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While North Korea's alleged successful testing of an H-bomb on Wednesday is met with doubt at the White House, China's foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, was quick to publically rebuke North Korea in their H-bomb pursuit, saying that China, "firmly opposes" the testing and that, " We strongly urge the DPRK side to remain committed to its denuclearisation commitment, and stop taking any actions that would make the situation worse."

It was a tradition that began at the school shortly after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on America. Glenview Elementary School students have been gathering on the playground at the New Jersey school and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance followed by the words, "God bless America" at the end as a way to honor all of the first responders. Over a decade later, the ACLU is saying that publically asking God to bless America is a violation of separation of church and state.

It kind of sounds like something out of the movie "Facing the Giants." The coach had created a play about, "build me a stone wall." But this isn't a movie or even a football game, it's about a prayer rally called "Decision America Tour 2016" and the future of the nation.

Anne Graham Lotz seems to have received a prophetic type of word for America. While many Christians and church leaders tend to set aside the first few days or even weeks to fast and pray, Lotz's focus and call for fasting isn't about many of the typical focuses that Christians choose. This is about asking the Lord to be merciful to this nation, set a hedge around it, and protect Americans from an "encroaching darkness of evil."

Ravi Zacharias was received by the Passion 2016 crowd of 18-25-year-olds with cheers and wild applause. The conference that was attended by 40,000 young people came to an end on Monday evening. It was held in Atlanta, Georgia and Houston, Texas and also live-streamed.

No one living in a normal society would ever imagine that a child is a terrorist in training. Maybe that's what makes the ISIS poster child that has been getting a great deal of attention in the UK such a shock. A 6-year-old boy who is being called, "Jihad Junior" is getting a great deal of press lately for his extremist Muslim behavior, and his appearance in an ISIS video on Sunday. His mother, Grace Dare, wasn't even brought up in Islam. She is a convert to Islam from the Catholic religion.

The last time that Missouri saw such severe flooding was in 1993, according to Missouri Governor Jay Nixon. He also said that, "It's very clear that Missouri is in the midst of a very historic and dangerous flooding event. The amount of rain we've received, in some places in excess of a foot, has caused river levels not only to rise rapidly, but to go places they've never been before."

At the Christmas Eve service in Resonate Church, Pastor Davey Blackburn stood strong in his conviction that God gives people strength to carry hope in the midst of hurt. With all that he and the church have been through, he said during the evening service that, "Tonight, I just want to do what I would call a family talk."

Jordan Smith has had to fight for his long-time dream to be on "The Voice". He has struggled with feelings of inadequacy and not being a "real" musician for a long time. He's always thought of himself as a singer, but playing an instrument and singing in front of people at the same time was another matter. Then there was the disappointment when he didn't make the cut for season eight. Empowered by his faith in Jesus, he found a way to overcome that for season 9.

Melissa and Aaron Kline are Christians who owned Sweet Cakes bakery. Their Oregon based bakery was ordered by the state to pay a $135,000 fine plus interest for "emotional damages" to a gay couple who wanted a wedding cake that they refused to make.

Ted Cruz is apparently not in agreement with those who would say that, "God isn't fixing this." The slam was originally aimed at those who were offering prayers in conjunction to San Bernardino and their families. But it is interesting that the Christian rock band, The Newsboys, just happens to have a song called, "God's Not Dead," that Cruz is meeting with several Evangelical leaders over the next two days who will apparently be supporting his campaign, and that the Newsboys will be playing as part of a rally at the meeting's conclusion. The meeting is expected to host about 300 Christian leaders and financial backers.

When most people think of Mexico, they don't think of persecuted Christians. About 83 percent of the Mexican population is Catholic. So other faiths are definitely in the minority. However, Evangelical Christianity is apparently growing, which may explain in part why some Mexican states have become hostile to them.

It was only days after the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage would be recognized in all 50 states that polygamist Nathan Collier decided to apply for a marriage license for a second wife in the state of Montana. Since polygamy under general circumstances is presently considered a misdemeanor in Montana, his request was refused. So he is suing the state of Montana, claiming that the wording in the same-sex ruling ought to override state law and the federal ruling ought to be applicable to polygamy.

Franklin Graham is fed up with the establishment games. He is so fed up that he is putting action to those feelings and leaving the Republican Party. He is re-registering as an independent and will be holding prayer rallies in all 50 states during the 2016 election season.

Finding just the right gift for parents and parent in-laws can be some of the most difficult Christmas shopping. In many cases, it seems that parents really have everything that they want or need. While it can make things a bit easier if they've provided a Christmas list, when that luxury isn't available, it means that creative measures must be taken in order to come up with what seems like the perfect Christmas gift for mom and dad. Here are a few suggestions that may make shopping less stressful and a bit more fun:

When Lakeisha Holloway plowed her car through crowds of pedestrians on a Las Vegas, Nevada sidewalk, one of the first questions asked by reporters included wanting to know if it was an act of terrorism. While the Sheriff over the investigation has said that he doesn't presently see that as a motive, the Paris and the San Bernardino, California attacks have left people in a great deal of fear about Muslim extremists, ISIS and terror groups.

It seems that someone in Hollywood is always wanting to make a movie out of the life of Jesus. Sometimes it's been done well, sometimes not. Sometimes from Jesus' point of view, sometimes His followers. But the Risen movie that stars Joseph Fiennes will be telling Jesus' story from the viewpoint of an unbelieving Roman soldier.

In what is being touted as one of the biggest displays of Christian humility and unity, Christian leaders who met in Albania are repenting of persecuting one another. Albania is across the Adriatic Sea from Italy, and Greece is to its south. About 41 percent of the people are Christians, with the Muslim religion not very far behind at about 38 percent.

The GOP apparently doesn't like Donald Trump's independent attitude. Trump has threatened more than once to boycott the Republican National Convention debates. It is now threatening to ban Donald Trump from party debates if he does not vow to pledge his allegiance to the GOP of America.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland apparently see trouble brewing for their ministry and every other American Christian ministry and church. The IRS wants Christian churches, ministries and other non-profits to collect the social security numbers of American donors so it can make sure their charitable donations claims are legit come tax season.

Context is everything. And it's amazing how a political debate can be used in some unique ways to frame the views of the candidates. Such was the case during the Republican presidential debate on Tuesday when contender Mike Huckabee was pressed about his views on the IRS monitoring worship messages in Mosques.

Carolyn Walker-Diallo is simply one of several American officials who has chosen to be sworn in on the Koran rather than the Christian Bible. Over the years, there have also been been others who have chosen to not use the Bible when swearing in, or taking their Oath of Office. And some of the choices to swear in even included using something other than a Koran.

White elephant gift exchanges can be both challenging and fun. While it can take a lot of the stress out of Christmas shopping, it can also be difficult to try to buy a gift for someone when you don't know who is going to receive it. It can also seem impersonal to both the shopper and the person receiving the gift. If a family or company is going to make a white elephant gift exchange a part of their Christmas celebration, it can be very helpful for the person or company hosting the white elephant gift exchange to set up a few guidelines for those who choose to participate. Below are a few ideas to consider for having a personalized and successful white elephant gift exchange:

Christmas cards can be one of the most time consuming aspects of Christmas. While a box of cards at least takes the hassle out of trying to pick one out, it can also seem somehow generic. However, box cards can be personalized with a sentence or two about a special event that the family shared together such as trimming the tree, going to a community light display or Christmas concert, a Christmas movie that the family enjoyed together, Christmas vacation activities or some other special excursion. Christmas cards can also be personalized with favorite Bible verses that highlight this special season. Below are a few ideas to consider:

Franklin Graham has joined with several other world leaders in trying to make a point to US Secretary of State John Kerry and the State Department. Graham said, "I join leaders who are urging Secretary of State John Kerry to include Christians in the State Department's classification of genocide in the Middle East. ISIS doesn't want to co-exist with Christians - it wants to eliminate them. This is genocide against Christians, and their lives do matter."