by Alan Langstaff

Odds & Ends are topics worth covering that do not necessarily require a whole article. Because we have so many items, we will have “Odds and Ends” articles again next week.

Then the following week we will have a very special announcement to make.

44 PERCENT OF AMERICANS PRAY EVERY DAY

“In a culture that feels increasingly disconnected, here’s something surprisingly encouraging: Nearly half of Americans still pray every single day.

According to new data from Pew Research, 44% of U.S. adults say they pray at least once a day, and another 23% say they pray weekly or a few times a month. That means two-thirds of the country still turns to prayer with some regularity—a practice that remains deeply embedded in American life.

Prayer habits also vary by race, gender, and age. Black Americans are the most likely to pray daily (64%), while women are more likely than men (50% vs. 37%). Older adults continue to lead the way in daily prayer, while younger generations are less consistent—but still showing up.

For many Americans, prayer isn’t just a habit—it’s a lifeline.

As pastor and theologian Tim Keller once wrote, “Prayer is the way to experience a powerful confidence that God is handling our lives well, that our bad things will turn out for good, our good things cannot be taken from us, and the best things are yet to come.”

In a time when faith trends often point to decline, this data is a reminder that spiritual rhythms haven’t disappeared—they’re just shifting.”

(By PreachingToday.com)

CATHOLIC STUDENTS FIND REFUGE AT PRINCETON UNIVERSITY’S WORSHIP SPACE AND CHEER NEW POPE

“While other students might be in class or socializing at lunch, a group of young Catholics attends Mass every weekday at noon at the Princeton University Chapel.

They sing Gregorian chants in Latin, pray and receive Communion at a side chapel — inside the huge, nondenominational Princeton Chapel — that young, devoted Catholics see as a sacred refuge in a mostly liberal and secular Ivy League environment.

“I feel that people’s faith is so strong here,” student Logan Nelson said of the dedicated Catholic space where he attends daily Mass. “It feels like a home — even more so than my own house.””

(By Luis Andres Henao, Newsmax.com)

TOP 10 CATASTROPHIC CLIMATE PREDICTIONS THAT FAILED

“It’s been almost six years since the delinquent child activist Greta Thunberg promoted a so-called scientist’s warning that “climate change will wipe out all of humanity unless we stop using fossil fuels” by 2023. The scientist in question, Harvard University professor James Anderson, also predicted “there will be no floating ice remaining” in the Arctic Ocean by 2022 absent a “Marshall Plan-style endeavor in which all of the world takes extreme measures to transition off fossil fuels completely within the next five years.” That didn’t happen, but climate activists are still warning that the Arctic could be ice-free at some point between 2035 and 2067.

Not surprisingly, there is a long history—dating back to the 1970s—of so-called climate scientists and government bureaucrats making catastrophic predictions about the environment that never materialized. Here are 10 of the most egregious examples. Enjoy!””

(By Andrew Stiles, freebeacon.com)

You can check out the full list at freebeacon.com. One example from the 10 climate predictions is #9:

“In 2008, Bob Woodruff of ABC News hosted a two-hour climate change special warning that New York City could be underwater by 2015, among other apocalyptic predictions. Didn’t happen.”

MEN WHO IDENTIFY AS TRANSGENDER ARE NOT WOMEN, UK SUPREME COURT RULES

““The terms “woman” and “sex” in British law refer to biological women and biological sex and do not include men who identify as transgender, the UK’s Supreme Court has ruled in a landmark judgment.

The ruling makes clear that transgender people with a gender recognition certificate can be excluded from single-sex spaces if “proportionate.””

(By The Epoch Times, ntd.com)

USCIS UPDATES POLICY TO RECOGNIZE TWO BIOLOGICAL SEXES

“U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is updating the USCIS Policy Manual to clarify that it only recognizes two biological sexes, male and female.

Consistent with the Jan. 20, 2025, executive order, Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, USCIS is returning to its historical policy of recognizing two biological sexes.

“There are only two sexes — male and female,” said DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin. “President Trump promised the American people a revolution of common sense, and that includes making sure that the policy of the U.S. government agrees with simple biological reality. Proper management of our immigration system is a matter of national security, not a place to promote and coddle an ideology that permanently harms children and robs real women of their dignity, safety, and well-being.””

(By uscis.gov)

TEENS AND PHONES

“Why do teens feel incomplete without their phones?

Barna research reveals that while most Gen Z Teens and Young Adults agree they spend too much time on screens, 64% still say they feel incomplete without their phones.

According to Felicia Song, a researcher of mass media and digital technology, this is because “Today’s technology isn’t something we simply use and put away. It’s embedded in how we do school, friendship, family, community and church. It’s interwoven into identity formation and relationships. Teens feel incomplete without their phones because these devices are their primary tools for connection – staying in touch with friends, family and responsibilities.””

(By Barna, The Resilient Pastor Podcast, Episode 59: Preston and Jackie Hill Perry)

EVANGELICALS SEE END TIMES

“Some Christian leaders believe that Israel’s attack on Iran, notably its June 13 strike, and America’s involvement in the war have set the stage for the end days.

The end days have long been a widely accepted Christian belief of a final global conflict involving Israel that will precede the return of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.

“We’re getting into the last of the last days,” evangelist and TV host Sid Roth told Newsmax.

Roth’s syndicated show “It’s Supernatural!” is watched by Christians around the globe and talks often of end time prophesy.

Biblical scholars and Christian commentators, such as Pastor James Kaddis and Greg Laurie, suggest that the conflict between Israel and Iran aligns with Ezekiel 38–39, which describes a coalition led by Magog — often interpreted as Russia — and including Persia attacking Israel in the last days.

While not seen as the full fulfillment of this prophecy, the current Israel-Iran tensions are viewed as a “foreshadowing” or “prophetic alignment.”

Televangelist John Hagee has long argued that Iran’s nuclear program was a trigger point in Biblical revelation.

Hagee’s 2005 bestseller “Jerusalem Countdown: Prelude to War” claimed the “coming nuclear showdown with Iran is a certainty.”

Two decades ago Hagee warned: “The battle for Jerusalem has already begun. That war will affect every nation on Earth, including America, and will affect every person on Planet Earth.”

Hagee’s “Jerusalem Countdown” sold over 1 million copies.”

(By Jonathan Haymeier, newsmax.com)