now leads a ministry called Nothing Is Wasted to help people overcome trauma, tragedy, and major life transitions. It’s an effort that helps coach people through the messy moments in life. And that’s not all.
“God’s begun to put the broken pieces back together in my family,” Blackburn said. “I got remarried.”
Among the many redemptive elements in his story is a truly wild connection between his story and his new wife, Kristi. The couple blended their family, with Kristi bringing a daughter in and Blackburn bringing in his son, Weston.
The couple also had a son of their own, and they’re walking out a new mission together to help those in crisis. Blackburn is hoping his story, as told through the book, helps inspire others.
“Pain is the common denominator of life and pain often gets us stuck,” he said. “We have a real enemy … Ephesians 6 tells us the enemy wants to thwart God’s plan for our life, and often what he does is he brings pain, trauma, tragedy, major life transition to get us stuck so that we can’t fulfill the plan that God has for our life.”
But Blackburn said the Lord has “an even stronger, greater plan that He wants to bring into your life” — and he’s hoping people see how “amazing” God truly is.
Watch Blackburn tell his story:
Sources:faithwire
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Pastor Jack Graham implores Christians to proclaim truth in a shifting culture
For as long as Prestonwood Baptist Church Pastor Jack Graham can remember, he’s loved the Bible — a connection nurtured during his childhood as he sat on his grandfather’s knee, listening to the Scriptures.
“The Bible has always been a part of my life, and I’m very grateful for that,” the 74-year-old pastor told The Christian Post.
“As a child, I revealed in those great stories of adventure in the Old Testament, whether it was David and the giant or Daniel in the lion’s den. Then, ultimately, I realized that the story was all about Jesus. Jesus stepped out of the pages of Scripture and into my life. From the beginning, like Timothy, since my childhood, I’ve had the privilege of knowing and loving the Scriptures.”
That childhood foundation shaped not only Graham’s faith but also his calling as a pastor and teacher. A prolific author, he’s served two terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. His teachings are broadcast through PowerPoint Ministries, reaching audiences nationwide and globally. In October 2022, he launched the “Bible in a Year with Jack Graham” podcast, which quickly gained popularity, surpassing 60 million downloads.
But for Graham, his latest book, The Jesus Book, represents the culmination of his life’s work.
“If I had never written another book, this is the one book that I’m glad I was able to write, because it basically covers the message of my life; certainly the message of the Christian faith, the Word of God, the testimony of Christ,” he said. “It is everything to me. My whole life’s goal is to stand on the truth of God’s Word and to proclaim it and, of course, live it.”
In his book, Graham recounts his formative years — a nod to the enduring influence of his grandfather’s storytelling — and how, decades later, that connection to Scripture came full circle during a visit to Oxford, where he held fragments of the Gospel of Matthew, the oldest manuscript of the New Testament.
“As I held those pieces of papyrus, my mind flashed back to learning to read by reading the Bible,” he said. “For me, it wasn’t ‘Dick and Jane’; it was Moses, Daniel, Joseph and Jesus. The Bible has been such a treasure in my life.”
At its core, The Jesus Book is an invitation for readers to encounter Jesus in Scripture, Graham emphasized, adding that the Bible isn’t just a historical artifact or a set of moral guidelines, but a living breathing testimony of God’s plan for redemption.
“The more you read your Bible, the more you know who Jesus is,” he said. “And the more you know Jesus, the more you love and serve Him.”
Through stories, teachings and practical advice, the pastor said his book aims to demystify Scripture for those who feel intimidated or unsure about how to approach it. The book’s subtitle, “Reading and Understanding the Bible for Yourself,” he said, captures his goal of empowering readers to approach the Bible with confidence.
“The story of the Bible is clear because it has one central theme,” he said. “That theme is redemption, salvation. There’s one central person in the Bible: God, in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. It’s the story of redemption. And that redemption story is a scarlet thread, that runs through the Bible, from Genesis in the Old Testament all the way through to the New Testament. When you understand the basic themes of the Bible and what the Bible is all about, then it’s not that hard to understand.”
“If a person will make the effort and intentionally read God’s Word and hear God’s Word and ask the Holy Spirit to explain it and interpret it to them, they will understand it,” he reiterated.
At a time when biblical literacy is at an all-time low, Graham stressed that the Bible’s relevance is timeless. His ministry emphasizes the transformational power of Scripture, he said, citing studies that show regular Bible engagement drastically reduces destructive behaviors while increasing spiritual growth.
“People assume that [the Bible] is a religious book without relevance, and it is an antique or an ancient book that has no application for their lives,” he said. “They approach the Bible as though they would approach any book of history or book of archeology. But you have to start by recognizing that the Bible is the Word of God, and that because it’s the Word of God, there is a message for you today.”
In The Jesus Book, Graham also addresses common mistakes, such as approaching Scripture haphazardly or misunderstanding its central message.
“Bible study methods are important, and we talk about some of those methods as you look at a passage of Scripture, how to summarize the passage, how to assess its content and context,” Graham said. “There is a chapter on protecting yourself from bad Bible reading. There’s a lot of people who misinterpret the Bible because they don’t understand its central content.”
One of the key topics in The Jesus Book is developing a biblical worldview. At a time when truth often seems relative and cultural values shift rapidly, Graham urges Christians to see the world through the lens of Scripture rather than allowing culture to dictate how they interpret the Bible.
“Jude 3 says we are to earnestly contend for the faith, and that reminds us that with all the worldviews that we hear and see out there, with so many lies in the culture, so many lies we tell ourselves, the only way to overcome this attack on truth is using truth to support our faith and our beliefs,” he said.
“In a world that is filled with unbelief, we should graciously, but yet forcefully, understand our Bible and proclaim this message without apology,” he added. “In the culture today, it’s important that we give reasonable evidence for the faith, and that we proclaim Scripture with confidence and certainty and conviction. And when we do that, the Word of God works, and there’s power in the Scripture to counteract all the works of darkness.”
With over 50 years of ministry service, Graham said he’s convinced that pastors and church leaders play a crucial role in encouraging a love for Scripture.
“When you preach the Bible, it creates an appetite for things of God, for the truth,” he said. “It’s like eating a meal; you have to try it: ‘taste and see that the Lord is good.’ I’ve always believed pastors should give a proclamation of the Scriptures so that people can understand it; explain what the Bible says, but also illustrate it and apply it to people’s lives.”
Through his book, Graham said his prayer is that readers will encounter Christ through the Bible and learn how to encounter the Scriptures as a living, breathing testimony of God’s plan for redemption.
“ Luke 24 reminds us that Jesus is present in Scripture,” he said. “My prayer is that every Christian would encounter Christ in the Bible and experience His living presence in His Word. He is called the Living Word of God. So He has given us His book, the Bible, and it is true and trustworthy.”
The Jesus Book is now available everywhere books are sold.
Sources:Christian Post
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70 ദശലക്ഷത്തിലധികം പേര്ക്ക് പ്രതിമാസ ആനുകൂല്യങ്ങള്; എസ്എസ്എ ആനുകൂല്യങ്ങളില് സുപ്രധാന മാറ്റങ്ങള്
അടുത്തവര്ഷം സോഷ്യല് സെക്യൂരിറ്റി ആനുകൂല്യങ്ങളില് രണ്ട് പ്രധാന മാറ്റങ്ങള് പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ച് യു.എസ്. 2025മുതല് 70 ദശലക്ഷത്തിലധികം ആളുകള്ക്ക് സോഷ്യല് സെക്യൂരിറ്റി അഡ്മിനിസ്ട്രേഷനില് നിന്ന് പ്രതിമാസ ആനുകൂല്യങ്ങള് ലഭിക്കാന് തുടങ്ങും. എങ്കിലും, സപ്ലിമെന്റല് സെക്യൂരിറ്റി വരുമാനത്തിന് (എസ്എസ്ഐ) യോഗ്യതയുള്ള ചില സ്വീകര്ത്താക്കള്ക്ക്, ഈ സോഷ്യല് സെക്യൂരിറ്റി പേയ്മെന്റുകളില് ചിലത് സാധാരണ തീയതികളില് മെയില് ചെയ്യപ്പെടില്ല.
65 വയസ്സിനു മുകളിലുള്ള താഴ്ന്ന വരുമാനമുള്ള വ്യക്തികള്, വൈകല്യമുള്ളവര്, അല്ലെങ്കില് പ്രത്യേക സാമ്പത്തിക സാഹചര്യങ്ങളില് കുട്ടികള് എന്നിവരെ സഹായിക്കാന് രൂപകല്പ്പന ചെയ്ത ഒരു സാമ്പത്തിക പരിപാടിയാണ് എസ്എസ്എയുടേത്.
സോഷ്യല് സെക്യൂരിറ്റി അഡ്മിനിസ്ട്രേഷന് സപ്ലിമെന്റല് സെക്യൂരിറ്റി വരുമാനം (എസ്എസ്ഐ), റിട്ടയര്മെന്റ്, സര്വൈവര്, ഡിസെബിലിറ്റി ഇന്ഷുറന്സ് (ആര്എസ്ഡിഐ) എന്നിവയ്ക്ക് ഓരോ മാസവും അഞ്ച് സെറ്റ് പേയ്മെന്റുകള് നല്കുന്നു.
അവര് സപ്ലിമെന്റല് സെക്യൂരിറ്റി ഇന്കം (എസ്എസ്ഐ) പ്രോഗ്രാമിന് യോഗ്യരാണെങ്കില്, അവര്ക്ക് അവരുടെ ജനനത്തീയതി പരിഗണിക്കാതെ തന്നെ മാസത്തിന്റെ ഒന്നാം തീയതി പ്രതിമാസ പേയ്മെന്റുകള് ലഭിക്കും. വിരമിച്ച തൊഴിലാളികള്, വികലാംഗര് എന്നിവര്ക്ക്, അവര് ആദ്യം ആനുകൂല്യങ്ങള് തേടിയ തീയതിയെ ആശ്രയിച്ച് പേയ്മെന്റുകള് ലഭിക്കും. 1997 മെയ് മാസത്തിന് മുമ്പ് ക്ലെയിം ചെയ്ത അവകാശികള്ക്ക് അവരുടെ ആനുകൂല്യങ്ങള് മാസത്തിന്റെ മൂന്നാം തീയതിയും, മെയ് 1997 ന് ശേഷം ക്ലെയിം ചെയ്തവര്ക്ക് രണ്ടാമത്തെയും മൂന്നാമത്തെയും നാലാമത്തെയും ബുധനാഴ്ചകളില് ആനുകൂല്യങ്ങള് ലഭിക്കും. മാത്രമല്ല, വാരാന്ത്യങ്ങളോ അവധിക്കാലമോ അടിസ്ഥാനമാക്കി ഈ നിശ്ചിത തീയതികള് മാറിയേക്കാമെന്നത് ഓര്ത്തിരിക്കേണ്ടത് പ്രധാനമാണ്.
സോഷ്യല് സെക്യൂരിറ്റി പേയ്മെന്റ് ഷെഡ്യൂള് 2025 അനുസരിച്ച്, ജനുവരി, ഫെബ്രുവരി മാസങ്ങളിലെ പതിവ് പേയ്മെന്റ് തീയതികള് ഒരു പരിധിവരെ പരിഷ്ക്കരിക്കും, SSI ഗുണഭോക്താക്കള്ക്ക് അവരുടെ ആനുകൂല്യങ്ങള് ജനുവരി 31-നും മാര്ച്ച് 1-ന് ഫെബ്രുവരി 28-നും ലഭിക്കും. ഈ മുന്കൂര് പേയ്മെന്റുകളുടെ കാരണം, ഒരു സാധാരണ പേയ്മെന്റ് തീയതി അവധി ദിവസങ്ങളിലോ വാരാന്ത്യത്തിലോ വന്നാല്, ഗുണഭോക്താക്കളുടെ സാമ്പത്തിക ബഡ്ജറ്റുകളെ ബാധിക്കാതിരിക്കാന് SSA അത് മുന് പ്രവൃത്തി ദിവസത്തേക്ക് പുനഃക്രമീകരിക്കും. 2025-ലെ പേയ്മെന്റ് ഷെഡ്യൂള് അടിസ്ഥാനമാക്കി 2025-ലെ സോഷ്യല് സെക്യൂരിറ്റി പേയ്മെന്റുകളുടെ ആദ്യ മാസങ്ങളിലെ സ്ഥിരീകരിച്ച തീയതികളാണിത്.
ഒക്ടോബര് 10-ന് പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ച 2.5 ശതമാനം ജീവിത ചെലവ് ക്രമീകരണം (COLA) ഇതിനകം തന്നെ ഈ സാമൂഹിക സുരക്ഷാ ആനുകൂല്യങ്ങളില് ഉള്പ്പെടുത്തും.
Sources:azchavattomonline.com
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ബൈബിളിലെ പത്തു കൽപനകൾ ആലേഖനം ചെയ്ത പുരാതന ശിലാഫലകം ലേലത്തിന്
പഴയനിയമത്തിൽ നിന്നുള്ള പത്തു കൽപനകൾ ആലേഖനം ചെയ്ത ഏറ്റവും പഴക്കമുള്ള ഫലകം അടുത്ത മാസം ലേലത്തിനു വയ്ക്കാൻ ഒരുങ്ങുകയാണ്. 115 പൗണ്ട് ഭാരവും രണ്ട് അടി ഉയരവുമുള്ള ഈ കല്ല് 1913 ൽ ഇന്നത്തെ ഇസ്രായേലിന്റെ തെക്കൻഭാഗത്ത് ഒരു പുതിയ റെയിൽവേ ലൈനിനായി നടത്തിയ ഖനനത്തിലാണ് കണ്ടെത്തിയത്.
റോമൻ – ബൈസന്റൈൻ കാലഘട്ടത്തിന്റെ അവസാനത്തിൽ ഏകദേശം 1,500 വർഷം പഴക്കമുള്ള ഈ കല്ല് പുരാതനലോകത്തിൽ നിന്നുള്ള ശ്രദ്ധേയമായ ഒരു കരകൗശലവസ്തുവാണ്. എന്നാൽ, ഏറെ നാളുകളായി ഈ ഫലകം വിസ്മൃതിയിലായിരുന്നു.
ആദ്യകാല സിനഗോഗുകൾ, പള്ളികൾ എന്നിവയുടെ സമീപത്തുനിന്നു കണ്ടെത്തിയ ഈ ശിലാഫലകത്തിൽ പാലിയോ-ഹീബ്രു ലിപിയിൽ പത്തു ബൈബിൾ നിയമങ്ങൾ ആലേഖനം ചെയ്തിരുന്നു. കണ്ടെത്തലിന്റെ പ്രാധാന്യം പൂർണ്ണമായും മനസ്സിലാക്കപ്പെടാതെപോയതിനാൽ ഈ കല്ല് മൂന്നു പതിറ്റാണ്ടായി ഒരു വീടിനു പുറത്ത് നടപ്പാതയായി ഉപയോഗിക്കപ്പെട്ടു. ഭാഗ്യവശാൽ, ഫലകത്തിന്റെ ചരിത്രപരമായ പ്രാധാന്യം ഒടുവിൽ അംഗീകരിക്കപ്പെടുകയും അത് സംരക്ഷിക്കപ്പെടുകയും ചെയ്തു.
1943 ൽ ഒരു പണ്ഡിതനു വിറ്റ ഈ കല്ല്, പേര് വെളിപ്പെടുത്താത്ത ഈ വ്യക്തി, പല വിശ്വാസങ്ങളുടെയും കേന്ദ്രമായ ദിവ്യകൽപനകൾ ഉൾക്കൊള്ളുന്ന ഒരു പ്രധാന സമരിറ്റൻ ദശകമായി അംഗീകരിച്ചു. അത് യഥാർഥത്തിൽ ഒരു സിനഗോഗിലോ, സ്വകാര്യ വാസസ്ഥലത്തോ പ്രദർശിപ്പിച്ചിരിക്കാമെന്ന് ഫലകം ലേലം ചെയ്യുന്ന സോഥെബിസ് വെളിപ്പെടുത്തുന്നു.
യഹൂദ, ക്രിസ്ത്യൻ പാരമ്പര്യങ്ങൾക്ക് പൊതുവായുള്ള ബൈബിളിൽനിന്നുള്ള വാക്യങ്ങളെ അടുത്തറിയുന്ന 20 വരികൾ ഈ കല്ലിലുണ്ട്. എന്നിരുന്നാലും, പുറപ്പാടിലെ പത്തു കൽപനകളിൽ ഒൻപതു കൽപനകൾ മാത്രമേ ഉൾപ്പെടുത്തിയിട്ടുള്ളൂ. “നീ കർത്താവിന്റെ നാമം വ്യർഥമാക്കരുത്” എന്നതാണ് കാണാതായ ഒന്ന്. ഡിസംബർ അഞ്ചു മുതൽ ന്യൂയോർക്കിലെ ഷോ റൂമിൽ പ്രദർശനത്തിനു വയ്ക്കുന്ന ശിലാലിഖിതത്തിന്റെ ലേലം നടക്കുക ഡിസംബർ 18 നാണ്.
Sources:azchavattomonline.com
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