Tag Archives: 4th of July

The 4th of July just got better! Mike and Cindy Jacobs returning to Morningside!

Cindy and Mike Jacobs

By Kami Klein

The 4th of July Celebrations are coming together here at Morningside but the highlight is the return of our special guests Mike and Cindy Jacobs!  This prophetic duo will grace the stage of The Jim Bakker Show on Wednesday, July 4th at 11am on Grace Street!

Cindy Jacobs is a respected prophet who travels the world ministering not only to crowds of people, but to heads of nations. Perhaps her greatest ministry is to world influencers who seek her prophetic advice. Mike Jacobs is Co-founder of Generals International with his wife, Cindy. Generals International is a prayer-based organization that exists for the purpose of changing lives and transforming nations. Mike and Cindy are passionate about the message that God cares about every individual, He cares about every nation, and He still speaks to us today.

In a recent, article in Charisma Magazine, Cindy Jacobs shared a word of encouragement.   

“I see some of you are in this season where you look around, and you feel like so many things have been robbed from you. And there has been a robbing spirit”—that’s what I hear the name is, a ‘robbing spirit’—”to come and take your blessing. And some of you are even in such a desperate state that you are like David was when he came home and all his family was gone, the possessions. And you are in such a terrible state that you do not know what to do.”

But I would say to you, “As you read My Word, encourage yourself in Me,” says the Lord. “The hopelessness that you feel will go away. Do not be disappointed and feel like everything is over, for you have a choice to make,” says the Lord. “You can choose whether to believe My Word, that all things work together for good, or you can say, ‘My life is over.'” But the Lord says, “If you say what the enemy says—’Your life is over; you will never have restoration; this can never be fixed’ —then you will have agreed with what the enemy is saying about your situation. And the Lord says, “Don’t you know, just one great blessing can knock out everything the enemy has done?

We pray for you a great blessing in your lives!

Morningside always celebrates the birth of our nation with the best guests and time for family. We always share an amazing time of worship, prophecy and loving one another!  Don’t miss Cindy and Mike Jacobs!

Please stay tuned for more updates!  We hope to see you there!

More than 100 shot in Chicago during long Fourth of July weekend

FILE PHOTO: Some of the guns seized over the last week are seen on display at the Chicago Police Department in Chicago, Illinois, United States, August 31, 2015. REUTERS/Jim Young/File Photo

By Chris Kenning

CHICAGO (Reuters) – A total of 101 people were shot in Chicago over an unusually violent Fourth of July weekend, leaving at least 14 dead, according to police and local media, as the city continues to grapple with gun crime.

Police officials counted 71 shooting incidents and 14 murders between 6 p.m. CDT on Friday and early Wednesday, according to data provided by police spokesman Frank Giancamilli on Wednesday.

The Chicago Tribune newspaper tallied the total number of victims shot in those incidents at 101 between Friday afternoon and early Wednesday. Police could not immediately provide the number of victims shot.

Gangs were a major source of the violence, Chicago Police First Deputy Superintendent Kevin Navarro said at a news conference on Wednesday.

Chicago police deployed 1,300 additional officers to patrol during the Fourth of July weekend, and had arrested 58 people on drug and gun charges ahead of the holiday in hopes of tamping down violence.

The number of shootings, which police said surged during a six-hour period on Monday night, was higher than in 2013, the last time the Fourth of July weekend spanned four days, when 74 people were shot, according to the Tribune.

The weekend brought the total number of people shot in Chicago this year above 1,800, below the 2,035 recorded at this time last year when violence spiked sharply, the Tribune reported.

The violence came less than a week after President Donald Trump tweeted that gun crime in Chicago had reached “epidemic proportions” and that he would be “sending in Federal help.”

Attorney General Jeff Sessions later clarified that federal assistance for the city of 2.7 million will come in the form of the Chicago Crime Gun Strike Force, a collaboration between the police and the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Chicago’s ongoing struggles with violence come amid an effort to reform its police department after a federal investigation found officers routinely violated citizens’ civil rights and used excessive force and racially discriminatory conduct.

The Rev. Michael Pfleger, an activist who heads a large African-American Catholic church in Chicago, said in an interview on Wednesday that more needs to be done to address underlying causes of violence such as unemployment, foreclosures, poverty and neighborhood blight.

“And people ask why I am flying the American flag upside down,” he wrote on Facebook. “We are safer in Iraq.”

(Reporting by Chris Kenning; Editing by Patrick Enright and Lisa Shumaker)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! The Celebration continues at Morningside! Join us Live!!

American Flag - VOTE

By Kami Klein

Today is the Birthday of the United States of America, a country founded on a firm faith in God.  This is a nation born for freedom!  We have been through war and strife, times that would test anywhere in the world, but with our God nothing is impossible! His continuing hand of blessing upon this country can and will give us strength.  Morningside is celebrating and giving thanks all week long for our 4th of July events!  

On Tuesday afternoon please join us live as we picnic on Grace street where we will be listening to the wonderful  Lindley Creek Bluegrass Band at approximately 3:00 pm, CST.  Later, beginning at 7:00 CST, the evening festivities begin with worship led by the talented James Huey, followed by a very special service with Cindy and Mike Jacobs.  A spectacular fireworks display will begin at 9 pm CST   with all of the Morningside family!  If you are in the neighborhood, we would LOVE to have you there with us!

All of this will be Live on Demand on The Jim Bakker Show website, PTL Television Network website, Roku and Apple TV!  Be sure to check our schedule for more inspirational and educational events for the remainder of this week ending on Saturday night, July, 8th!  

God Bless you on this 4th of July Holiday!  We hope you are spending it with your loved ones.  Please join us as we continue to pray for this amazing nation and for the leadership of this country!  

 

We love you!

 

Trump praises veterans, hits media at Kennedy Center event

U.S. President Donald Trump waves at the Celebrate Freedom Rally in Washington, U.S. July 1, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

By Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump honored military veterans in Washington on Saturday at a Kennedy Center event that resembled both a political rally and an evangelical Christian religious service ahead of the July 4 Independence Day holiday.

Using the podium again to lash out at the news media, Trump worked to energize evangelicals in his political base, noting that the U.S. currency was inscribed with the words: “In God We Trust.”

“Since the signing of the Declaration of Independence 241 years ago, America always affirmed that liberty comes from our creator. Our rights are given to us by God, and no earthly force can ever take those rights away,” he said.

Attendees at the event for veterans waved miniature American flags from their seats in the theater and raised their hands as a sign of praise while a large choir sang ahead of Trump’s remarks.

The president praised veterans from each of the U.S. military branches and highlighted his administration’s work to reform veterans’ services.

Trump, who is spending a long weekend at his property in Bedminster, New Jersey, flew back to Washington for the rally but did not spend the night at the White House, preferring to return to Bedminster.

Later, in a rare late-night post on Twitter, which he uses prolifically and sometimes controversially, Trump wrote:

“We will always take care of our GREAT VETERANS. You have shed your blood, poured your love, and bared your soul, in defense of our country.”

Trump has held campaign-like rallies regularly during his first few months in the White House and kicked off his own re-election campaign far earlier than other incumbents in recent history.

Part of his strategy to connect with his supporters has included criticizing the media, and he included harsh words for the press again in his remarks.

“The fake media is trying to silence us, but we will not let them,” he said. “The fake media tried to stop us from going to the White House. But I’m president, and they’re not.”

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

4th of July Celebration At Morningside!

By Kami Klein

Morningside is ready to light up the skies and celebrate the birth of our country with an entire week of events beginning on Saturday, July 1st until Saturday, July 8th!  With fascinating and informational Preparedness and Survival seminars, fantastic guest speakers, a partner’s picnic on the 4th, a spectacular fireworks display, joyful worship, and so much more, this week promises to be something wonderful for all ages!  

Please join us as we welcome John Shorey, who will be teaching survival classes all week as well as Bill “The Junk Man” Whaley, preparedness expert Dr. Paul Williams, and security expert, Darren Parker. We also have special guests, Mike and Cindy Jacobs, Pat and Karen Schatzline, Tom Horn, Jennifer LeClaire, Donna Howell and Derek Gilbert for live tapings on The Jim Bakker Show as well as other prophetic and knowledgeable speakers who will be making appearances.  We then invite you to come worship with us every night for our evening services led by the remarkable James Huey! Join James as he welcomes amazing speakers such as Bobby Conner and Hubie Synn!  

 

We hope that you will join us as we honor this great country with fun, food, fireworks and fellowship at Morningside! Check out our 4th of July festivities here!

Tight Security at July 4th Fests to counter terror fears, gun violence

member of the U.S. Army National Guard monitors commuters at Grand Central Station as security increases leading up to the Fourth of July weekend in Manhattan,

By Barbara Goldberg

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The United States celebrates July Fourth on Monday with parades, hotdog eating contests and fireworks shows amid heightened security because of concerns about terrorism in New York and timeworn holiday gun violence in Chicago.

Millions of Americans will mark independence from Britain with celebrations as boisterous as a music-packed party by country music legend Willie Nelson for 10,000 people at a race track in Austin, Texas and as staid as colonial-era costumed actors reading the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives in Washington.

History may be in the making in the traditional hotdog-eating contest at New York’s Coney Island. Joey “Jaws” Chestnut – a world record holder who ate 69 hotdogs in 10 minutes – attempts to regain his Mustard Yellow International Belt from Matt Stonie, who last year ended Chestnut’s run of eight straight victories.

With the holiday taking place days after the attack at Istanbul’s international airport, the New York Police Department will deploy eight new canines known as vapor wake dogs, trained to sniff out body-worn explosives, Commissioner Bill Bratton said on Friday.

The department’s human presence this holiday will be increased by nearly 2,000 new officers who graduated Friday from the New York City Police Academy.

“As we always have the capacity in New York to put out a lot of resources, that’s the name of the game, in dealing with terrorist threats,” Bratton said.

Police in Chicago, which has seen a spike in gun murders this year, announced a stepped up presence with more than 5,000 officers on patrol over the long weekend, traditionally one of the year’s most violent, said Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson. Local media reported on Friday that 24 people had been shot over the past 24 hours, three fatally.

Dry weather forecasts across the country thrilled fireworks lovers, although some spots in Michigan have been so rain-starved that pyrotechnic shows were canceled in a handful of communities near Detroit to prevent fires.

NFL star Jason Pierre-Paul, who lost fingers as one of the 12,000 people injured and 11 killed in fireworks accidents last year, appeared in a public service announcement ahead of the 2016 holiday to urge greater caution.

“I lit up a firework, thought I could throw it away real quick and in a split second it blew off my whole hand,” the New York Giants defensive end said in the spot produced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg; Additional reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York, Fiona Ortiz in Chicago, Adam DeRose in Washington, and Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Alistair Bell)

Five states issue health advisories for beaches, Florida declares emergency from Toxic Algae

By Kami Klein

Five states have issued health advisories and have closed beaches ahead of the 4th of July holiday weekend.  According to an article from The Weather Channel,  officials in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi and Alabama report that bacteria levels are high and “no swim” orders have been issued for many beaches along these states. None of these advisories are related to the Vibrio bacteria, commonly referred to as “flesh eating bacteria.”

Texas has 15 beaches with high or medium levels of bacteria, Louisiana with a dozen under advisory, Mississippi and Alabama each with one.  Florida issued a “no swim” order for eight beaches along the coast due to bacteria and toxic algae.  Florida Gov. Rick Scott has declared an emergency due to bright blue-green algae blooms taking over waterways and beaches. The executive order allows state and local governments to take action against the spread of the algal blooms by redirecting the water flow in and out of Lake Okeechobee.

The algae forced Treasure Coast officials to close some beaches in Martin County (insert link)  this week, just days before the Fourth of July holiday weekend and has been spotted in waterways and canals across much of South Florida.

“It’s just been incubating and growing and growing,” Matt Athan, who lives near the St. Lucie River in Stuart, told WPBF. And you can see how thick it is. And the smell is just atrocious.”

Experts also said the toxins in the algae can easily sicken and kill animals, so owners should keep their pets away from the water.  

It is strongly advised by experts to stay clear of the water if an advisory is up or if a beach has been closed.  Stay aware and look for signs for a safe holiday!

 

July Fourth travelers face tougher U.S. security after Turkey attack

Members of the U.S. Army monitor the departures area at John F. Kennedy international Airport in the Queens borough of New

By Joseph Ax

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Millions of U.S. travelers flying during the busy Fourth of July holiday weekend will face heightened security and increased delays due to the deadly attacks at Istanbul’s main airport, officials and air security experts said on Wednesday.

Airport officials were hesitant to reveal specific safety measures taken following Tuesday’s attacks by suspected Islamic State militants, which killed 41 people and wounded 239 at Europe’s third-busiest airport, but increased vigilance appeared to have resulted in at least one airport disruption.

A terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York was briefly evacuated on Wednesday morning while police investigated a report of a suspicious package.

The implementation of stricter security measures will likely increase travel time this weekend, air security experts said, even as the Transportation Security Administration continues to struggle amid personnel shortages.

“If you are in a ‘marquee’ airport, you should absolutely allow significantly more time, on the order of 30 to 45 minutes,” said Bruce McIndoe, the chief executive officer of travel risk advisory company iJet International.

Authorities can “dial up” various security elements, from increasing the frequency of “random” passengers selected for extra screening to turning up the sensitivity of magnetometer devices, according to McIndoe.

Following the Istanbul attacks, which took place outside security checkpoints, U.S. airports are likely to focus on surveillance and armed personnel in similar public spaces not subject to screening, McIndoe said.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees operations at the three major airports in the New York City area, said in a statement that police had added “high visibility patrols with tactical weapons and equipment.”

The agency said it had already put in place counterterrorism patrols at various transportation hubs following the mass shooting in Orlando earlier this month.

Agencies in charge of other major airports, including Reagan and Dulles in the Washington, D.C. area, Logan in Boston, O’Hare in Chicago, Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta and Dallas/Fort Worth, declined to offer operational details but emphasized that security remains their top priority.

“Logan maintains an enhanced security posture,” said an spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Port Authority. “There are many elements that are seen and unseen.”

The security measures are not limited to airports. New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton told reporters on Wednesday that there will be more officers, including a counterterrorism unit, present at the city’s July 4th celebrations.

Meanwhile, Amtrak said it had “robust security measures” in place and was working with other agencies to gather intelligence following the Istanbul attacks.

A record number of Americans, 43 million, are expected to travel between June 30 and July 4, according to AAA.

The vast majority will go by car, AAA said, but 3.3 million are expected to fly. That is more than 25 percent higher that the 2.6 million AAA projected to fly during Memorial Day weekend in May, after months of widespread complaints about long security lines.

The attacks in Istanbul, as well as bombings at Brussels’ airport that also struck outside checkpoints, have reignited debate over whether airport screening should extend into public spaces, despite the increased inconvenience and questions about the effectiveness of such a move.

But McIndoe said those proposals lead to an “infinite loop” that has no solution; checking vehicles before they enter the airport, for instance, simply forces cars to queue up, creating a new target.

Despite the spectacular massacres, he added, the chance of dying in an attack while traveling by plane is infinitesimal, given the more than 3 billion passengers that fly each year.

“You’re tens of thousands of times more likely to die in an automobile accident,” he said.

(Additional reporting by Gina Cherelus and Laila Kearney in New York, Ian Simpson in Washington, D.C., and Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by Tom Brown)

Motorists to hit U.S. roads in record numbers on July 4th weekend

Motorists wait in line to cross the San Francisco-Oakland Bay bridge during morning commute hours in Oakland, California

By Jarrett Renshaw

NEW YORK (Reuters) – With gasoline costing the least since 2005, U.S. motorists will hit the road this upcoming July 4 holiday weekend in record numbers, according to the nation’s largest motoring group.

AAA projects 36.3 million people will drive 50 miles (80 km) or more from home during the holiday period, the third consecutive year of record-breaking forecasts. That is up 1.2 percent from last year, continuing what is expected to be a historic summer driving season.

Despite recent seasonal increases, gasoline prices remain well below the levels of recent years. The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $2.31, which is 47 cents less than one year ago. AAA expects most U.S. drivers will pay the lowest Independence Day gas prices since 2005.

“Spurred by the lowest gas prices since 2005, more people than ever are planning to travel this Independence Day weekend,” said Marshall Doney, AAA president and CEO. ““We are well on our way for 2016 to be a record-breaking year for summertime travel.”

Including airplanes and trains, AAA projects nearly 43 million Americans will travel this Independence Day weekend, the highest July 4 travel volume on record and five million more travelers than over Memorial Day weekend. The holiday travel period is defined as Thursday, June 30 to Monday, July 4.

Americans used an average of 9.72 million barrels of gasoline a day in the four weeks ending June 17, the highest level recorded since the Energy Information Administration started collecting weekly consumption data in 1991.

The most recent data from the U.S. Department of Transportation shows the U.S. road renaissance, spurred in part by the crude oil rout and lower unemployment, remains strong.

U.S. road travel rose 2.6 percent in April, compared with a year ago, according to data released last week by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The April figures mark the 26th consecutive month of year-over-year increases in vehicle miles traveled, according to DOT data, reflecting the surge in U.S. driving activity fueled by low pump prices.

Driving in the United States is closely watched since the country accounts for about 10 percent of global gasoline demand.

(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Dan Grebler)

Quakes Shake Oregon, Alaska, Utah

The Fourth of July weekend had more than fireworks shaking things up in Utah, Oregon and Alaska.

Oregon residents started their day out in an unusual way when a 4.2 magnitude quake struck around 8:42 a.m. Saturday.  The quake was centered about 12 miles east of Eugene.

Officials from the Lane County Sheriff’s office and the Oregon Department of Transportation reported no damage being reported.  Residents say that the quake caused some shaking of homes, pictures to fall off walls and wood piles to shift.

In Utah, a 4.0 magnitude quake struck around 10 a.m., 1 mile south of Panguitch or 200 miles south of Salt Lake City.

Panguitch Fire Chief Dave Dodds told the Deseret News the quake lasted between three and four seconds but caused no major damage.

Alaska was the most shaken up with weekend quakes.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported Alaska was shaken by two quakes within one minute.

The first, a 4.9 magnitude quake, struck around 4:49 p.m. about 24 miles southwest of Talkeetna.  The second quake a minute later in the same area was reported at magnitude 5.1.

Also, the Arctic community of Kaktovik in the Arctic Ocean reported a quake around 11:26 a.m. that measured 4.6 according to the USGS.