Tag: Christianity

New restrictions on items entering Nicaragua include Bibles

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JEFF TURNER

A major international bus company has warned passengers about new items that are no longer allowed to enter Nicaragua, according to a report from CentroAmerica360. These rules come from instructions given by Nicaraguan authorities to transportation companies working across the region.

Along with items that have long been restricted, such as guns, knives, and food that can spoil, the list now includes drones, magazines, printed newspapers, and Bibles. This change has caused worry among travellers and groups that follow human rights conditions in the country.

Notices explaining the rules were posted at bus terminals in Costa Rica, where trips to Managua begin. The company said it is required to follow the rules shared by Nicaraguan officials. Staff at the terminals have been told to stop passengers who are carrying banned items or prevent them from boarding.

The restriction on Bibles has drawn special attention. While religious activity has faced growing limits in recent years, there has been no earlier case of sacred texts being blocked at the border. Many see this as a new step in the control of religious life.

Since 2018, religious freedom in Nicaragua has steadily weakened. Many Catholic priests have been arrested, sent into exile, or kept under close watch. Religious orders and groups have been forced to leave the country. Church leaders have reported that schools, care homes, radio stations, and other church services have been taken over or closed. Church bank accounts have also been shut down.

Evangelical churches have faced pressure as well. Several leaders have been arrested on claims of plotting against the state or mishandling funds. Churches and faith-based groups involved in community support have been closed or placed under government control.

The bus company did not explain the exact laws behind the new rules, but confirmed they were officially delivered by authorities. Passengers have shared concern about how wide these limits are, especially when it comes to printed material and religious items.

In earlier actions, the government banned professional cameras and filming tools. Travellers’ social media accounts have been checked, and content creators and journalists have been denied entry. These steps add to fears about tighter control over information and belief.

Texas Gospel Canada Top 30 – December 2025

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DAVID INGRAM

Welcome to the Texas Gospel Canada Top 30 Songs of December 2025! This list is meticulously compiled based on the actual number of plays each song received in the previous month (November.) The Texas Gospel Top 30 is proudly submitted to top Southern Gospel publications including The Singing News and SGNScoops.

1 – Joy Is Gonna Come – Erwins – StowTown/Provident-Sony
2 – I Speak Jesus – Karen Peck & New River – Daywind/New Day
3 – The Only Way He Knew How – Jeff & Sheri Easter – Gaither Music/Capitol Christian
4 – That Somebody Was Me – Guardians – Daywind/New Day
5 – When Believers Will Be Leaving – Down East Boys – Sonlite/Crossroads
6 – I Will Glory In The Cross – Jim & Melissa Brady – Daywind/New Day
7 – One More – Williamsons – REAL Southern Gospel Records
8 – Back To Our Roots – Derrick Loudermilk Band – Independent
9 – Big God – Master’s Voice – Independent
10 – Oh, What A Moment – Ernie Haase – StowTown/Provident-Sony
11 – Loving You – Nelons – Daywind/New Day
12 – The Well – Taylors – StowTown/Provident-Sony
13 – Every Promise Made Is A Promise Kept – Anthem Edition – Sonlite/Crossroads
14 – The Church – Joseph Habedank – Daywind/New Day
15 – Cleft Of The Rock – Kramers – StowTown/Provident-Sony
16 – I’m With The Band – Steve Ladd (with Michael and Ronnie Booth) – ARS/New Day
17 – Tell It To Him – Bibletones – Independent
18 – All He’s Ever Been – Chronicle – ARS/New Day
19 – I’ve Seen What It Can Do – Phillips & Banks – ARS/New Day
20 – Seed In The Ground – Sound Street – Sonlite/Crossroads
21 – I Know It’s You – Scotty Inman – Daywind/New Day
22 – Say Something – Tim Menzies (with Ben Isaacs and Sonya Isaacs Yeary) – ARS/New Day
23 – Mercy Was More – Adam Crabb – Daywind/New Day
24 – The Day – Heart 2 Heart – ARS/New Day
25 – When My Feet Touch The Streets Of Gold – LeFevre Quartet – Daywind/New Day
26 – I Got Saved – TrueSong – Daywind/New Day
27 – Behind My Praise – Brian Free & Assurance – Daywind/New Day
28 – I Am Saved – Tate Emmons – ARS/New Day
29 – That’s Who He Is – 11th Hour – Sonlite/Crossroads
30 – Let The Church Be An Ocean – Mercy’s Well – Independent

The Steady Gift of Hope

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CHERYL QUIGG

Hope can appear in quiet and simple ways. It can rise in moments when nothing else seems certain. Here’s a short story as an illustration. Two men were out at sea when one of them was thrown overboard. Alone in the dark water with no life jacket and no way to call for help, he had every reason to believe he would not survive. Yet he found a small idea to hold on to. He used his boots as makeshift flotation devices and waited. Hours later, after long searching, rescuers found him alive. What kept him going was a faint but stubborn belief that help could still come.

A lot of us know this kind of waiting. Hope can be a flicker of light when everything feels heavy. Now, in the season leading to Christmas, many people reflect on hope in a deeper way. This time teaches that hope is not only an emotion but also a promise. It connects the past, the present, and what is still ahead.

A well-known account from the first chapter of Luke shows how hope can come to people who have waited for years. Zachariah and Elizabeth lived faithfully, yet they carried the pain of not having children. They were older now, long past the age when change seemed possible. Still, they lived with steady devotion. Then, on an ordinary day, everything changed. A message came announcing that their long prayers had been heard. They would have a son, and his life would prepare people for the work of the Lord.

Their story reminds us that hope does not expire. It may take time before it becomes clear. It often grows slowly, shaped by patience. Many generations before them had longed for God to complete his promise. People faced times of peace and times of struggle. Yet through all of this, the promise of a coming Saviour stayed alive.

Prophets spoke of this future. They described a child who would bring peace and justice, one who would carry the very presence of God. These words carried forward through hundreds of years.

When the message finally came to Zachariah, it renewed the hope that people had held onto for generations. Though he struggled to believe at first, the news spread quickly among the people. Their waiting was not wasted. Their hope was not empty.

Today many people still wrestle with hard questions. What does hope mean in illness, broken relationships, financial strain, or deep loss? What does hope offer when answers do not come quickly? The message at the heart of this season is that hope is not based on perfect circumstances. It is rooted in the presence of God, who stays near in the darkest places.

Scripture shows that God meets people in their fear, pain, and loneliness. There are moments when hope feels far away. Many people sit quietly with fears they never speak aloud. But hope is still offered. It comes through Jesus, who entered this world not simply to inspire, but to save. He came to restore what sin has broken and to bring life that does not end. The hope he gives does not depend on how strong we feel. It depends on who he is.

For those who have never placed their trust in him, hope begins by receiving what he offers.

Steve Ladd celebrates two years as solo artist with new Christmas single and family milestones

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

Southern Gospel artist Steve Ladd is wrapping up another eventful month filled with ministry opportunities, studio work, and precious family moments as he approaches the two-year mark of his return to solo artistry.

Steve Ladd · Michael Booth · Ronnie Booth The Trouble With Me ℗ 2025 Big Picture Records

Ladd spent early October in South Carolina, where he provided music for a four-night community revival series. The unique event featured services at a different church each evening, and Ladd expressed gratitude for both the spiritual atmosphere and the warm hospitality he received. “We were so blessed by not only the services, but also the hospitality of such a sweet bunch of people,” Ladd shared in his recent newsletter update.

The artist made a trip to Nashville this month for a special recording session with his son, Haven Ladd. The collaboration resulted in a new Christmas single titled “No Other Child,” set to release on all streaming platforms November 28th.

Haven, who graduated from Belmont University this past summer with a degree in music production, served as producer for the track. “He truly outdid himself on this one,” the proud father noted. Haven teamed up with Steve’s wife, Maegan, to provide background vocals for the recording.

Between travel and recording commitments, Ladd has been savoring time with his grandchildren. Recent highlights include watching grandson Odin start eating baby food and granddaughter Ari losing her two front teeth just in time for the holiday season. The family enjoyed Halloween festivities together, with Ladd sharing that the grandchildren “bring more joy than they will ever know.”

Ladd closed out the month with a trip to West Virginia, where he visited his brother Johnny. Even the family dog, Toby, was excited about the reunion, though Ladd jokes that the frequent travel may be starting to wear on his canine companion.

As he approaches U.S. Thanksgiving and marks two years since returning to solo ministry, Ladd expressed amazement at how his career has been blessed. “God has been so good to us,” he reflected, noting that supporters who pray for his family remain at the top of his gratitude list.
Steve acknowledged his struggle with timely newsletter updates and jokingly suggested making more consistent communication a New Year’s resolution.

Foresters announce passing of Mark Forester

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TEXAS GOSPEL CANADA VOLUNTEER

Mark Forester, co-founder and patriarch of the Nashville-based Southern Gospel group The Foresters, has passed away. Mark, who served as vocalist, pianist, and guitarist for the family band, had dedicated more than two decades to full-time Christian music ministry alongside his wife Andrea and sons Tyler and Trevor, touching countless lives across the United States, Canada, and Europe.

The Foresters have been a fixture in Christian music circles for 24 years. Over that time, the family band released 42 recordings, held more than 110 concerts annually, and saw all five of their radio singles chart in the top 80 on the Singing News national charts.

Mark’s leadership and production work, including on their most recent project “Calling You Home,” helped establish The Foresters as a top 10 nominated band by readers of Singing News Magazine.

The Foresters announced his passing with this Facebook post:

These past few days have been overwhelming, and I hardly know where to begin. I wanted to reach out with as much care and respect as possible as we acknowledge Mark’s passing and navigate this difficult moment together.
We are taking one day at a time right now. Our hearts are heavy — for ourselves and for Mark’s family. We truly wished his story could have been different, and that he could have found the healing and help he needed.
This is not the ending we ever expected or prepared for. The struggles that came into Mark’s life were heartbreaking and difficult, and we had always hoped for a better road ahead for him.
I have met with the funeral home and have taken care of the arrangements for him to be sent back to Michigan, where he will be laid to rest beside his father.
While there are many questions that cannot be answered right now, the boys and I are taking care of what must be handled as we move forward.
1 Thessalonians 4:13 (KJV)
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
The boys have stood with me through every step of this, and I am so thankful for their strength and the help they have given me.
I would also appreciate your prayers — that God would give me wisdom, clarity, and peace as I work to close out the details before us and set up life for my boys. There is so much to care for, and I am relying on His strength daily.
We will continue to thank the Lord for His goodness, for the grace He has given, for His faithful provision, and for the hope that is in Him. It is the prayer of my heart — and the boys’ as well — that our lives would honor the Lord in every way, and that even in the midst of this struggle, others would see the Savior.
Faithful. Focused. Following Christ. – That is our desire.
Thank you, always, for your love, support, and the blessing you have been to us.

Stephen Forester, Mark’s brother, said, “The Lord saw Marks deep pain and He mercifully took him home . Romans 8:1”

Mark asked that the family be given space in this time of pain.

A private family service will be held.

but we are of good courage and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:8