US Sports Basketball: Indiana Fever vs. Atlanta Dream | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS & Three Competitive Shooting Drills For Your Basketball Team

 

Three Competitive Shooting Drills For Your Basketball Team

• By Grant Young

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It's important for coaches to be able to switch things up when running a practice. Things can get redundant when basketball practice planning, and ultimately it can become a bit boring for coaches and players alike. This is why adding a competitive twist to practice can really elevate team morale and foster excitement that translates into success in games. 

 

Coaches can incorporate competitive shooting drills into their practices to not only strengthen shooting, but also boost rebounding, and increase conditioning. While any wise coach will want to kill multiple birds with one stone (so to speak) when constructing their team’s practices, figuring out the most efficient and effective way to do so can seem daunting. 

Luckily that’s exactly what coach Aluara Sharp has done. 

Coach Sharp is the head Women's Basketball Coach at Appalachian State, a job she started in April 2024. Prior to that, Coach Sharp spent six seasons as the head coach at Presbyterian College (PC). Under Coach Sharp’s leadership, PC finished fifth in the regular season standings and earned a first-round bye in the Big South Conference Championship for the first time since 2017-18. The 2019-20 team increased its win total by five games and advanced to the Big South Championship quarterfinal round for the second time under Sharp's leadership.

 

Putting together competitive shooting drills for her team has been a cornerstone of Coach Sharp’s success. And her ‘Competitive Team Shooting Drills’ course will teach you how to Implement competitive shooting drills into your practice plan and bring out the best in your team, both individually and as a unit. 

Regardless of the basketball level you’re coaching at, your players’ improvement from these drills will translate onto the court and boost their confidence in their ability to shoot the ball, which could spell the difference between success and despair during your next season. 

Rapid Fire Shooting

The first competitive team shooting drill that Coach Sharp recommends for coaches is what she calls the ‘Rapid Fire Shooting’ drill. 

This drill will start with three lines: a passing line at the wing or at the top of the key, a shooting line in the corner (either behind the three-point line or at mid-range) and a rebounding line on the block. 

The passer’s line will start with the ball, deliver the pass to the shooter in the corner, then follow their pass and get in the shooting line. Upon receiving the pass, the shooter will take a shot. Regardless of whether the shot is made or missed, the shooter will then get in the rebounding line. And when the rebounder secures the ball they will then outlet it to the passing line, and the drill restarts. 

The key here is that this drill will take place on both sides of the court, and you have an equal amount of players on each side. After each player gets a shot up at each spot, both sides will tally their total makes and the winning side will get a point.

After doing this in five different locations, the team with the most points wins and gets to skip conditioning or some other similar reward. 

There can also be bonuses or an additional point given to the team who completes their entire round of shots the fastest, which incentivizes fast passing, shooting, and rebounding. 

Coaches could also do it so that whichever team gets to five made shots in every location first wins, which is another way to prioritize speed and timing in this drill. 

Blue Hose Shooting

Another competitive shooting drill Coach Sharp loves is called ‘Blue Hose Shooting’, which she took from a former coaching job at Lousiana Tech. 

The goal of this drill is that the team must have 90 three-point shots in five minutes. While this may sound impossible, the drill’s structure will reveal why it’s not so difficult as it initially sounds. 

There will be three different lines (Coach Sharp has it with one on either wing and another at the top of the key, but this could also work with a line or two at the corners.) Once a person at the front of their line takes a shot, they go and grab their own rebounds before passing it to the line that’s to their left. They’ll then go and join that line. 

This drill is excellent because it blends needing speed and patience. If every shooter on the team is rushing their shots in order to get as many shots up as possible, there’s no way they’ll make enough because their form will suffer. But if a player mimics the (efficient, but not rushed) pace at which they shoot in a game and then hustles to get their rebound, this will allow them to make the 90 shots in five minutes. 

Of course, making 90 three points shots will be impossible for any youth basketball team. So adjust these distances, shots, and timing to whatever level your team is at. 

Skip Shooting

A third competitive team shooting drill Coach Sharp swears by is the Skip Shooting drill. 

This drill is going to require either three or four balls, and it emphasizes skip passes, which is a pass that goes directly from one player to another, usually traveling relatively long distances and skipping over any teammates in between. 

It will initially start with two lines, one at a wing and another at the opposite corner. The balls will start with the wing lines, who will throw an overhead skip pass to the corner shooter. The shooter will catch the pass, take the shot, and then follow the shot. Once they secure the rebound then they will outlet it to the wing line. 

Try doing this for a set number of shots or minutes before moving to a different location and trying the same there.

The Rock Almighty Effect: Christian Depression

 

Christian Depression

• Author Randy Hough

Just the idea of Christian depression seemed so contradictory, at first...

Christian depression just doesn't seem to fit in very well with this verse: "I have written to you...young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one." I John 2:14

Young people have seemingly unlimited energy and optimism, how could Christian depression ever be a problem? With all that strength and word of God, who could be depressed?

Who would ever imagine, that in the midst of such strength and zealous activity, stress and depression often lurk in the murky fringes of church life. Not only that, it is not at all uncommon for youth leaders to suffer from the common depression symptoms.

Things left to themselves tend to decay

When the depression symptoms continue for more than a few weeks, you need to take action. Ignoring the problem will not help. A common misunderstanding is that Christians are inferior or unfaithful followers if they feel depressed.

The black hole of condemnation is very deep and dark. It can take years to work out the underlying causes. Christian depression is more common than most people realize. Scripture verses may be used, correctly or incorrectly, to give "guidance", this is not the intention of this essay.

The subject of Christian depression and stress is a very personal one for the author, having been both a victim of it and a cause of it as well. It is our hope to shed some light on this important topic that seems to be largely ignored, but affects many believers.

Black and white thinking

Black and white thinking, in this case, is the practice of placing people into neat little groups, or categories. For example: believers and unbelievers; the bride of Christ and the harlot; Christians and "the world"; us and them; the first-fruits and the second-fruits; zealous and lukewarm; modest and worldly; saved and unsaved; and so on. An enormous amount of stress comes from this manner of viewing people and the world.

This type of thinking is common among fundamentalist groups, not to mention cults. The polarizing effect divides families and friends. Those who are doing the categorizing are, of course, the right ones. Everyone else is to be pitied or despised, or converted. Those who grow up under such teachings and fail to live up to the expectations are prime candidates for Christian depression.

A great deal of Christian depression stems from this way of thinking. Suppose you are musical or artistic, what are you ever going to do with all that natural ability if your church teaches that such activities are sinful, or soulish? Soulish means that it is an expression of your human soul, which is even more dangerous to holiness than being carnal.

Sure, such an artistic person may play church music, or do "Christian" artwork, but soon that becomes so limiting and quenching. Of course, you could always listen to music and play it in secret, but that brings on the condemnation. For those who are not artistic, this is not a serious problem, and very often such people are the leaders. They don't feel the inner stress, and therefore are often harsh in their criticism, leading to even more Christian depression.

This can be particularly damaging to children. They are developing their own distinct personalities and need space to grow. An especially crass example of forcing church doctrine on "different" children is the old practice of beating the left hand of left-handed children by nuns in schools. It's hard to imagine, but this was common until quite recently. The stress imposed on these children is incredible. At times, the entire learning process just ceased.

Jesus came to take away your sins, not your mind!

A great deal of courage is required to live according to your conscience, especially if it is contrary to your church's doctrine. To do less is cowardice and will keep you in the wringer of a guilty conscience, with the result in feelings that can lead to Christian depression.

A prominent church leader was lauded at his 50th birthday celebration for his ability to be spiritual on a trip across Canada. It seems he managed to keep from looking at the scenery and marveling at God's creation for several days' trip. He was so holy that he read scriptures and discussed doctrine the entire time!

On the other hand, another passenger in the car was constantly amazed at the beautiful rivers, rolling hills, huge sky and wild animals he saw on the same trip. Needless to say, nobody mentioned this at his birthday! He thought it was absurd to deny oneself in such an artificial and useless manner as the other passenger. It took some courage to speak up in the face of such older, esteemed brothers.

There are many such things taking place everyday in churches everywhere, but not much is mentioned about it. For example: being willingly ignorant of elections, the news, current events, and community events and so on. About the only time such zealous believers get involved is when they can benefit from it. To speak out takes courage, to silently go along, against your better judgment can easily contribute to Christian depression and stress.

If you talk about current events, it had better follow "party lines." If you are involved in community events, you might be contaminated by all those unbelievers. You are "unequally yoked."

This type of thinking is especially dangerous for children and young people. They are usually in public school and are exposed to everything imaginable. Unless they are taught how to interact in a healthy way with those who disagree or are different, they can easily fall prey to Christian depression.

This book was written just for parents who have stressful situations at home. It is the product of many years experience, including Christian depression. It is called: "The Secrets Inside."

Children and the "End Times"

Many children have suffered unnecessarily from the unwitting ignorance of their parents or church leaders. Children take everything literally and parents need to be extra careful when discussing such topics as the end times with children.

As children and young people hear the message about Armageddon and the Great Tribulation and the Wrath of God, etc., they are imagining everything literally. This can lead them several conclusions. Christian depression often has its roots in childhood.

" We are the only ones who know this and are special, God's favorite people.

" Everyone else is going to burn up in the wrath of God.

" If I do everything "right" I will be saved.

" If I don't do everything "right", I will be burned with the ungodly. Or maybe I'll go through the "Great Tribulation" and become a sort of second class heavenly citizen.

These beliefs can vary from group to group, but the potential damaging effects are still the same. Stress, depression, and false guilt can plague a person for many years.

Suppose your neighbor is Christian from another denomination and now his entire family, including your son's friend, will perish in fire. How does that impact the mind of a child?

How can the other 99.9999 along in the faith, I'm going to hell, what's the use of trying to be good?" The ditches of life abound with such cast off lives.

Christian depression carries a stigma of weakness and unfaithfulness. As you can see, it very often is the result of poor judgment on the part of the parents or the teachers.

Talk about fire and dire warnings, just look at this!

"It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones." Luke 17:2

On the other hand, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." 3 John 1:4

www.stress-familyhealth.net

Father of eight lively children, formerly a youth

pastor in Christian church,well travelled in

Europe and South America. Has a passion for

helping families deal with the stress of modern

life.

The Raiders On US Sports - Las Vegas Raiders vs. Los Angeles Chargers Game Highlights Presented by CoachTube

 

Kettlebell Training for Combat Athletes

by Zach Even-Esh

Description

Video # 1: 49 Minutes

Video # 2: 46 Minutes

In the early 2000s, my friend, Jason C. Brown and I were creating Training DVDs that sold around the world. Yes, DVDs. What Jason and I were doing 20+ years we are now starting to see pop up elsewhere. We were far ahead of the curve and the reason is because we were and still are Coaches who were testing, experimenting and training on a daily basis. We were NEVER "influencers". We were training athletes in BJJ clubs, wrestling clubs, in our garages, backyards and and local playgrounds. 

We actually applied and tested our training methods to see what worked and what didn't work. 

Kettlebells for Combat became one of our best selling DVDs for MMA Fighters, Wrestlers, BJJ Athletes and other combat athletes like Football players, and LAX athletes.

NOTE: These Videos were NOT filmed in HD because it was NOT available in the early 2000s so the quality of the video is less than the videos of today!

Stand up fighters such as Boxers & Muay Thai fighters along with First Responders, LEO & Military also loved these videos. Jason was training special forces soldiers while I was being brought in to train D1 Wrestlers, Marines, FBI and other high level people who needed training that truly had transfer to their sports and / or career.

Learn more and book this course

Training Proven to Transform You or the Athletes You Train Into an Agile, Mobile & Hostile Performance Machine 

 

Here's just some of what we cover inside The Kettlebells for Combat Video Course:

• · What exactly "Loaded Conditioning" is - and how to use it to your benefit for developing 3 of the most important traits for combat athletes: Strength Endurance, Muscular Endurance & Isometric Strength Endurance.

• · Discover how to use the Kettlebell techniques that have been proven to Increase your power and explosiveness. You will learn exactly which exercises you need to do to increase your power and speed from the hips, legs, upper and lower body.

• · How to use towels and ropes with Kettlebells to dramatically improve your hand and grip strength.

• · The Most effective Kettlebell Circuits that increase your overall conditioning so you can out-perform your competition time and time again.

• · Over 15 Towel-Kettlebell combinations to develop grip endurance & full body strength.

• · How to incorporate The Contrast Method for full-body power using bands and Kettlebells.

• · 8 variations of Kettlebell - Box Jump combos for increasing speed & power in your takedowns, throws and guard.

• · 15 Kettlebell Swing variations that will turbo charge your combat conditioning, strengthen your combat specific grip and rotational power.

• · Discover how to improve your starting strength and explosive power with special Kettlebell exercises.

• · 8 variations of Kettlebell Cleans for increased hip, back & leg power.

• · 15 different pulling & rowing exercises that develop strength & power from every possible angle. You never want to feel uncomfortable or WEAK in certain positions or situations, hence this multi faceted approach towards training.

Kettlebell Training Methods Used to Develop Dominant, Powerful, Resilient Athletes.

Develop Joint Integrity, Mobility, Flexibility & Conditioning that NEVER Quits.

Whether you're a Coach, a Combat athlete, active duty Military or LEO, this Video Course will give you the knowledge to take your training & performance to new heights.

If you're a Coach, this is an opportunity to arm yourself with knowledge to change the lives of your students.

If you're an athlete or an adult doing what we call "Training for Life" - this is the training methods you need to follow to ensure you are prepared for life or work, especially when The Sh-t Hits the fan!

If You're Always Ready, You Never Have to Get Ready!

As I've gotten older (Age 46 at the time of this writing) I feel that I lose my mobility and overall athleticism when I get away from regular use of Kettlebells. I notice the same thing in the athletes I train.

The barbell will always be the King of the weight room, but "Strong & Useless" is never our goal. When there is too much focus on the barbell lifts, your body feels beat up, tight and immobile. For athletics, you need to be able to move. You need athleticism.

Implementing the training from this Video series will give you the advantage you need.

One of the athletes I used to train in the early 2000s became a Coach at The Underground Strength Gym after 2010. He then was hired at a D1 University and we had a conversation where he told me.......

I felt my most athletic and most explosive when I used Sleds, Kettlebells and Bodyweight. The barbell made me strong but I always felt like I was a step slower compared to Sleds, Kettlebells and Bodyweight. 

Only $97 $37

Book this course today!

The Coach

Zach Even-Esh

Zach Even - Esh is the founder & owner of The Underground Strength Gym and began training athletes full time in 2002. Since then, Zach has trained athletes ranging from youth to the D1 level on a daily basis. In 2008 Zach created The Underground Strength Coach Certification and in 2020, Zach created The SSPC Cert (Strength & Sports Performance Coach). Zach has coached at Rutgers & Lehigh University while working with their wrestling teams, consults with D1 Coaches and has also consulted for NSW (Naval Special Warfare). Zach continues to train athletes and on average works with 150 athletes each day. With over 25 years of Coaching experience, Zach has been sought after worldwide for training expertise.

The Rock Almighty Effect: How to include God the Father in our daily lives.

 

How to include God the Father in our daily lives.

• Author Heather Walsgh

Understanding God and God the Father

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9E3G6V88dI&embed=true

God, the supreme being, is often referred to as the Father, which signifies His role as the creator and sustainer of the universe. In the Christian faith, God the Father is the first person of the Trinity, along with the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. The concept of the Trinity emphasizes the unity of these distinct persons who share the same divine nature, with each person having unique attributes, but all working in perfect harmony.

The Apostles' Creed is one of the earliest Christian statements of faith that expresses the belief in God the Father. It helps believers in deepening their understanding of God, specifically the Father, in relation to the Son and the Holy Spirit. Living by faith, Christians rely on God's providence, guidance, and love in their daily lives.

To develop a closer relationship with God the Father, it is essential to recognize His omnipotence, love, and presence in our lives. As believers, we can communicate with God through prayer to deepen this relationship, seeking His guidance and expressing gratitude. Engaging with the teachings of Jesus Christ can also aid in comprehending the nature and will of the Father.

Practicing faith in our daily lives is crucial for spiritual growth and maintaining a strong bond with God. This entails integrating our beliefs into every aspect of life, such as work, relationships, and personal development. Key elements of living by faith include:

Trusting in God's plan for our lives, even when it is not apparent or differs from our expectations.

Overcoming challenges with a resilient mindset, believing that God will provide the necessary strength and wisdom to prevail.

Desiring to grow in our faith, and regularly participating in activities such as attending worship services or Bible study groups, to enhance spiritual understanding.

In many faith traditions, tithing is an important practice that symbolizes gratitude for God's provision, acknowledges God's ownership of all things, and seeks prosperity through obedience. Tithing reflects a commitment to supporting the work of the church and helping those in need, serving as a tangible expression of faith in God's promise to provide and care for His followers.

In summary, understanding God and God the Father helps lay the foundation for a thriving spiritual life. By cultivating a relationship with the Father, living by faith, and participating in practices such as tithing, believers can manifest their faith as truth, experience spiritual growth, and lead a fulfilling, purpose-driven life.

As an online publisher, I have spent many years writing as a content provider. When possible, various consultancies hired me to improve revenue. I have served as an affiliate to promote digital products on diverse platforms as Etsy, Clearvoice, LinkedIn, Vocal.media, ClickBank etc. These promotions included affiliate marketing for digitally placed product vendors. Furthermore, I enjoy discussing ideas on popular forums such as Quora etc.

US Sports Football Feat. #7 Oregon vs Boise State (EXCITING!) | Full Game Highlights

3 Third Level RPOs for Explosive Plays

• By Keith Grabowski

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Defenses are getting better and better in how they defend the RPO.  Having a mechanism to attack their aggressiveness can provide answers and explosive plays.

One answer to RPO is to cover down and allow the safeties to get down into the box for the run fit.  Of course, aggressive safeties expose the defense to big plays and that’s exactly what these RPOs are designed to attack

Maryland Popsicle

Maryland Head Coach Mike Locksley has established himself as one of the top offensive thinkers in terms of how to attack defenses with RPO. He did it as the OC at Alabama and now is continuing to do it at Maryland.

His “Popsicle” RPO attacks the third-level defender (safety) who is aggressively fitting the box.  In the video example, they do it off of Power with the same side read of the safety.  

Coach Locksley understands the details that make this play successful.  He explains the coaching points on the QB-RB mesh as well as what he calls “100 to 90” for the receiver

Western Michigan Double Glance

Head Coach at Western Michigan Tim Lester has made the RPO a big part of the Broncos attack.  He likes to attack level 3 while giving the QB options.  

An offense, especially the QB, is not always able to know which safety will trigger.  In order to give the QB opportunities on a 3rd level RPO, WMU will utilize double glance which gives the QB the ability to attack either side of the defense based on which safety fits. He explains the concept here

Wake Forest Route Behind

The slower mesh is utilized on their RPO’s with the quarterback spending extra time riding the mesh with the running back to be able to see his key pull and throw the ball for a big play.  It makes the 3rd Level RPO a very viable part of their attack.

The outside zone with a crack route by the receiver makes this a very difficult play to defend.  Head Coach Dave Clawson illustrates the play in this video

Bonus Play - Manheim Central HS Play Action off of RPO:RPO:

Adding third-level RPO does require time in practice to allow the QB to understand the picture and the read.  One way to maintain a 3rd level attack as part of the RPO offense is to call it for the QB by making it a play action. 

That’s exactly what Manheim Central HC Dave Hahn does with this play-action concept.  Seeing that the safety is aggressively fitting on the run allows this big play opportunity.  

Since it is just a call it does not require the QB to read for Run or Pass.  He can sell a great fake and draw the safety down then hit the skinny post for a big play

As the cliche goes, “It’s about who has the chalk last.”  The third level RPO is a logical progression in the RPO attack and whether you create concepts that read the triggering safety or simply add play action to stretch the defense and expose the aggressiveness, attacking level three this fall will provide your offense huge benefits.

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US Sports Football: Ravens High School Football Showdown: Dematha vs. Archbishop Spalding

 

 Presented on US Sports by CoachTube

Win Downfield - Attacking Different Areas Deep with 3rd Level RPO

• By Coach Grabowski
• 
  

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For teams that are RPO-heavy in their attack, the defense will start to take away conflict by bringing a safety down into the box either pre-snap by alignment or by rotation in buzzing a safety down into the box.

With this move, they effectively equate numbers in the run, and the underneath passing windows are typically left open by a 2nd level player whose run-fits are now taken away.

This creates the necessity of having vertical answers.  An offense can drop back and use seam reads or choice routes, but the objective of any RPO is to run the ball while having a protection answer.

Of course, the RPO can remain the call by simply shifting to a 3rd Level RPO. Most of these are designed with some sort of underneath throws still available with quick routes or key screens.  When the offense is successful with these, then the defense needs to decide if it really wants to bring that extra defender down.

Today, we will take a look at three 3rd Level RPO with the Glance, Bender, and Slot Fade and how each attacks a void in the defense.

Glance

If the backside safety comes down, then Glance is a favorite for many programs.  These typically are run as a 5-step break. 

Glance can be run to the field as well. At Alabama, they call it “pop.” The idea is to attack space as Alabama WR Coach Holmon Wiggins points out in this video:

Glance is fine to the field as well, but you have to be wary of the backside safety.  Noel Mazzone has his receivers flatten it out to what he calls a grass glance.  The purpose is to not bring the Glance into the safety. 

Bender

Another option is to use a Bender route allowing the receiver to bend into the void rather than giving a distinct break.  This type of route comes into play versus different rotations but it allows the offense to attack a void in the middle of the defense with an easy throw.  Former Averett OC Kirkland Brown explains it off of a gap scheme in this video:

Slot Fade

Glance and Bender bring the receivers into the middle of the field, so safeties are always a danger, but the slot fade attacks a different void of the defense and can be protected with back shoulder throws as well.

Former SDSU OC Jeff Hecklinski explains the Slot Fade RPO here:

Defenses are getting better and better in how they defend RPO.  Having a mechanism to attack their aggressiveness can provide answers and explosive plays.

Planning for some 3rd Level RPO answers can be an effective way to get the chalk back for the offense.

US Sports Football: Feat. #9 IMG Academy vs #11 Cocoa (FL) | Nationally Ranked Teams Square off | Designing & Implementing A School-Wide Athletic Development Program by Adam Szabo

Designing & Implementing A School-Wide Athletic Development Program

by Adam Szabo

Description

Even if you are a personal trainer, have trained one particular team, or own your own gym, organizing a school-wide training program has very unique challenges.  This course is a detailed description of how to design and implement workouts and how to navigate scheduling and logistical concerns.

For the last 13 years, Exclerate Athletic Development has been training individual athletes, high school programs, entire athletic departments, and club programs, while also offering consulting services for schools and programs that are looking to develop their own school-wide program.  During that time, we have won 6 Ohio State Championships, in 5 sports, at 4 different schools.  One of our greatest accomplishments has been winning an individual or state championship, at every school, within the first four years and within the first cycle of athletes.  Along with winning 6 Ohio State Championships, we have also been the State Runner-Up 6 times in 6 different sports and to the Final Four 4 times in 3 different sports. 

On top of this, our athletic development program has been used by Midland Baseball in Cincinnati, Ohio.  During this time, we have won 5 AABC National Championships and finished Runner-Up once.

In this course, the following information will be covered:

• Creating and measuring goals
• Staffing a school-wide program
• Being creative with available school spaces
• How to train large groups simultaneously
• Developing training workouts and schedules
• Differentiating training for a variety of sports and athletes
• Implementing a school-wide testing program
• How to design different portions and phases of workouts

The Rock Almighty Effect: Who has the Right to Control another Adult's Life Without their Consent?

 

• Author June Stepansky

The simple answer to that difficult question is that no one ever has the right to control another person's life. The only control a citizen of any country should experience is to follow the laws of his country, but only if he also has the power to participate in electing legislators who make those laws. Citizens of many countries are now rebelling against what they feel are repressive laws that take away their rights. Ordinary citizens in many countries are rebelling against their autocratic and extreme religious leaders more than they ever have before.

In Iran what began as anger at the hijab law grew into a bigger movement as Iranians said they were fed up with the regime's corruption, economic mismanagement, and oppression of its citizens. Now, a visible minority of women in Iran are refusing to wear headscarves, at great risk to their lives in defiant protests against the government and all of its policies. Women in America are also bravely taking to the streets to protect against the repressive policies of Republicans that are trying to control their bodies and their health and are threatening their rights and even their very lives.

Brave people from around the world are engaging in a nonviolent struggle to defend their rights and freedoms and fight for democracy. Examples of such individuals include: • Leymah Gbowee, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate from Liberia who organized peaceful protests to end the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003; • Ahmed Mansoor, an Emirati human rights activist who has campaigned against government repression through peaceful means; • Ai Weiwei, a Chinese artist, and pro-democracy campaigner who has been arrested multiple times for his activities; • Even ordinary people on the streets of Russia are taking the risk of being arrested. Individuals in massive numbers are taking to the streets of Israel to protest against restrictive judicial reforms by their autocratic and oppressive government. Brave men like Alexie Navalny, (who after surviving being poisoned by Russian assassins came back to confront the inequities in Russia and was imprisoned again) are risking everything to continue their fight for freedom.

Individuals in all countries have shown enormous bravery in confronting injustice. That show of courage in so many different countries by so many brave people should give all of us the strength to fight harder for justice against domestic enemies in our own country who are constantly working to destroy our democracy and our democratic way of life.

June Stepansky is a published writer and poet who writes books and articles about happiness, self-improvement, and social and political issues. Her poetry has been published in the literary magazine Vol No 21 Childhood and in Vol No 22. Poems that Need to be Explained.

A Different Voice—free self-help book

https://www.free-ebooks.net/self-improvement/A-Different-Voice

Kaleidoscope—free poetry book

https://www.free-ebook.net/poetry/kaleidoscope

The Rock Almighty Effect: Did God Prevent Donald Trump from being KILLED?

• Author Garfield Gregoire

People in the United States and around the world was SHOCKED to see how close Mr. Trump came to being killed as he spoke at a rally in Pennsylvania. Those in attendance and those watching on TV – including myself, was stunned - as Mr. Trump suddenly touched his ear and then dropped to the floor; and as he dropped to the floor, I cried out – saying NO, NO, possibly several times (not sure how many times). At that shocking and bewildering moment in time, people may have found themselves wondering if Mr. Trump had been killed or seriously injured – until the Secret Service rushed on to the stage to escort him away with a bleeding ear that had been hit by a bullet - which, we later learned, was fired by a young man who, it appeared, wanted to end the life of the former president.

In speaking of the incident, the former President noted that if he had not turned his head in a certain position, the bullet could have entered his skull – possibly ending his life right there on that stage. This moment in time is viewed by many as being miraculous and that divine intervention was involved or that God had miraculously spared the life of Mr. Trump.

In hearing people say that God spared the life of Mr. Trump, then this certainly, leaves the family of the man – Mr. Corey Comperatore – who died at the rally - wondering why God saved the life of the former President and not their father and husband – as the life of this man was also very important to his family.

Time and Chance

I would like to point out that despite the fact that many may be fully convinced that God directly intervened to save Mr. Trump, we must also consider that there is such a thing spoken of in the Bible as time and chance.

In speaking of the fact that time and chance do occur in the lives of people, the Bible says, “… but time and chance happened to them all” (Ecclesiastes 9:11). The word “CHANCE” comes from a Hebrew word which speaks of a chance or occurrence that can happen by accident – meaning that even though the trump shooter appears to have made a deliberate attempt to end the life of Mr. Trump, it could also have been by CHANCE that the firefighter died and Mr. Trump was spared or that he happened to turn his head at just the right moment.

In Luke 13:4, Jesus spoke of certain people who met their death by a tower coming down on them; He said: “Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?”

Jesus noted these people died (possibly by an accident; by chance) did not die because they were sinners above other people but that all men are sinners and that unless repentance is made men will ultimately experience spiritual death or die for all eternity (v. 5).

Hitler Survived Death

Let me make it clear that I am by NO means comparing Mr. Trump with Hitler, but only to make the point that Hitler survived several attempts made on his life. For example, in November of 1939 – on the 16th anniversary of his of his beer hall putsch, a bomb exploded after Hitler had finished his speech, he walked away unharmed. It has been also reported that a theology student posing as a reporter plan to shoot Hitler from a reviewing stand as he passed through a parade, but his view of Hitler was blocked by the crowd and the student was not able to carry out his assassination plan and was at some point later discovered and executed for his actions. Also in 1944, a plot was underway to shoot Hitler in the head with a pistol by a German cavalry officer who sought to conceal a gun hidden in his pocket but was unknowingly prevented from getting close to Hitler -as Hitler’s SS Guards were earlier ordered on that day to not allow aides into the conference room with Hitler. In July 1944 a plan was carried out to kill Hitler - by setting of an explosion hidden in a briefcase - which also failed to kill the German dictator.

No one would want to say God spared the life of Hitler or afforded him divine protection, but the one thing that is sure – is that Hitler could not have remained in power unless God almighty allowed it – because God is supremely in charge and not even Satan can go beyond what God allows. I wonder how many people consider it this way.

You can look at the suffering brought upon Job and understand that though evil came upon Job – through what Satan was allowed to do, nonetheless, Satan was limited in how far he to go in doing harm to Job – for God commanded Satan to not take the life of Job (Job 2:6); Satan could not go beyond what God said; this truth alone dismisses the myth that God is in a contest battling Satan to get everyone saved. If God was battling Satan to get the world saved then Satan would certainly be winning this battle because the vast majority of humans has always been going Satan’s way and not God’s way, but God is not in any contest with Satan to get as much people saved now because God, by his supreme will, has set forth a specific time in which He is going to save all of humanity – only most people do not seem to understand that.

Concerning divine protection, the Bible says, “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them” (Psalm 34:7). Divine protection is given to those who obey and fear God - by seeking to live by every word of God. God watches over the righteous and delivers them out of their troubles. God’s holy angels are not sent to deliver or minister to the people of the world but to the people of God – the true Christians - who are the heirs of salvation; Hebrew 1:14 make this very plain when it says, “Are they (the angels of God) not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be the heirs of salvation?” These angels of God do serve to keep the Christian from harm - such as from serious injuries, premature death, calamities and other evils – as well as to help them fight their battle against Satan – helping the Christian along the journey to achieve eternal life.

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Satan urged Jesus to prove HE was the Son of God by throwing himself from the pinnacle of the temple – while quoting scripture which states God would provide divine protection through his angels if Christ should throw himself off the temple (Psalm 91:11,12). Satan knew God protected Christ and kept him from harm from the day He was born. But Christ would not satisfy Satan’s temptation by putting God to the test; Jesus made this plain to Satan when He said, “It is written … Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God” (Matt. 4:7).

While God does protect those who love and honor him, the Bible, on other hand, reveal that God is supremely in charge over his creation – to the extent that it says, “… He removeth kings and setteth up kings …” (Daniel 2:21). It is God who allows men to be in power and God allows certain ones to have that power in order to work out his purpose here on this earth. For example, you can consider that it was God who made King Saul ruler over the people, but through the act of disobedience, God replaced Saul – by choosing David to be king, and having learned of this, Saul made several attempts to take the life of David; at one instance, Saul threw a javelin at him – hoping to pin him to the wall, but in all this, God allowed no harm to come to David. Surely, it was quite clear God had a purpose for David to fulfill; and in so doing, God protected David - keeping him from death at the hands of Saul.

Whether men are good or evil, it is God who allows men to be in power – so as to work out his divine purpose. It was Winston Churchill who said a purpose was being worked out here below. In regard to that purpose, Romans 13:1 goes as far as to say that the power leaders – through their human governments - hold over the people, is ordained of God; God allows this because He is supremely in charge. This does not mean that God approves of the Democratic form of government we have here in the United States, or that HE approves of the government of Russian and China; not at all, God allows these government to exist for the fulfilling of his divine purpose - as God’s divine Government is the only God approved Government; and I will be following up with another article on that very subject of God’s Government – showing that no matter who gets elected to the office of the president of the United States – whether it be Mr. Trump or vice president Harris, human leaders will not be able to solve the ills of the nation and bring us out of our troubling problems because of the sinful ways of the nation.

In Jeremiah 18:9,10, God says, “And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant. If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.”

Few would understand that America is spoken of in PROPHECY, and that no matter who gets elected to the office of president of the United States our problems and troubles are going to grow and grow to un-solvable proportion – the likes of which we have never seen – all because people are living the wrong way. But the point here is that we should keep in mind that time and chance does affect the lives of people- -causing some to die and others to live; and while it is possible that there might have been direct intervention by God to save the life of Mr. Trump on that fateful day in Pennsylvania, it could have also been by chance that firefighter lost his life on that day – as time and chance happens to all. The thing to keep in mind is that God is in supreme control and death and life is in his hands; it is HE that has appointed that men should die once, but after that the judgement (Hebrews 9:27).

Believe it or not, America is spoken of in Prophecy and to anyone willing to understand, may click the highlighted link below in the resource box.

https://www.amazon.com/America-Prophecy-Israel-people-consider-ebook/dp/B0C4M8R77J

I am an old man who has, long ago, came to the realization that this professing Christian world – with all its Mega Churches and various denominations do not proclaim the true teachings of the Bible - as they fail to correctly teach many vitally important doctrinal truths of Bible.