When the World Feels Uncertain, Pray. Air Force veteran Jennifer-Ruth Green is calling on Christians to pray and fast for U.S. leaders and military troops as tensions rise in the Middle East.

Her message is simple: pray for wisdom for those making critical decisions, protection and strength for service members, and peace in the midst of uncertainty.

For Christians, prayer isn't about choosing a political side. It's about remembering that God is still sovereign when the world feels out of control.

The Bible tells us:

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made… for kings and all those in authority.” — 1 Timothy 2:1–2

Maybe this is a moment to spend less time arguing and more time praying.

Sometimes, when we don't know what else to do, we pray. 

Actor Brandon T. Jackson has been having a very interesting conversation about Hollywood—and it’s bigger than just Hollywood.

Jackson has openly talked about his faith, his spiritual journey, and his desire to create entertainment that carries a Kingdom message without feeling fake or disconnected from real life. In a recent interview, he described his creative gift as something God gave him to be “a light,” and he has talked about wanting to create projects that uplift people while still being authentic.

And now Jackson has even shared the idea that “God [is] about to take over the whole industry” while promoting his Kingdom-focused creative work.

That raises an interesting cultural question:

Is the entertainment industry becoming more Christian?

Or are Christians finally becoming more comfortable influencing the entertainment industry?

Maybe the shift isn't about Hollywood suddenly becoming a church.

Maybe it's about Christians realizing that creativity is a form of influence.

Film. Comedy. Music. Television. Social media. Storytelling.

These are all cultural spaces where people wrestle with identity, relationships, morality, purpose and faith.

Jackson's perspective seems to challenge Christians to stop thinking that the only way to represent Christ in entertainment is to make something that feels like a sermon.

What if you can tell a real story, with real people, real struggles and real darkness and still let the light of Christ be present?

That's the conversation worth having.

Because perhaps the question isn't simply, “Is Hollywood becoming Christian?”

Maybe the better question is:

“What happens when Christians stop running from culture and start creating within it?”

Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders just gave the sports world something unexpected to talk about and it's not another touchdown, or a controversial coaching decision, but prayer.

After Colorado defeated Weber State 52–21 on September 12, Sanders opened his postgame press conference with several seconds of what appeared to be speaking in tongues. The moment quickly went viral, and Christians immediately began debating whether what they witnessed was biblical.

But Sanders later explained that it wasn't a performance for the cameras.

He said he had just finished addressing his team strongly and needed to calm himself. “The only way I know how to calm down is to pray in the spirit,” Sanders explained, adding that it was not a gimmick or a planned moment. 

And perhaps that's what makes this moment so interesting.

Whether you agree with Sanders' expression of prayer or have questions about speaking in tongues, there's a bigger cultural conversation happening here:

What happens when Christians refuse to separate their faith from public life?

We often tell Christians to “keep religion out of everything.” But other religions are welcomed to practice their faith.

Sanders didn't appear to be trying to make a theological argument. He simply practiced his faith in a moment when cameras happened to be rolling.

And that raises another question:

Do we only feel comfortable expressing our faith when we're around people who already agree with us?

The Bible says, “For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God” (1 Corinthians 14:2).

Sanders has made it clear that prayer is part of how he processes intense moments. And this time, the world happened to be watching.

Maybe the conversation isn't simply about whether Deion Sanders was right or wrong.

Maybe it's about what it looks like to live out your faith when you know everybody is watching.

Have Christians become so afraid of being called judgmental that we're afraid to have standards?

Because I saw the conversation surrounding Master P saying that he doesn't want to be around people who don't have God in their lives.

And, of course, people had opinions.

Some people understood exactly what he meant.

Others thought it sounded judgmental.

And it got me thinking...

MASTER P MAY HAVE TOUCHED A NERVE

Let's be clear.

Master P's statement isn't necessarily about saying that people who don't believe in God are bad people.

I think there's a deeper issue here.

Who are you allowing to influence your life?

Who are you allowing to speak into your decisions?

Who are you allowing into your inner circle?

Who are you trusting?

Who are you building relationships with?

Because those things matter.

And here's where I think Christians sometimes miss the bigger picture.

DIFFERENT MORAL FRAMEWORKS CAN CREATE REAL CONFUSION

People who don't have a relationship with God can absolutely have morals.

Let's not be ridiculous.

There are good, kind, generous, ethical people who aren't Christians.

But here's the issue:

They may not be operating from the same moral framework that you are.

And that can become confusing when you're trying to build a close relationship with someone.

Because something that they perceive as completely normal...

you may recognize as wrong.

Something they consider acceptable... may violate your convictions.

Something they think is simply being smart, protecting themselves, or getting ahead...

you may see as dishonest.

And sometimes the difference doesn't become obvious until someone gets hurt.

SOMETIMES WHAT THEY CALL “NORMAL” CAN HURT YOU

Let's make this real.

Imagine you're dealing with someone who doesn't see loyalty the same way you do.

They might think:

"I did what was best for me."

You might think:

“You betrayed me.”

They might think:

"Everybody does this."

You're thinking:

“But that's not who I am.”

And neither person may even understand why the other person is so upset.

Because you're operating from different standards.

And that's why the Bible tells us to be careful about who we allow to influence us.

YOU CAN BE INFLUENCED WITHOUT REALIZING IT

And here's the part I really want Christians to think about.

You don't always realize you're being influenced.

That's what makes influence so powerful.

Nobody has to sit you down and say:

"I'm going to change your values."

It happens gradually.

You spend enough time around someone.

You start hearing the same conversations.

You start accepting things that used to bother you.

You start saying:

"Well, maybe it's not that bad."

Then:

"Everybody does it."

Then:

"I don't see anything wrong with it."

And eventually...

you're doing something you once said you would never do.

Not because somebody forced you.

But because you became comfortable with something that once conflicted with your convictions.

AND THIS IS WHY “BEING IN THE WORLD BUT NOT OF IT” MATTERS

Jesus never told us to hide from the world.

In fact, Christians are supposed to engage the world.

We're supposed to love people.

Serve people.

Work with people.

Build relationships.

Share the Gospel.

Be a light.

But there is a difference between being around something and becoming shaped by it.

Jesus prayed for His followers to remain in the world while not being of the world.

And I think that's an important distinction.

We're called to be present without becoming spiritually assimilated.

You can love somebody without adopting their values.

You can work with somebody without allowing them to define your convictions.

But you usually can't be friends with somebody without them influencing your moral compass.

We see this in the bible where they weren't allowed to marry into certain cultures.

And you can care about someone deeply while saying, “You don't have the authority to speak into every area of my life.”

SO ARE CHRISTIANS TOO AFRAID OF BEING CALLED JUDGMENTAL

Maybe.

And I think social media has made this even more complicated.

Christians are constantly being told:

"Don't judge."

"Don't be negative."

"Let people live."

"Who are you to say what's right or wrong?"

While at the same time being judged themselves.

And sometimes Christians become so afraid of being labeled judgmental that they stop exercising their faith or having discernment altogether.

But Christianity requires us to make distinctions.

Good and evil.

Truth and biblical deception.

Wisdom and foolishness.

Healthy relationships and unhealthy relationships.

Godly influence and ungodly influence.

That's not hatred. That's apart of your faith.

AND MAYBE WE NEED TO STOP APOLOGIZING FOR OUR FAITH

Here's where I land.

I'm not interested in a Christianity that hates people.

But I'm also not interested in a Christianity that's so desperate to be accepted that it becomes afraid to stand for anything.

I don't have to hate you to disagree with you.

I don't have to condemn you to establish boundaries based upon my faith.

I don't have to think I'm better than you to say:

“That's not the life I'm choosing. I live occurring to my faith”

Or

"That's my faith"

And I don't have to apologize because I want people around me who encourage me in my relationship with God.

Because here's the truth:

Everybody is influencing somebody.

The question isn't whether you're being influenced.

The question is:

“Who is influencing you—and where are they influencing you to go?”

So I want to hear from the culture.

Was Master P being judgmental?

Or was he simply establishing a boundary around the kind of influence he wants in his life?

And here's an even bigger question:

Can Christians maintain relationships with people who don't share their faith without allowing those relationships to compromise their convictions?

Let's talk about it.

Faith. Culture. Conversation.

And we're putting it on the desk.

When church drama gets too expensive... Archbishop E. Bernard Jordan has filed a federal lawsuit against media personality Larry Reid, unknown pastor Justin D. Edwards and pastor Calvin Blake Sr., along with several other defendants.

And baby, this isn't just a little “church folks talking after service” situation.  Archbishop E. Bernard Jordan is seeking at least $80 million in damages.

According to the lawsuit, Archbishop Jordan alleges that the defendants secretly recorded private telephone conversations without his consent and later used those recordings and other statements to promote what he says were defamatory narratives about him. 

He claims the fallout caused serious emotional and financial damage including an alleged 60% decline in his church membership.

We're talking federal court, alleged secret recordings, defamation claims, wiretap allegations, RICO claims, and emotional-distress allegations.

There's a $10 million demand attached to each of the eight claims in the complaint. Now that's how you turn church tea into a multimillion-dollar legal bill.

But here's where the plot thickens.

Archbishop Jordan originally filed the case in federal court in New York. A federal judge said New York was not the proper venue because none of the defendants' alleged acts occurred there. The court specifically noted that the phone calls at issue were allegedly recorded while Jordan was in New Jersey and that the participants were located outside New York. The case was therefore transferred to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Larry Reid has pushed back on the allegations, denies recording a call, and says he wouldn't do that to someone he loves.

So now we wait....