Typical Fourth of July shows last about 20 minutes, but this year’s celebration will go twice as long. Civic displays throughout the U.S. may also stretch longer, honoring America’s 250th year of independence.

Marty Johnson of Warriors Set Free says, for some veterans, “If there’s an event like what we’re talking about, that is going to be twice the amount of sound and twice the amount of everything, that could very well trigger somebody right back.”

Not all veterans struggle, but fireworks usually pose a challenge to combat vets.

“It’s the reminder of combat itself: the lights, the noise. It would cause somebody to react as if they were in combat, whether that be anger, physical violence, withdrawing; they just are not in control,” Johnson says.

“I didn’t have combat [in my military service], but there are some aspects of our flag and our ceremonies, and sometimes Fourth of July, that trigger me in a way – it’s an unsettling feeling.”

Finding freedom

Warriors Set Free helps veterans and first responders heal from the trauma incurred in the line of duty. Learn more here.

As a veteran, Johnson can recommend the ministry firsthand. “For the better part of 38 years after I got out of the Marine Corps, I spiraled out of control,” he says.

Are you a military, veteran, or first responder struggling with your faith, identity, or feelings of loss? When you’re ready to talk, we’re here to listen.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Warriors Set Free)

Johnson gave his rage and trauma to Jesus during a freedom appointment with Warriors Set Free. “I laid it all at His feet, and He has blessed me with the restoration of relationships with my wife, my children,” he says.

“People don’t recognize the old Marty because that guy is gone. They see Christ in me.”

Today, Johnson helps other veterans find the same freedom in Christ that he has experienced.

“It’s beautiful to watch Christ work when I can sit across from a guy and tell him, ‘There’s nothing you can say that is going to surprise me, or make me have judgment on you, because I’ve either been there, done it, or I’ve heard it,’” Johnson says.

Connect with Warriors Set Free here if you or someone you love needs the healing only Christ can offer.

Most importantly, pray for vulnerable veterans. Pray for “a hedge of protection around the mind, knowing that they’re not there [in combat] in that moment, and just a sense of peace,” Johnson requests.

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Roven Images/Unsplash.

George Barna in the Christian Index says, “The [Charlie] Kirk assassination created a moment of spiritual openness. In the eight months surrounding Charlie Kirk’s death, weekly church attendance ticked up and the number of Gen Z adults who ‘never’ read the Bible declined. These are real, if modest, signs of movement.”

(Photo courtesy of Hutchcraft Ministries)

While the spiritual outlook of the next generation in America remains polarizing, Doug Hutchcraft with Hutchcraft Ministries is not surprised that Gen Z is interested in God. He identifies growing up during the aftermath of the 2008 housing crisis, the rise of the smartphone, and the COVID-19 pandemic as factors for their desire. 

“If you look sociologically at Gen Z, there is lots of disappointment, lots of loneliness,” he says. “They have the highest rates of anxiety of any generation in some time. So it’s not surprising to hear they’re hungry for something spiritual.” 

Entering the conversation is Christian Nationalism, a hotly debated ideology that says America is inherently Christian and the government should reflect that. Pew Research shows that 15 percent more people recognize the term than just two years ago. 

Hutchcraft warns against confusing love of country with the message of the Gospel. “We can love Jesus and also love our country, but they aren’t the same thing,” he says.

“If nationalism means I have to belong to a political party if I want to come to the cross of Jesus, we’ve just added something to the beautiful simplicity of the gospel.”

Photo courtesy of Adrianna Geo on Unsplash

Hutchcraft uses the example of the Apostle Paul to show how to balance loving your country and loving God. 

“There are several times where he’s proud of being a Roman citizen. Rome did some awful things, but there were times he says, ‘Hey, I’m a Roman citizen. I’m proud of this,’” Hutchcraft says.

“But we have to be careful to not suggest that somehow something political can satisfy the longing people have for the spiritual.” 

Visit Hutchcraft.com for free resources on how to live out your faith and share the Gospel. Be praying that the next generation of Americans will help start a nationwide revival. Pray that Gen Z would lean on the Gospel, and that through their faith, they would change the country and the world. 

Header photo courtesy of Andrew Ruiz on Unsplash.

For example, you might have a chronic headache, but the main issue could be a brain tumor. To fix the presenting problem of headaches, you must first address the main issue of the tumor.

Set Free’s Dean Vander Mey says the same principle applies to spiritual freedom ministry.

“Anxiety, dissatisfaction in relationships, fear – those are the presenting issues. Well, what’s the core issue?” Vander Mey says.

“Take anxiety [for example.] Anxiety is the sin of being in control instead of letting God be in control. It’s having fear of the unknown instead of trusting God, who knows everything.”

The main issue often results from what you’re allowing into your mind. “Our minds are conditioned by the world around us instead of the Kingdom of God and His truth,” Vander Mey explains.

During freedom appointments, believers trained by Set Free help people address spiritual main issues using God’s Word. Learn more about that here.

“We help people from all over the world, actually,” Vander Mey says. “We have Zoom calls, and we’ll spend a day taking them through a freedom appointment. We are also encouraging churches to be trained.”

Scripture offers a remedy for every malady known to man. Romans 12:2 urges believers to be renewed by transforming their minds. “Meditating on His truth [will have] an effect on our minds,” Vander Mey says.

(Graphic courtesy Set Free Ministries)

“If we don’t take the time to meditate on God’s Word, there’s going to be fear and anxiety instead of love, joy, and peace in our relationship with our Heavenly Father.”

Consider joining Set Free’s prayer team here.

“We love intercessory prayer. We need it,” Vander Mey says. “We have, I think, 150 people on our prayer team right now, but we need more because we’re doing so much more globally now and nationally.”

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Nappy/Unsplash.

At the same time, Edwin Abnous with Heart4Iran says reports about Iran’s political leadership are conflicting.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (Photo courtesy of Khamenei.ir, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=150832367)

“Iran International reported that Iranian President Pezeshkian has sent his resignation to Mojtaba Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, but there is no way to verify this.

“It seems like there is an anonymous source sharing this information with Iran International, and we do not know who this source is. After that, a few Western media outlets also picked it up and repeated it, but as of now, no one has been able to independently verify it.”

Yet, there is one encouraging development.

“It seems like the internet is back on again,” says Abnous. “However, there is also severe restrictions for Iranian users. They need to use VPN to get into the outside world, but WhatsApp and Telegram and social media platform connections and messaging systems are picking up again, and we’re receiving some contacts, and that is good news.”

Restored internet communication, even to some extent, means more than exchanging messages. It means believers can better share Gospel hope with Iranians.

(Photo courtesy of Heart4Iran)

Abnous explains, “It is very important for the ministry like Heart4Iran to be able to have this two-way communication and connection with the people inside the country, because that is where discipleship is happening.”

For believers watching events unfold, Abnous encourages keeping sight of the people behind the headlines. While governments negotiate, exchange threats, and trade accusations, millions of Iranians continue searching for hope, truth, and lasting peace.

Pray for stability in the region, protection for civilians caught in conflict, and open doors for Gospel ministry. Ask God to strengthen Iranian believers and draw many people to Himself through the ongoing outreach and discipleship efforts taking place despite restrictions.

Learn more about Heart4Iran and its ministry to people in Iran at heart4iran.com.

Header photo: Tehran, Iran (Photo courtesy of Mohammad Amirahmadi/Unsplash)

 “A lot of these young people are coming from a place where the churches are small. There are not many people who are taking a stand for Jesus, which is understandable, given the history,” says Brad Hutchcraft of Hutchcraft Ministries. “You look at missions history, there’s just a lot that was done in the name of Jesus that wasn’t Jesus—whether it’s pulling them to boarding schools and saying ‘you’re going to speak our language, you’re going to cut your hair,’ trying to take the Native out of them. All of a sudden they were left wondering, man, is that what God is like? Is that what Jesus is like?

“These young people are discovering that that’s not who Jesus is. That was people doing things, it wasn’t Jesus doing those things. So, they’re able to understand that Jesus is someone who loves them; that he was a tribal man; that he was a Mediterranean Jew; that he looked a lot more like them than they may think; that he wasn’t just a white guy. They realize, man, I can connect with this real version of Jesus, and they get to come together with what we expect will be between five and 600 Native young people from across North America up into Canada.”

Photo from oneagleswings.com.

On top of biblical teaching and worship experiences, the event includes sports tournaments, swimming, inflatables on the lake, mini golf, archery, canoes, obstacle courses, and more.

“We do a high-quality conference for them. We don’t want to cut corners, because we want them to feel like they’re getting the best, not just the leftovers,” says Hutchcraft. “This is an important conference for them, because they are coming from some tough situations. They’re facing the same pressures that young people are facing around the world, but they’re amplified in the communities they’re from—a lot of remote communities, where they are facing the highest levels of suicide, abuse, and violent crime.”

This year’s summit theme is “Made for More,” reminding attendees God has more for them than the challenges they’re facing in their daily lives.

“We want them to know that God has created them for more, that He has a plan for them, that He has something that He wants them to accomplish in life,” says Hutchcraft. “When Native young people realize that their identity is in Christ—when they have this relationship with Jesus and they realize He is the one that gets to define who they are, not the world around them–it changes everything for these young people.”

For additional information, indigenous young adults can learn more and register at oneagleswings.com/warrior-leadership-summit.

“They will leave Warrior Leadership Summit saying, ‘I realized I’m not alone, I’m not alone where I live in standing for Jesus, because I have all these other Native brothers and sisters in Christ who are standing with me.’”

How you can support WLS:

• Pray for the attendees as they seek, choose, and follow Jesus.
• Learn more and partner financially at hopefornativeamerica.com.
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“I see all these statistics for Christian camps, and I know that they take a lot of money to operate,” notes Hutchcraft. “We just can’t charge these Native young people much for the week, because we know where they’re coming from. We know the financial challenges they’re facing. We count on those whom God leads to partner with us financially, so that we can keep those costs low for them.”

Header photo from oneagleswings.com

Who will blink first?

Lana Silk with Transform Iran says, “What we have here is an American side who wants to believe Iran is weakened enough militarily and economically to be more amenable to concessions, and an Iranian side who wants to believe they have enough leverage through their control of the Strait of Hormuz and the US resistance to full-scale war to come out of this with their pride and their objectives intact. But it’s a risky game on both sides.”

Tehran, Iran (Photo courtesy of Khashayar Kouchpeydeh/Unsplash)

Even with negotiations underway, the threat of escalation is still present.

“I believe the critical components of what the US wants from Iran – so stopping sponsoring regional militia, stopping enriching or stockpiling uranium – Iran will never be willing to give. Though it’s also quite possible Iran will say what she has to say in order to get what she wants.”

Silk explains, “We’re also dealing with a Middle Eastern culture here. Preserving honor is extremely important. It would be unthinkable for Iran’s leadership to surrender after such heavy losses internally without something to show for it.”

For Iranian Christians and others living under the ayatollah’s rule, the future feels deeply uncertain.

“From the perspective of the people of Iran and the Church in Iran, without regime change, none of this matters. And if Iran is left with this regime intact, albeit weakened, then we can expect much greater control and oppression internally in the years to come.”

Still, the Church presses on.

(Photo courtesy of Zahra Amiri/Unsplash)

“We keep doing what we have always done,” Silk says. “We pray in faith, we pray with authority, we pray for our leaders on all sides, and we remember that God is not surprised by any of this. He still has good plans for Iran and all the nations caught up in this. So we just do what we do. We share the Gospel courageously and uncompromisingly, [and] we disciple the many who are turning to Jesus.”

Pray for protection and boldness for Iranian believers as tensions continue. Ask God to use uncertainty in the region to draw many Iranians to Christ.

Learn more about Transform Iran at the ministry’s website.

Header image generated with AI.

“This is a season when people are out, they’re about, they’re not maybe as wound up in details of life as at other times of year, and so they’re open to receiving the word,” says Williams. “It’s just a matter of being out there.”

World Missionary Press, an interdenominational faith ministry, produces a variety of free booklets, many of which are evangelism-based, including coloring books with scripture, their new “Power of Hope” booklet, their “Path to Life” foldout, as well as Bible studies. These booklets are great for passing out at parades, children’s clubs, cultural fairs, and other summer events. They also offer booklets in several different languages, for those going on overseas events. Williams notes they have a partner who passes out booklets by the subways in New York, and another who does so outside of the Kentucky Derby.

“It’s just having your eyes and your heart opened—the Lord’s going to bring the opportunities.” 

To order booklets, go to wmpress.org/order.

Williams also asks Christians to be praying for World Missionary Press—that God would remove obstacles keeping them from shipping ready materials to other countries, and that He would send the ministry partners to help keep up with increasing shipping costs. While the ministry’s booklets are in high demand during the summer, donations also tend to slow during this season, while shipping costs continue to increase. To learn more about partnering with World Missionary Press, go to wmpress.org.

Header photo courtesy of World Missionary Press.

Brandon Bower of The Lighthouse says serving people in recovery can be incredibly difficult, but it is what God calls believers to do.

Bower recalls a young man named Chris who battled multiple addictions: “Chris actually stole money from us, and the process of forgiving him for stealing that money rocked his world and Chris is now hungry for God’s word.”

Representative photo: praying over a man (photo courtesy of
Jon Tyson via Unsplash)

Later, Bower walked into a room and found Chris reading his Bible. “He looked up, smiled, and said, ‘This is so amazing — what God’s done for me,’” Bower says.

Though Chris still faces the challenges of recovery, Bower says the transformation following that incident was remarkable and points to a bigger truth: “All believers have a responsibility to care for the broken,” just as Christ cared for them in their brokenness.

Another example is Matt, a man whose poor hygiene made him unwelcome in local churches. After repeated rejection, he eventually came to The Lighthouse.

“Some of the first things we talked about were that big guys have to shower, and you have to shower well,” Bower says.

The team lovingly taught Matt how to care for himself. By looking past outward appearance, they saw the value of his soul and encouraged him in recovery. Bower says showing Christ’s love is often practical — helping people relearn hygiene, daily habits, and emotional control.

At the heart of it all, Bower says, “If we’re not loving others well, we’re not representing Christ well.”

But what if loving someone feels difficult? He says acts of love can be simple:

“Sit down with coffee. Read a book together. Buy them donuts and just show them you love them.”

Pray believers would faithfully show Christ’s love to broken people in their communities, even when it feels uncomfortable or difficult. Pray also for The Lighthouse team as they engage in spiritual battles for each person they serve.

Visit The Lighthouse to learn more about how they walk alongside people on the journey to recovery.

Header representative photo: group of friends (photo courtesy of Thomas Benedetti via Pexels).

Those working in recovery settings consistently observe a pattern. Brandon Bower of The Lighthouse Recovery Center says many men battling addiction lack an active father figure in their lives.

“Majority of men who are struggling with substance abuse do not have fathers, and or if they do have fathers, their fathers are distant and not active in their lives,” says Bower.

Man sitting (photo courtesy of Fagner Silva via Pexels)

Many of the men in recovery carry deep wounds from childhood. Bower says many experienced childhood sexual abuse and, without parental protection, turned to substances to numb the pain.

Recovery: physical, emotional, and spiritual

Recovery in this context goes beyond physical sobriety. Men are not only working through detox and rehabilitation, but also rebuilding their understanding of God as Father.

The ministry holds about 16 support groups each week, including one that specifically focuses on the father wound, the mother wound, and learning how to be a godly man.

Bower notes the emotional intensity many men face in the process: “There are times where guys get so angry in those groups, because there’s so much pent up anger and angst towards their family.”

Recovery of God’s image starts with an introduction to His love: “It starts with the Gospel. God loved you so much that He sent His Son to die for you,” says Bower, adding that sometimes it takes weeks or months until people fully understand the message.

Representative photo of a man praying (photo courtesy of RDNE Stock project via Pexels)

One 52-year-old man had gone through multiple rehab programs. At The Lighthouse, he finally confronted childhood sexual abuse his father failed to protect him from. That moment of confession released years of bottled-up anger — and brought hope.

Bower quotes him saying, “I’ve been to 20 other programs, and no one has addressed my sexual abuse as a child. Maybe that’s what I need to stop drinking.”

Bower explains that no other program was addressing the root causes and that they were only trying to deal with the addiction itself.

A call for churches to fill the gaps

Healing also includes practical restoration, as the ministry team teaches men everyday life skills.

“There are days,” says Bower, “where I’m in the bathroom showing a 21-year-old man how to shave, because no one has ever shown him how to shave.”

They also teach men how to manage finances, dress, and function in society — gaps often left by absent fathers. Bower says this is where the Church is called to step in, caring for the fatherless as Scripture commands and filling those gaps with love and practical skills.

Visit The Lighthouse to learn more and support their work helping men rebuild their lives in God’s fatherly love.

Header photo: Help sign (Photo courtesy of RDNE Stock project via Pexels).

Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, making it one of the most critical chokepoints for global energy. Even the threat of disruption can send ripple effects worldwide — including ministry operations.

Strait of Hormuz (By MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC – Image by Goddard Space Flight Center of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under Photo ID: 2018-12-10., Public Domain)

Stan Unruh, Vice President of Aviation for Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), says, “MAF’s vision is to reach isolated people. So it makes sense, of course, that our aircraft and crews are positioned in remote regions…to reach isolated people. That means that, by default, we’re exposed to fragile supply lines for our fuel products.”

Those vulnerabilities are now being tested. For example, Unruh explains, “Africa gets 80% of their crude and refined products through the Strait of Hormuz, so we’re quite concerned about the potential supply disruptions because of the conflict there.”

While fuel supply isn’t suffering yet, the price tag for jet fuel is already up and MAF is feeling it.

In East Congo, MAF has a team based in Bunia where they use aircraft to support humanitarian and missionary efforts.

(Photo courtesy of MAF Guinea)

Unruh says, “At the end of the day, supply disruptions and cost increases have an impact on Gospel ministries that we’re supporting. So it’ll have a direct impact on [Bible] translation work, on famine relief work, some conflict mitigation that our teams are involved with there in East Africa, and medical work.”

Despite the uncertainty, Unruh encourages believers to remain prayerful.

“My prayer would be that the effects of this crisis in the Middle East…is mitigated, and that we come to a peaceful conclusion soon,” Unruh asks. “But also, [pray] that the long-term effects of that are mitigated for the people that we serve.”

Pray for MAF’s Gospel work to continue without interruption, and for stability in a region whose impact reaches far beyond its borders.

Learn more about MAF’s ministry work and ways to come alongside at maf.org.

Header photo courtesy of MAF.