Radical Seattle mayor smears Christians after leftists physically attacked prayer rally attendees — even cops got clobbered



Pro-life Christians held a prayer event at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle, Washington, over the weekend.

But the viewpoints expressed at the Mayday USA event — in support of the "sanctity of human life, the sacrality of biological gender, the importance of the nuclear family, and the right to freedom of speech and religion" — proved intolerable not only to the leftist radicals whose violent response prompted police to shut down the event early but also to the city's Democratic mayor who subsequently smeared the Christian organizers as bigots.

'Today's far-right rally was held here for this very reason — to provoke a reaction by promoting beliefs that are inherently opposed to our city's values, in the heart of Seattle's most prominent LGBTQ+ neighborhood.'

The purpose of the Mayday USA tour — which is linked to the "#DontMessWithOurKids movement" — is to "offer prayer and resources to help post-abortive men and women, trafficking victims, those who desire freedom from same-sex attraction, and those who are struggling with sexual and drug addictions throughout their restoration process."

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Photographer: David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Ahead of Saturday's main event — which featured speeches, musical performances, and prayer — there were free haircuts for kids and bicycle giveaways. Roughly 500 people attended the prayer rally, reported the Seattle Times.

However, hundreds of leftists — including members of the groups Radical Women, Puget Sound Mobilization for Reproductive Justice, Freedom Socialist Party, Organized Workers for Labor Solidarity — also showed up. But they weren't there to pray.

The leftists — later thanked by Democratic Mayor Bruce Harrell — circulated a post claiming event organizers were pushing "fascist 'family values,'" were waging a "war on trans & queer folk," and were somehow linked to a "racist Christian identity movement," as well as to President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Project 2025.

While the leftists' stated goal was to send the message that "bigotry is not welcome here," it appears their aim actually was to shut down Mayday USA.

Seattle Police swooped into action, making numerous arrests after leftists protesting the Christian prayer event turned to violence.

According to the Seattle Police Department, officers initially intervened after witnesses observed "multiple people inside one group throw items at the opposing group" around 1:30 p.m.

'Seattle is proud of our reputation as a welcoming, inclusive city for LGBTQ+ communities.'

What's more, while officers were taking violent individuals into custody, additional radicals physically attacked police. One officer injured during the ensuing scuffle was taken to hospital for treatment.

Just before 5 p.m. local time, the SPD announced on X that it requested backup from the Washington State Patrol.

Police said they charged 22 individuals with assault and obstruction and took them to King County Jail. A juvenile also was arrested for obstruction but later was cut loose.

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Photo by Noah Riffe/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

While leftists appeared to have initiated the violence, the Democrat mayor — who admitted to "displaying" a gun amid a 1996 dispute with a pregnant woman over a parking spot — reserved his fury for the peaceful Christians whom law enforcement protected.

"Seattle is proud of our reputation as a welcoming, inclusive city for LGBTQ+ communities, and we stand with our trans neighbors when they face bigotry and injustice," Harrell said in a statement Saturday. "Today's far-right rally was held here for this very reason — to provoke a reaction by promoting beliefs that are inherently opposed to our city's values, in the heart of Seattle's most prominent LGBTQ+ neighborhood."

'We are just warming up.'

Harrell, who's presently campaigning for reelection, suggested further that the Christian organizers were questioning the "humanity of trans people and those who have been historically marginalized."

After suggesting that the leftist violence was the result of anarchist infiltrators, Harrell expressed gratitude for those who peacefully protested the event and indicated that he was directing Seattle Parks and Recreation to "review all of the circumstances of this application to understand whether there were legal location alternatives or other adjustments that could have been pursued."

"In the face of an extreme right-wing national effort to attack our trans and LGBTQ+ communities, Seattle will continue to stand unwavering in our embrace of diversity, love for our neighbors, and commitment to justice and fairness," added the mayor whose city has a 1-rating on the Neighborhood Scout crime index; a 100-rating is the safest.

Jenny Donnelly — host of the event and founder of the Christian prayer organization Her Voice Mvmt — blasted the mayor over his mischaracterizations.

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Stock/Getty Images Plus

Donnelly noted that her team had: worked with the parks department for weeks; originally requested an alternate location but "were told no and given Cal Anderson Park"; cooperated with police and ended their event 2.5-hours early due to the leftist violence; and had not come to "attack" anyone but "stayed in [their] permitted area, worshipped, and did not engage any of the counter protestors."

The Seattle Police Officers Guild said it welcomes a mayoral review of the parks department's decision to authorize a permit for Cal Anderson Park — not because the Christian families were somehow undeserving but because "this park is commonly known as the heart of ANTIFA land."

"We have no doubt that this city decision, as naïve or deliberate as it was, put police officers in an untenable predicament," the guild said in a statement.

"A riot started in Cal Anderson Park in Seattle formerly known as the CHOP zone. Why?" wrote evangelist Ross Johnston, a co-host of the event. "The church showed up outside to worship Jesus and preach the gospel! Let me make it clear, we are just warming up and WE AIN'T BACKING DOWN."

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The helicopter went down in Gia Dinh. The grief never left.



Although my own family never lost a loved one in war, my childhood best friend, “Buddy,” did. His uncle Jack was killed in Vietnam in 1967. More specifically, Buddy’s mother — my “emergency backup mom” growing up — lost her kid brother in that war. She remains part of my life to this day.

Buddy was too young at the time to remember Jack or the news of his death. But Jack’s picture hung on the wall of their house, and his memory quietly lingered. The family held him in reverence.

Grandfather didn’t just want to remember Jack — he needed to believe his son’s sacrifice mattered.

As the 1970s turned into the 1980s, Jack began to feel like a figure from a distant past — rarely discussed except on Memorial Day and increasingly removed from the rhythm of everyday life.

Then, in the early 1990s, our two families planned a multigenerational beach vacation on the Gulf Coast. Buddy and I were now young adults. His grandparents — Jack’s parents — joined us from out of state.

In that rented beach house, I finally understood the depth of their loss.

Twenty-five years after losing his only son, Buddy’s grandfather still talked about Jack often. He told stories about Jack’s strength of character, his patriotism, and how much he would have loved to be with us. He said Jack would have been a great father. He wished Buddy had cousins — the kids Jack never lived to father — playing with us on the beach.

One morning, as Buddy, my dad, and I packed up for a fishing trip, Grandfather told us that Jack had loved to fish. He would have joined us, if only he could have.

Each night at supper, Grandfather bowed his head and thanked God for the years they had with Jack. He prayed that Jack would remain in God’s care until the family could one day be reunited in heaven.

He also talked about the war. About the helicopter shot down in Gia Dinh Province. About the impossible task of finding meaning in that loss. He didn’t just want to remember Jack — he needed to believe his son’s sacrifice mattered.

Buddy’s grandmother cried often during that trip. The grief never left her, not even after 25 years. It stayed with her until the day she died. I pray she and her husband are now reunited with Jack. Buddy’s mother still mourns the brother she lost 58 years ago.

We are blessed to live in a country where men like Jack give everything they have — willingly — for a cause greater than themselves. May God comfort those they left behind. And may He give us the wisdom and courage to build a world where fewer families must endure such loss.

CNN Lets Its Anti-Christian Bias Fly With Hit Piece On Pentagon Prayer Service

CNN is upset that Christians were permitted to openly pray to their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ while on the job at the Pentagon.

Together, pope and patriarch return to Nicaea on 1,700th anniversary of defining moment in Christendom



Seventeen centuries ago, bishops from around the known world gathered in Nicaea to affirm and codify the core tenets of the Christian faith. Now, as the anniversary of that defining moment in Christendom approaches, leaders on either side of the Great Schism are preparing to return, drawing East and West closer and renewing hope in the promise of Christian unity.

In the year 325, Emperor Constantine I called over 250 bishops — 318, according to tradition — to convene during the pontificate of Pope Sylvester I in the Bithynian city of Nicaea, 55 miles southeast of present-day Istanbul. It was the largest gathering of bishops in the church's history up until that time.

While the council would ultimately address a number of practical and ecclesiastic matters, it prioritized tackling the Arian heresy, which entailed a rebuke and an affirmation of the divinity of Christ — "God from God, light from light, True God from True God, begotten, not made, of the same substance as the Father, by Whom all things were made" — and setting the date on which to commemorate Jesus' resurrection.

This dogmatic council was of critical importance both then to the unified church and now to Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans, and other Protestants, perhaps most notably for its production of the Nicene Creed — a statement of faith, mutually held as authoritative, that predates both the Chalcedonian schism and the Great Schism.

Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople are making a joint trip to the place where their predecessors met 17 centuries earlier. While various obstacles some figured to be insurmountable still stand in the way of full reunification, the meeting of the Christian leaders on this particular anniversary and the anniversary itself have sparked renewed interest in Christian unity and the ground that the faithful share in common.

Of popes and plans

Prior to his passing, Pope Francis proposed celebrating the 1,700th anniversary with Orthodox leaders in a Nov. 30 letter to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, who previously indicated a joint trip was expected to happen in late May.

Pope Francis noted in his letter to the patriarch that the Catholic Church's "dialogue with the Orthodox Church has been and continues to be particularly fruitful," yet acknowledged that the "ultimate goal of dialogue, full communion among all Christians, sharing in the one Eucharistic chalice, has not yet been realized with our Orthodox brother and sisters," which "is not surprising, for divisions dating back a millennium, cannot be resolved within a few decades."

'It is good whenever the pope and the patriarch meet.'

Prior to heading back to Toronto from Rome, where he participated in the conclave that elected the new pope, Archbishop Emeritus Thomas Cardinal Collins told Blaze News, "The 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea is most important for all Christians, because it was there that the bishops clarified the basic Christian faith in the divinity of Christ. The Nicene Creed, from this council and the next one, in Constantinople a few years later, is still the basic expression of our faith in the Trinity."

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First Council of Nicaea. Found in the collection of Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kiev. Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images

"The division of East and West that occurred much later in 1054 is most unfortunate and has impeded the spread of the gospel," continued Collins. "But the churches of East and West, while having different theological and liturgical styles, recognize one another's apostolic succession and, with a few issues still in dispute, basically agree on doctrine as well. One thing that divides us is historical memories, but increased cooperation has brought some healing there."

'The remembrance of that important event will surely strengthen the bonds that already exist.'

Cardinal Collins noted further that "it is good whenever the pope and the patriarch meet. All Christians, facing so many external dangers, need to work together. The anniversary of Nicaea, which occurred long before the division of East and West, is a perfect opportunity to deepen our knowledge and love for one another, but especially Jesus. The closer we are to Him, the closer we will be to one another."

Pope Francis, then evidently of a similar mind, told Patriarch Bartholomew I that the anniversary would be "another opportunity to bear witness to the growing communion that already exists among all who are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

"This anniversary will concern not only the ancient Sees that took part actively in the Council, but all Christians who continue to profess their faith in the words of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed," wrote Pope Francis. "The remembrance of that important event will surely strengthen the bonds that already exist and encourage all Churches to a renewed witness in today's world."

The interest in a joint trip was evidently mutual.

During a March address in Harbiye, Turkey, Patriarch Bartholomew underscored his desire for a joint celebration of the anniversary, reported the Orthodox Times. He also emphasized the importance of the Council of Nicaea.

"The Council of Nicaea stands as a landmark in the formation of the Church's doctrinal identity and remains the model for addressing doctrinal and canonical challenges on an ecumenical level," said Patriarch Bartholomew.

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Photo by Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images

Their plans hit a major snag the following month.

Pope Francis died hours after Easter Sunday — the first time the Catholic and Orthodox Churches had celebrated Easter on the same day in eight years.

"He was due to come to our country, and together we would go to Nicaea, where the First Ecumenical Council was convened, to honor the memory of the Holy Fathers and exchange thoughts and wishes for the future of Christianity," Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew said in the wake of Pope Francis' passing. "All of this, of course, was canceled — or rather postponed."

'We are preparing it.'

"I believe that his successor will come, and we will go together to Nicaea to send a message of unity, love, brotherhood, and shared path toward the future of Christianity," added the patriarch.

It would not be clear for several days whom the papal conclave would elect as Francis' successor and whether he would have a similar interest in an East-West convention in Nicaea on the anniversary of the council.

The Chicagoan steps up to the plate

Various leaders in the Christian East welcomed the new bishop of Rome following his May 8 election.

Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, among them, expressed hope that Pope Leo XIV will "be a dear brother and collaborator ... for the rapprochement of our churches, for the unity of the whole Christian family, and for the benefit of humankind," reported Vatican News.

Days later, Pope Leo XVI reportedly stated, "The meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will take place; we are preparing it."

When asked about the significance of the joint trip, the likelihood of East-West reunification, and Orthodox interest in such reunification, Fr. Barnabas Powell, a parish priest in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America speaking on his own behalf, told Blaze News, "There is simply no way one can be faithful to Christ and not long for the unity of all Christians."

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Photo (left): Abdulhamid Hosbas/Anadolu via Getty Images; Photo (right): Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images

"We Orthodox pray for the unity of the churches in every service. Our Archbishop [Elpidophoros of America] has proven by his prayers and actions that he longs for unity," said Fr. Powell. "But unity isn't merely accepting certain propositional proposals. St. Paul said the Church is the bride of Christ, and this profound witness of the identity of the Church is ontologically connected to the mystery of relationship and love. This means we must work to know one another and not merely know about one another."

"This is hard work in light of the tragic centuries we have been apart. But just because something is difficult doesn't mean we shouldn't try," added Fr. Powell.

The Greek Orthodox priest expressed optimism about the joint trip to Nicaea, noting that as the "first Nicaea showed us that we are to gather together to struggle and dialogue through our challenges, so this is the normal Christian discipline for us today."

'I'm not in the odds-making business, but there is certainly justified hope.'

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America notes on its website that the "anniversary celebration brings together Orthodox, Catholics, and Protestants to reflect on the enduring significance of Nicaea, fostering conciliarity, dialogue, prayer, and a renewed commitment to the pursuit of Christian unity, echoing the spirit of the first ecumenical council."

Monsignor Roger Landry, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States, told Blaze News that over the past six decades, popes and the patriarchs of Constantinople have been regularly "meeting, praying, and slowly working for restored communion, as have the churches they lead."

Msgr. Landry suggested that "there's no question" that one of Pope Leo XIV's top priorities, "as we celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and move toward the 1000th anniversary of the lamentable split between East and West in 1054, will be to take whatever steps, big or small, that will help the church breathe with both lungs again in communion" — a reference to Pope St. John Paul II's 1995 metaphor of the Western and Eastern churches as two lungs.

Echoing Cardinal Collins and Fr. Powell, Msgr. Landry noted that there remain various obstacles in the way of restoration of full communion — including the date of Easter, the role of the pope, the Filioque controversy, the sacrament of marriage, the respect for the legitimate autonomy of the Eastern churches — but there is nevertheless "a mutual desire for that communion and a mutual humble dependence on God to reveal the path forward."

"I'm not in the odds-making business, but there is certainly justified hope because the issues that divide us are small in comparison to the faith, sacraments, life, and calling that unite us," Msgr. Landry told Blaze News. "We are moving together in the right direction."

In the meantime, he suggested that the ongoing separation "is a scandal that hinders the witness Christians are called to give of God."

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's joint trip to Nicaea with Pope Leo XIV is hardly the only celebration of the anniversary that has brought East and West together.

Earlier this month in Freehold, New Jersey, hierarchs, clergy, seminarians, and faithful from Eastern and Western traditions — including elements of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Orthodox Church in America, the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey, the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic, the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Eparchy, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn — participated in an ecumenical prayer service "testifying to the unifying power of the Nicene Creed and the enduring vision of the Council Fathers."

Similar celebrations have been held elsewhere across the world.

The Catholic Church's International Theological Commission stated in a recent publication concerning the Council of Nicaea and the 1,700th anniversary:

The celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea is a pressing invitation to the Church to rediscover the treasure entrusted to her and to draw from it so as to share it with joy, with a new impetus, indeed in a "new stage of evangelisation." To proclaim Jesus our Salvation on the basis of the faith expressed at Nicaea, as professed in the Nicene-Constantinople symbol, is first of all to allow ourselves to be amazed by the immensity of Christ, so that all may be amazed, to rekindle the fire of our love for the Lord Jesus, so that all may burn with love for him. Nothing and no one is more beautiful, more life-giving, more necessary than he is."

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The art of prayer: How to unleash its power



As Christians, we should know what we owe to our fellow Jesus followers — “one another” as the Bible calls us.

Before we can effectively love our neighbor — “neighbor” in this context meaning those not yet a part of the family of God — we need to understand the importance of how we interact with our brethren in Christ.

Paul’s prayers center on one thing: that believers may become more and more like Christ, growing into spiritual powerhouses.

Obviously, we are to love one another. We are to model the early church as it is described to us in Acts. We are to mindfully learn and apply all the “one anothers” the Bible gives us. We are to speak truth in love to one another (and others, as well).

One of the most powerful ways to love one another is to diligently pray for one another (James 5:16). And one of the most powerful ways to accomplish that is to pray scripture for them.

This is nothing new. After all, many of us have been praying the Lord’s Prayer, which is straight out of scripture, for much of our lives. Many psalms also lend themselves to prayer and worship. Much scripture has been set to music so that we can pray in song, as well.

But when it comes to powerfully praying for our brethren, the apostle Paul was a master. In God-breathed letters to at least three churches — the Colossians, the Philippians, and the Ephesians — he tells his flock exactly how he’s praying for them.

Paul’s prayer for the Colossians

Colossians 1:9-12:

For this reason also, since the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and multiplying in the full knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

What a magnificent prayer! In a few short lines, Paul asked God that the Colossians might:

  • Be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, in all spiritual wisdom and understanding: This is a wonderful starting place for praying for your fellow believers — that they understand and wisely follow God’s will for their lives.
  • Walk worthy of God, pleasing Him in every way

And then he prayed specifically for how they could do that:

  • Bear fruit in every good work and increase in the knowledge of God: These two categories are what should comprise our day-to-day existence! Knowing Him and making Him known. Sitting at His feet daily, and serving Him wholeheartedly.
  • Be strengthened with all power, according to God’s glorious might, to attain perseverance and patience: Paul recognized that persevering and being patient only come through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit within us and are important enough to merit their own mention in his prayer.
  • Joyously thank the Father, who has qualified us to share in His inheritance of our fellow saints in light: Here, he prays for his fellow believers to be filled with joy and gratitude, looking up to what lies ahead.

If you’re praying for the believers in your life to understand God’s will, walk worthy and please Him, bear fruit and know Him better, be strengthened In God’s power, and joyously give thanks — you’re on target.

Again, this was a prayer for a specific group of people from Paul. But because it is recorded in holy scripture, we know this prayer is God-breathed. What a privilege to be able to pray this exact prayer for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We can do that in general, praying for all our fellow disciples this way.

But it is perhaps more meaningful to actually write out this prayer for a specific brother or sister, by name.

For example:

Lord, I continually ask You to fill Anna with the knowledge of Your will in spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that she will walk worthy of You and please You in every way — bearing fruit in every good work and growing in her knowledge of You. Please strengthen her with all power, according to Your glorious might, so she may obtain great perseverance and patience. And help her joyfully thank You, who has qualified us both to share in the inheritance of Your saints in the kingdom of light.

Praying this way ignites my spirit. We know that when we pray in alignment with God’s will, He acts. How amazing that He’s given us scripture like this that demonstrates, in a very practical way, how He would have us pray for the “one anothers” with whom He has blessed us.

Bonus question: How might you adapt this prayer for your unbelieving friends?

Paul’s prayer for the Philippians

Another rich prayer is recorded for us in Philippians 1:3-6:

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.

This is a good reminder to thank God for the Jesus followers He’s brought into our lives — and to start any prayer for them by expressing our gratitude for the blessings they bring to us.

Note also the attitude he brings to his prayer time for them. He is mindful of their “participation in the gospel” — he is mindful that they are walking the same path as he is — and this brings him joy.

His next thought is a verse we often quote as a reminder that “God isn’t finished with us yet.” Isn’t it interesting that he put it right here in a prayer for them? Almost like he wanted to remind himself that no matter what mistakes and stumbles he might have to address, these beloved friends were a work in progress, in the process of being sanctified.

In other words, they were people deserving of his grace, too. Another good reminder.

But the real meat of his prayer for them is found in verses 9-11:

And this I pray, that your love may overflow still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may discover the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, for the glory and praise of God.

That our love may overflow ... in real knowledge and discernment. What do those two things have to do with love?

As for knowledge: Our agape love for our brothers and sisters does not spring from some sort of flowery sentimentality. It springs from scriptural truth. Scripture is what defines love, so we can’t love well without that knowledge. Again, we speak the truth in love and love others well with truth — always.

As for discernment: It turns out love is not blind, after all. The Greek word used here for "discernment" is where we get our English word “aesthetic,” which as John MacArthur notes, speaks of moral perception, insight, and practical application of knowledge. “Love is not blind,” he says, “but perceptive, and it carefully scrutinizes to distinguish between right and wrong.”

That biblical, perceptive love is what Paul wants overflowing in believers. Why?

So that we can discover what things are excellent. This is about developing keen perception, distinguishing between which things are worthy of our time and which are hindrances. And what does this pursuit of excellent things net us?

It means we are sincere and blameless as we transition out of this world and into our heavenly reward in glory with Jesus. It means that in this life, we are filled with thefruitof righteousness, again as a result of Jesus’ work. And what is the purpose of those results? The glory and praise of God.

Don’t we all want someone praying these things for us? So let us pray them for one another — wholeheartedly and personally.

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians

Ephesians 1 is a magnificent chapter, and I encourage you to read it right now. Paul’s first prayer for the Ephesians comes toward the end of that chapter:

Ephesians 1:15-19a:

For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe.

This is such a rich passage. Paul is telling the Ephesians that when he mentions them in his prayers, he does so with continuous gratitude for them — due to their exemplary faith, evidenced by their love for one another.

And then he goes on to tell them what he asks God for, on their behalf:

  • Wisdom: The ability to take knowledge and put it into action, or in other words, how to live well in God’s world. This is an attribute we should diligently seek always. The first nine chapters of Proverbs make a powerful argument for this pursuit.
  • Revelation in the knowledge of Him: This is the continuing learning process (“revelation”) that we undergo as we learn more about God through immersion in His Word.
  • Enlightened “eyes of the heart”

That last one means seeing God clearly with a spiritually enlightened mind, which results in knowledge of three life-changing truths:

  • The truth of the hope of His calling: a confident understanding of the hope He provides His children, and a grasp of what awaits us.
  • The truth of the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints: again, starting to grasp the immense and glorious riches that are ours as His saints.
  • The truth of the boundless power of His greatness toward us who believe.

I love what John MacArthur says about this last point:

God’s great power, that very power which raised Jesus from the dead and lifted Him by ascension back to glory to take His seat at God’s right hand, is given to every believer at the time of salvation and is always available. Paul therefore did not pray that God’s power be given to believers, but that they be aware of the power they already possessed in Christ and use it. — MacArthur Study Bible (notes)

That’s really the point of Paul’s prayer for enlightened eyes of the heart: that we be aware of what God in Christ has already given us — and then we use it.

This is indeed an immensely powerful prayer that we can personalize for our brothers and sisters. And there’s nothing wrong with asking our brothers and sisters to pray this for us, too.

But Paul had one more spectacular prayer for his beloved Ephesian church. It is one of the most beautiful passages in all his letters (and there are a lot of beautiful passages, to be sure):

Ephesians 3:14-19:

For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.

Praying this sublime language is an act of worship in itself, since it includes such a marvelous depiction of God’s unquestioned authority.

But let’s look at what Paul is asking God to grant the Ephesians here “according to the riches of His glory,” which again are available to every Christ-follower:

  • That God would grant them strength, derived from the power of the Holy Spirit within each individual, so that Christ dwells in their hearts through faith. In other words, that we would please Him by keeping our hearts clean through the power of His Spirit as we submit to His lordship.
  • That God would grant them the state of being rooted and grounded in love — the self-sacrificial agape love given for us by Him, that we are to freely share.
  • That God would grant them comprehension (awareness and understanding), along with all the other saints, of the vast immensity of the love of Christ, which surpasses simple head knowledge. We can’t know this kind of love without being His children.

Knowing all of this leads to being filled with the fullness of God. It leads to spiritual strength as we discipline our minds and spirits to study, understand, and live by God’s word through His Spirit’s power — increasingly, as we mature in Him.

Quoting my friend Dr. MacArthur one more time:

Although the outer, physical person becomes weaker with age, the inner, spiritual person should grow stronger through the Holy Spirit, who will energize, revitalize, and empower the obedient, committed Christian.

But wait — there’s more

Here are a few more of Paul’s prayers that you can personalize for those you are bringing to God’s throne room:

Paul’s prayers center on one thing: that believers may become more and more like Christ, growing into spiritual powerhouses. That is why these passages are so powerful when we pray them for each other, by name, specifically.

Let’s love one another by praying this way.

This article was adapted from an essay originally published on Diane Schrader's Substack, She Speaks Truth.

Old boxes, open hearts, and a little divine timing



My suburban town has a waste drop-off center where residents can take items that don’t belong in the regular trash — things like chemicals, corrugated cardboard, and certain recyclables. I gladly hand over my aluminum and metal cans, which actually have some raw material value, in exchange for unloading the mountain of cardboard boxes I seem to collect.

The center also runs a moving-box exchange: new arrivals can drop off their flattened boxes, and anyone is free to take what they need. It’s one of those small civic gestures that, in theory at least, make a town feel like a community.

‘I think you might be an angel,’ she said. ‘Ma’am,’ I laughed, ‘I can assure you I’m not. You can call my wife and confirm.’

It’s also where I witnessed two moments I’ll never forget.

The first came just after my wife and I had moved from another state. We’d been through an ugly incident — one that left her physically hurt, shaken, and furious. I tried to console her, though I was rattled myself. More than anything, she felt afraid. She didn’t know a soul in our new town. She felt alone.

Still, life had to go on. We were setting up our new home, and on that Saturday afternoon we loaded the car with flattened moving boxes and headed to the drop-off center. After unloading the last one, I placed my hand gently on her back as we turned toward the car. Her face was heavy with sorrow, her body slack with grief.

As we neared our vehicle, a man and woman — both around 60 by my guess — walked toward us. The woman gently placed her hand on my wife’s arm and asked, “May we pray for you?”

The man explained that they had noticed her pain and wanted to offer her comfort through prayer. My wife, still shaken but open, nodded yes.

They each rested a hand on her shoulders. Without knowing a single detail of what had happened, they prayed. They asked God to bring her peace. They prayed for strength to carry the weight she was bearing. They asked that she feel God’s presence — that she know she wasn’t alone.

And then my wife began to cry.

These two complete strangers embraced her while she wept. In that moment, something shifted. Her healing had begun.

Afterward, my wife and I reflected on that moment. If angels walk among us, we agreed, they must look something like that couple.

About a year later, we had new neighbors whose garage was overflowing with empty boxes. As they unpacked, I offered to take the pile to the waste station while running errands. They accepted, and we broke the boxes down and loaded them into my SUV.

At the drop-off station, I noticed an elderly woman struggling with a single flattened moving box, trying unsuccessfully to wedge it into the back seat of her small Nissan. I approached and joked that she either needed a smaller box or a bigger car.

I offered to fold the flaps or crease the cardboard to help it fit, but she waved me off — it wasn’t worth the trouble, she said.

She explained that she’d heard about the moving box exchange and came to see what she could find. But she didn’t need just one box — she needed dozens. She was moving out of the home she’d lived in for decades, the house where she and her late husband had raised their children. They were all grown now and had moved out of state. It was time, she said, to downsize and move closer to one of them.

“It’s all so overwhelming,” she said. “I don’t even know where to begin. But I know I’ll need a lot of boxes — so much is being given away or won’t be packed by the movers.”

I nodded toward my vehicle, packed with dozens of flattened moving boxes, and said, “Let’s skip the middleman. I’ll bring these straight to your house.”

She hesitated with the usual “I hate to impose,” but eventually accepted. I followed her a couple of miles to her home.

As I carried the boxes inside and stacked them in a corner, her tone turned serious.

“Why were you at the waste station?” she asked.

“To drop off these boxes,” I replied.

“No, I mean why were you there at that exact moment? And why did you approach me?”

“Just timing,” I said.

“I think you might be an angel,” she said.

“Ma’am,” I laughed, “I can assure you I’m not. You can call my wife and confirm.”

She handed me some strapping tape, and I assembled a dozen boxes, showing her how to do it easily.

Before leaving, I scribbled my name and number on a slip of paper.

“Call if you need more boxes,” I said, “or help with anything else.”

As I walked out, she asked again, “Are you sure you’re not an angel?”

“I promise you I’m not,” I said. “But I’m pretty sure they hang out at the waste drop-off center. That’s where my wife and I met a couple of angels once.”

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New Campaign Urges Daily Prayer For Couples Struggling With Infertility

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-21-at-4.05.29 PM-1200x675.png crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-21-at-4.05.29%5Cu202fPM-1200x675.png%22%7D" expand=1]Though many local churches pray over parishioners longing for children, the EveryLife campaign is a uniquely public display of support.

Satan's target: Confronting the spiritual battle threatening your pastor



Is your pastor biblically unqualified? Then that situation pleases the devil while at the same time displeasing God.

But if your pastor is biblically qualified, then you should know that Satan hates him. Godly, qualified pastors are a particular source of demonic rage.

Ministry is spiritual warfare, and the God-hating devil takes aim at the leaders of Christ’s churches.

Let’s think about a few lines from 1 Timothy 3 that point to the devil’s plans. In 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Paul tells Timothy about the qualifications for church leaders (called “overseers” in 3:1, a term synonymous with “pastors” or “elders”). In 3:6, the leader “must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.” In 3:7, “he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.”

In back-to-back verses, Paul mentions the devil, and this observation reminds us that pastoral ministry is spiritual warfare.

According to 1 Timothy 3:6, a pastor must not be a recent convert. A recent convert lacks the maturity and wisdom necessary for pastoral ministry. Moral steadfastness is vital for being qualified for ministry, and such steadfastness becomes evident over time. While a convert may become qualified for ministry at a later time, the timing has not arrived as long as the adjective “recent” still applies.

Self-conceit can grip the heart of a recent convert who is thrust into the responsibilities of pastoral ministry. And then the pastor may “fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:6). What is the role of the of here? Is this the condemnation which the devil will experience? Or is this some kind of condemnation that the devil gives? We know that the devil will be condemned (Revelation 20:10), but we also know that this pastor is called a “recent convert” — and converts are not condemned to hell.

Probably, then, this “condemnation of the devil” is “condemnation from the devil,” some kind of accusatory and defamatory activity from the devil against the pastor. Why would the devil act against the pastor in accusatory ways? In order to disgrace the pastor. And a recent convert may be especially vulnerable to the snares of pride and conceit.

In 1 Timothy 3:7, the potential pastor must be well thought of by outsiders. This requirement is “so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.” Looking at this purpose statement, we can see that “disgrace” is the devil’s snare that’s in view. If people outside the church could make legitimate accusations about a pastor’s character to show that he isn’t above reproach, then this compromised character will lead to the pastor’s disgrace.

The devil wants pastors to be disqualified and disgraced. The pastor lives a public life, so a pastor’s disgrace has public ramifications. We’ve all seen the headlines of ministers who have a moral failing, and the aftermath is brutal. It’s sorrowful for the pastor’s family, for the pastor’s church, and for those beyond the church who become aware of the moral failing.

The devil knows that a disgraced pastor will dishearten people, and discouragement is a vital tool in the enemy’s arsenal. He wants people to think of the gospel as untrue or, at least, as powerless. He wants people to wonder why they should bother with church when church leaders can be untrustworthy or hypocritical.

The devil also knows that a disgraced pastor emboldens the enemies of Christ. Rather than being discouraged, some people seize upon every story of moral failing and leverage it for their own ends. They may want to spread it like wildfire because they love juicy bits of gossip. They may want to stoke suspicion of organized religion. A pastor’s disgrace becomes fuel for devilish ambitions.

Ministry is spiritual warfare, and the God-hating devil takes aim at the leaders of Christ’s churches. The snare of their disgrace has the potential for widespread damage to the churches and lives of Christ’s people. Pray for your pastor, because Satan hates your pastor.

This essay was originally published at Dr. Mitchell Chase's Substack, Biblical Theology.

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