"Is The EU About To Disintegrate?"

The European Union may be in the throes of unravelling, warns Mario Monti, former Italian Prime Minister and European commissioner.

In an interview with POLITICO  last week, Monti said,"The EU is going through a crisis which leads me and others for the first time to consider whether we are not heading towards disintegration."

Monti blames the EU leadership "for the lack of adequate and timely responses to the present constellation of crises" such as:

• the rise of terrorism
• the massive migration problem
• the bloc's persistent economic malaise (haven't we heard this song before?)

"The EU has never been hit by such a high number of different crises of this gravity," Monti continued, and he is clear on where the fault lies: The European Council (aka "establishment elites").

Monti contends the Council's rise to power has been coupled with an unprecedented mistrust between North and South, East and West. The idea of an "ever-closer Union" is being attacked on all fronts.

Citing the "degradation" of national politics due to:

• a declining trust in national authorities
• a declining participation in votes
• and a growing impatience with the lack of performance by national governments, Monti fears an "irreversible process" leading to the loss of democracy.

Looks like Mr. Monti is on to something--the same scenario is being played out in the United States.

It seems the "establishment elites" have worn out their welcome and the people across the EU and U.S. aren't going to take it anymore.

A wise man once said: "While Europeans are accustomed to being ruled by presumed betters whom they distrust, the American people's realization of being ruled like Europeans shocked this country into well nigh revolutionary attitudes." -- Angelo M. Codevilla, Perils of Revolution

"And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You."  Psalm 9:10

News:

• Reuters: Obama expects U.S. to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees this year.
• WND: Nearly 1 Million Boycott Target Over Transgender Bathrooms
• MSN: Draft may soon include women; House Armed Services Committee approved measure requiring women to register for military draft.

"The Lost Generation"

According to a recent Religious Landscape Study , millennials (those born between 1981-1996) are much less likely than older Americans to:

• pray
• attend church
• or consider religion an important part of their lives.

Why? In short, (according to the study), their Baby Boomer parents.

Michael Hout, a professor of sociology at NYU, has spent years studying generational and religious changes in the United States.

Hout contends Baby Boomer parenting-styles were at odds with organizations, like churches, that have a long tradition of official teaching and obedience, having rejected the idea that a "good kid is an obedient kid."

In other words, Boomers raised their children to "find their own moral compass", and as a result, says Hout, their kids are more likely to have a "do-it-yourself" attitude toward religion.

According to what may be the largest study ever conducted on changes in American's religious involvement, researchers led by San Diego State University found that millennials are the least religious generation  of the last six decades, and possibly in the nation's history.

How long does it take to lose a culture, from a Christian perspective? Only one generation.

A wise man once said: "Over and over again in Scripture, God instructs His people to make sure they train up the next generation. After Joshua and all the first generation of parents who entered the Promised Land died, the next generation served false gods! It only took one generation to lose the spiritual legacy that should have been passed on. What happened?" -- Ken Ham, Answers in Genesis

"But when the Son of Man returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith?" -Luke 18:8

News:

• Fox 11: High school opens the first gender-neutral, 15-stall bathroom in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
• TMZ: Reports Prince was treated for drug O.D. just days before his unexpected death on Thursday; autopsy pending.
• U.S.News: Bible most objected book at public schools and libraries nationwide; Quran gets fewer complaints.
• The Political Insider.com: Target announces store restrooms and dressing rooms now "trans-gender"

"Are Muslims Having Dreams & Visions of Jesus?"

Apparently there's a strange phenomenon taking place across the Middle East: Dreams and visions of Jesus.

Reports from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, Syria and the West Bank have a similar message," claims Tom Doyle, E3 Partners Ministry Director for the Middle East and Central Asia. "You're on the wrong path; you're on the wrong road. Leave this place and follow Me," is an example of what Jesus is saying.

"It's true," says Doyle. "Muslims are coming to Christianity through dreams and visions. Great things are happening in the Muslim world. It's all very unexpected. Of course no one is going to bed a Muslim and waking up a Christian, but often times the dream is the first step in their faith journey."

Former radicalized Muslim and current Christian minister, Walid Shoebat, wasn't convinced.

"I had first doubted the countless stories of Muslims becoming Christians as a result of dreams until I met some of them and heard their testimonies."

"My conclusion to this phenomenon is that Christ succeeds where the church fails."

Shoebat believes the Western church is missing a great opportunity to win Muslims to Christianity because sharing with them isn't "on the radar."

"Tourists and Christian pilgrims rarely would witness to us when they visited the Holy Land out of fear and respect to Islam," Shoebat said.

So is this phenomenon on the up and up?

"In the last days, God says,'I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.'" Acts 2:17

 Maybe God decided it was time to take matters into His own hands.

A wise man once said: "We are so often blind to the people--both to their spiritual needs and to their readiness and openness to Jesus. We see their lifestyle and forget that God is able to work powerfully in them when the time is right. This is a lesson about taking the blinders off, to develop new eyes to see the harvest." -- Dr. Ralph I. Wilson, Jesus Walk Ministry

News:

• Express: Four Major Earthquakes Strike S.Asia & The Pacific Within 48 Hours. Seismologists fear mega-quakes could follow.
• DEBKAfile: Russian warplanes buzzed dangerously close  to American guided missile destroyer 12 times despite warnings to stop in Baltic Sea.
• WSJ: U.S. Stationing Warplanes In Philippines As Part Of So.China Sea Buildup; Move comes amid growing tensions with China.

"Cloned Meat: Some Kind Of Gag?"

Agricultural biotechnology is China's answer to "Where's the beef?" as farmers lose the battle to provide enough meat for the growing Chinese middle class.

The world's biggest animal cloning factory, located in the port city of Tianjin, will open this year.

In order to meet the market demand for beef, the center will begin by cranking out 100,000 cattle embryos a year, eventually increasing that to one million, along with other livestock.

The  $31 million facility is a joint-venture between Chinese biotechnology firm Boyalife and Sooam Biotech, a South Korean research company.

Social media is gagging over the idea of eating cloned meat, especially from a country known for its food-safety scandals.

"Is this meat going to be sold in South Korea or China?" asked one commenter. "If in China, please make sure the leaders eat it first."

Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has ruled that food from cloned animals is safe to eat, the European Parliament banned the practice, citing animal welfare concerns.

Scientists in China have been cloning animals since 2000, but until now it has been limited to scientific research.

While agricultural biotechnology could remedy the world's food security issues, it could also prove to be a multi-million dollar commercial flop.

It all depends on how the public reacts to eating meat "cooked-up" by scientists.

A wise man once said: "The world food production system today faces critical constraints. Not just one or two, but a whole constellation of them." --Julian Cribb, Science Alert

"For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" -- Romans 14:17.

News:

• Reuters: S.Carolina tries to block transgender access to bathrooms that don't match their birth sex.
• FNC: ISIS kidnaps more than 300 workers outside of Damascus.
• The Times of Israel: Iran announces plan to produce explosives used in missile warheads.