Luke 21:20 says this: “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh (KJV).” I have run into a couple “church people” over the past few weeks who have been concerned by the recent fighting in and around Jerusalem. They are concerned if this could be significant in regard to biblical prophecy. My opinion at the moment is, no.

Over the past few weeks 232 Palestinians and 12 Israelis died due to rocket and precision bombing. A cease-fire was reached on May 20 between Israel and Hamas militants after 11 days of violence. But let’s not forget about the violence between Palestinians and Israelis in 2014. During that conflict, which lasted weeks, thousands died. Prior to that, there were many more days of deadly violence between these two peoples.

As I prepared to set off for Worcester, Massachusetts during the week prior to Pentecost weekend (May 15-16, 2021) I was alarmed to find most of the gas stations in my community were out of gas. I was wondering how far up the east coast this condition would go. Lucky for me, when I picked up my rental car it had a full tank of gas, and once I got north of the outer Maryland suburbs of Washington D.C. the gas stations were operating normally.

But what I want to discuss is what caused the gas stations around me and in many states south of me to run dry of gasoline during the week of May 9-16, 2021.

The United States (U.S.) birthrate fell 4 percent last year, making it the most significant annual decrease in many decades. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show the U.S. birthrate dropping for the sixth consecutive year. The biggest drop happened in the last part of last year, showing some influence by the Covid-19 outbreak.

Before the pandemic, U.S. birth rates were on the decline due to people having fewer children, having children later, or choosing not to have kids.

Only about 3.6 million babies were born in the U.S. in 2020. In 2019, there were 3.75 million babies born in this country. This is the lowest number of births in this country since 1979. This is the biggest one-year drop in births, in percentage terms, since 1965, according to Philip N. Cohen, a sociologist at the University of Maryland.

What is mercy? One definition is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone within one's power to punish or harm. This obviously makes mercy a characteristic of God.

In Joel 2:1-3, we read the following: "Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity."

The number of Americans who consider themselves members of a church, mosque or synagogue has dropped to 47 percent, according to a recent Gallup poll. In 1937 when Gallup first began asking Americans if they were part of a church, mosque, or synagogue—membership was at 73 percent.

In a recent blog from November (https://www.cgi.org/news-and-events/2020/11/17/losing-our-religion) we provided other survey data on the lack of religious commitment in the United States (US). The Gallup poll is just another new indicator of this. Some analysts say this is going to have major implications for politics, business, and how Americans group themselves in the future.

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) China has surpassed the United States (US) as the world's top destination for new Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). New investments into the US from foreign companies fell by almost half in 2020. The US was down to $134 billion last year. Of course, some of this is due to the Covid-19 situation, but FDI in the US has been declining since a peak of $472 billion was reached in 2016. Since then, US FDI is declining.

Chinese companies jumped 4 percent in FDI last year, surpassing the US as number one in the world in that category. In 2016 China had only $134 billion in FDI, but last year led the world with a total of $163 billion. In 2019, the US was at $251 billion while China received $140 billion.

With winter finally over, we enter into our Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread season. During this season, we are reminded to examine (1 Corinthians 11:28-29) ourselves and figure out what elements of our character need to be changed and improved. But let's be honest with ourselves. Are you still trying to work through issues you remind yourself of during each Passover season?

Change is a difficult process. Most change takes time, and there are a variety of reasons for that. Let me give you one big reason why change is hard. Our brain's area that handles routines (the basal ganglia) requires little energy to operate effectively. A different part of the brain is used to process new information or new options (the prefrontal cortex). In a change situation, the prefrontal cortex is used much more, and it is very energy-intensive. Continual demands on its resources are uncomfortable.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde signaled that her institution could create a digital currency within years in what would be a dramatic change to the euro zone's financial sector.

"My hunch is that it will come," Lagarde said during a virtual panel discussion hosted by the European Central Bank. "If it's cheaper, faster, more secure for the users then we should explore it. If it's going to contribute to a better monetary sovereignty, a better autonomy for the euro area, I think we should explore it."

Lagarde said it might be two to four years before the project could be launched due to concerns over money laundering, privacy, and the technology involved.

According to a recent survey from Gallup, one in six adults in Generation Z (born 1997-2002) identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). The latest survey based on more than 15,000 interviews conducted in 2020 with Americans age 18 and older found that 5.6 percent of U.S. adults identify as LGBT. In Gallup's survey from 2017, only 4.5 percent of U.S. adults identified as LGBT. In the 2014 survey, the number was only 3.7 percent.

We need to remember Generation Z is still reaching adulthood. Many in this generation will become adults over the next ten years, which could increase those numbers.

In 2020, the United States experienced the largest one-year increase in murders since the country started keeping records in the 20th century, according to crime data and criminologists. According to the FBI, there was a 20.9 percent spike in killings nationwide in the first nine months of the year.

Jeff Asher, an analyst who studies crime data, said, "Like everything else in 2020, the crime data was a disaster. There was a huge spike in murder, and it's hard to say just how bad it is, but it's fairly clear we are going to see the largest single-year rise."

Argentina voted on December 30, 2020, to legalize elective abortion in a region of the world with some of the most restrictive antiabortion laws. A number of advocacy groups have been trying to change abortion laws in Latin America with varying degrees of success. These groups include Salvadorans attempting to end prison sentences for women having abortions and Colombians and Mexicans trying to decriminalize abortion.

“The movement in Argentina has been an inspiration,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, the Americas director at Amnesty International. “As we become more progressive societies, where the Catholic Church wields less power, these movements create an opportunity for states to acknowledge that abortion is a human right.”

On January 6, 2021, we witnessed something at our Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., that many of us would never have imagined. Our own people were breaking into and ransacking the building we formulate our laws in. Five people died during the events that occurred that day.

Over the summer, we saw violence in a number of our major cities. Some of that violence also has roots in political differences in our country.

Much of the anger of the far right and far left stems from the perceptions both sides have of the other. Social media and mainstream media have fed the fire that burns on both sides of the political spectrum. Lies, half-truths, innuendo, opinion, and speculation are accepted as if it is the word of God. Leaders on both sides have played a part in the fraying of our culture.

On January 3, 2021, Representative Emanuel Cleaver gave the first daily congressional prayer of the new 117th Congress. Cleaver is also a United Methodist pastor who has served for many years in Congress.

Cleaver was criticized by some for ending his prayer with the words "Amen and Awoman." The criticism stems from the fact "Awoman" is not a word. In fact, "Amen" has no connection to gender either. "Amen" merely means "so be it."

Britain officially left the European Union (E.U.) in January 2020, but it didn't entirely leave in another way. It began an eleven-month transition period that ended at midnight on December 31, 2020. The eleven months was supposed to give the E.U. and Britain enough time to work out a trade deal to continue the orderly movement of goods and services. Things did not go according to plan. In December 2020, the two sides were still trying to iron out the deal.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, there has been some anecdotal information that the virus would lead to increased suicides. Being primarily confined to your home, losing a job, losing a loved one(s) - all of these things can contribute to depression and anxiety, which could lead to suicide for some individuals. Recently, some new data has confirmed the speculation.

Both Japan and South Korea are among a few countries to provide current data on suicide rates. Most countries take a year or two before issuing their most recent numbers. Suicide rates in Japan and South Korea have increased noticeably during 2020.