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Illinois pastor and author urges others amid today's evil, 'Make America love again'

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Illinois pastor and author urges others amid today's evil, 'Make America love again'

Verses from the First Letter of John are believed to have been written by John the apostle.

They offer key lessons about love, the “remedy for evil,” Pastor James Ward of Illinois told Fox News Digital in remarks this week.

Ward is pastor of INSIGHT Church near Chicago and the author of the book “Zero Victim: Overcoming Injustice With a New Attitude.” 

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The purpose of John’s messaging is to “combat certain false ideas, especially about Jesus — and to deepen the spiritual and social awareness of the Christian community,” noted Biblegateway, a Christian website. 

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Ward shared his reflections on three relevant Bible passages.

Pastor James Ward of INSIGHT Church reflects on three passages from the First Letter of John and what “God is love” actually means.  (iStock/Charan Ingram)

These three are from the First Letter of John:

  • “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another” (1 John 4:11).
  • “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14).
  • “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him” (1 John 4:16).

“Evil is real,” Ward told Fox News Digital. 

“Whether you consider yourself to be religious or non-religious, the reports we hear every day concerning violence is disheartening to us all,” said Pastor Ward. “That’s because evil is not a religious problem, it’s a human problem.”

“The Bible clearly explains the origin and nature of evil, and the remedy for evil, which is love.”

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Evil has the power to both unify and divide people, said Ward, noting that “we can easily unify concerning the existence of evil, while remaining divided concerning how we should respond to it.” 

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He said, “I believe it’s time to call the American people back to individual responsibility to love, and to call our attention back to God’s Word,” he said. “The Bible clearly explains the origin and nature of evil, and the remedy for evil, which is love.” 

The verses found in the First Letter of John “reveal three actions we can all take to allow God to work through us to stop the force of evil and demonstrate His love,” he said. 

James Ward and his wife Sharon Ward are pastor and co-pastor of INSIGHT Church in Illinois. James Ward told Fox News Digital that he hopes to “make America love again.”  (Charan Ingram)

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‘Believe in love’

The first of these, he says, is to “believe in love.” 

“Just before a plane takes off, the flight attendants advise the passengers to secure their oxygen mask first before helping others in the event of an emergency,” said Ward.

Similarly, he said, a person “must first know that God is love and believe the love that God has for you.” 

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Only then, after believing in the love God has for someone, are people able to share this love with others. 

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‘Be loved’ 

The next is a reminder to “be loved,” said Ward.

“It’s not enough to just know that God is love and believe God’s love. You must receive God’s love personally and permit yourself to be loved by God,” he said. 

God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, “to die for our sins and permanently defeat evil as proof of His love for us,” said Ward — meaning that nobody is unlovable.  (SWNS)

Evil, Ward said, has the ability to make a person feel as though they are “unlovable and not worth loving.”

“We often struggle to receive God’s forgiveness and to forgive ourselves,” he said.

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It is important to remember that God sent His Son, Jesus, to the world “to die for our sins and permanently defeat evil as proof of His love for us,” said Ward.  

‘Be a lover’

The third reminder from these verses, said Ward, is to “be a lover.” 

“After you believe God’s love and allow yourself to be loved by God, you will be adequately equipped to be a lover of other people,” he said.

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“There is so little love in the world today because many people have not believed and received God’s love for themselves.”

“Love,” he said, can be defined as “total giving.” 

“However, you cannot give what you don’t have. I believe that there is so little love in the world today because many people have not believed and received God’s love for themselves.”

With the amount of evil currently existing in the world, “I call upon the American people to do our part,” Ward told Fox News Digital. 

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“Let’s make America love again,” he said. 

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.

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Wisconsin

Missing Wisconsin teen Joniah Walker found safe 4 years after disappearing from home

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Missing Wisconsin teen Joniah Walker found safe 4 years after disappearing from home


A missing Wisconsin teen was found safe after mysteriously vanishing from home four years ago as her family had believed she was “lured away.”

Joniah Walker, 19, was safely discovered on May 25, the Milwaukee Police Department told WISN on Tuesday.

Police officials didn’t disclose where Walker was found or provide any further information on the case, including whether the teen was with someone else.

Joniah Walker, a Milwaukee teen who disappeared in 2022, has been found safe in May 2026. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Walker, then 15, had disappeared from her Milwaukee home on June 23, 2022.

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Walker’s mother, Tanesha Howard, said she last saw her daughter lying in bed when she left for work the morning of her disappearance, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

“Joniah was lying in bed because she had just finished school. I went in to give her a hug before leaving for work,” Howard told the organization.

The mother and daughter duo had talked on the phone several times throughout the day before Walker “suddenly stopped responding.”

Walker was supposed to meet her father to apply for a summer work permit but failed to arrive at the designated time.

“He called me and said that Joniah wasn’t picking up her phone,” Howard said. “That is when I immediately knew something was wrong. I left work right away.” 

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Walker, then 15, had disappeared from her Milwaukee home on June 23, 2022. Milwaukee Police Department
Walker’s mother, Tanesha Howard, said she last saw her daughter lying in bed when she left for work the morning of her disappearance. Tanesha Howard

A nearby ring camera captured Walker leaving the apartment complex at around 2:30 p.m. in the Brewer’s Hill neighborhood, a mile-and-a-half north of Downtown Milwaukee.

Video footage showed the teen carrying a large green backpack.

It was the last known sighting of Walker until she was reportedly found last month.

Howard believed her daughter had met someone online after she deleted her digital footprint and never returned.

“Somebody stole her…that was my first instinct,” Howard said. “But when I saw that she left with a big backpack that I had never seen, that’s when I knew. I was like, someone lured her away.” 

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The protective mother issued multiple pleas for her daughter to come home, begging Walker to “call me,” WISN reported in July 2022.

Video captured the teen carrying a large green backpack, in the last known sighting of Walker. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
The protective mother issued multiple pleas for her daughter to come home, begging Walker to “call me.” National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

“She is my youngest daughter, so I always call her by ‘baby girl’ because that is exactly who she is, my baby girl,” she said. “She is what I would describe as a perfect daughter. She is angelic, soft spoken and very intelligent.”

Walker was one of the faces of a legislative push by Wisconsin State Rep. Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) seeking to pass a bill to create a Missing and Murdered African American Women and Girls Task Force, according to Fox6 Now.

Stubbs says she believed Walker was still alive, telling Howard to hold out hope for her daughter’s return.

“I believed Joniah was still living, and I said that to her – I don’t believe Joniah is dead, it’s only a matter of time,” Stubbs told the outlet.

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“I think right now, the family needs their privacy,” Stubbs added. “I know there are so many questions, but I think as time goes by when they are ready to tell their story, they will tell it.”



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Detroit, MI

Detroit Tigers tee off on New York Yankees with 5 homers in win

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Detroit Tigers tee off on New York Yankees with 5 homers in win


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NEW YORK – The Detroit Tigers showed no fear or intimidation facing Cam Schlittler, the New York Yankees superstar who entered Tuesday, June 30, as the favorite to win the American League Cy Young award.

The Tigers weren’t timid, either. They were aggressive and decisive, launching four homers off Schlittler in a 9-3 victory at Yankee Stadium.

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It was stunning, to say the least.

Meanwhile, lefty Tarik Skubal was his usual outstanding self for the Tigers (37-49). Skubal picked up the win, allowing one earned run off two hits while racking up nine strikeouts.

The Tigers danced off with their second straight win at Yankee Stadium. Meanwhile, the Yankees (48-37) drew plenty of boos after losing their sixth straight. The Tigers will go for the three-game sweep on Wednesday (1:35 p.m., Detroit SportsNet).

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At the plate: Tigers use long ball to crush Yankees

Schlittler has had a historic start to the season for the Yankees. He came into the game with a 1.62 ERA, the second lowest ERA by a Yankees pitcher through his first 17 starts of a season since it became an official stat in 1913.

“He’s the best pitcher in the American League right now,” Skubal said before the game.

Which was obviously no small statement coming from Skubal.

But the Tigers played with no fear. Catcher Dillon Dingler started it off by hitting a ball 337 feet. Yes, it was caught. But it was a sign of things to come.

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The next Tigers hitter, Kerry Carpenter, smashed a ball to deep center. Spencer Jones, the Yankees outfielder, went above the wall and it looked, for a split second, like he robbed the homer. But the ball hit the palm of his glove and it popped out, squirting over the fence for a 410-foot round-tripper.

It was a massive moment, considering a catch would have ended the inning.

But that left a door open for the Tigers to start jacking more homers through.

Riley Greene, the next batter, smashed a homer to right, a 424-foot blast that landed in the second deck.

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That was also an important moment, considering Schlittler had only given up two homers all season to lefties – the Tigers had equaled it in back-to-back plate appearances.

In the first inning, no less.

Colt Keith continued the onslaught, pounding a single up the middle.

Then Spencer Torkelson got into the act, launching a homer to left on the 10th pitch of the at bat. It was a no-doubter that went 405 feet.

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To recap: Facing the best pitcher in the American League, at least to this point in the season, the Tigers crushed three 400-foot homers in one inning.

Another fun Schlittler fact: He had allowed one run or fewer in 13 of his starts this season, leading MLB.

Then, Greene did it again. He hit his second homer of the game in the third. Yes, maybe he should get more days off, like he did on Monday.

Schlittler gave up six runs in four innings, his worst start of the season.

Tigers outfielder James Outman turned it into a rout with a three-run homer in the sixth.

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On the mound: Tarik Skubal was dealing

The Tigers had a 4-0 lead before Skubal even took the mound.

He did allow a homer to Ben Rice, which was not exactly a stunner. The Yankees slugger crushed his 23rd homer of the season, cutting the Tigers lead to 4-1.

But after that point, Skubal just rolled and the Yankees never really had a chance to get back into this game.

He gave up one earned run in six innings of work, recording nine strikeouts with no walks.

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The Tigers took a 9-2 lead into the ninth. Tyler Holton came in to pitch the ninth and he gave up a run.

Next up: Tigers try for the sweep

The Tigers will finish their three-game series in Yankee Stadium, a day start that will feature right-hander Troy Melton (4-1, 2.39 ERA) against right-hander Will Warren (7-3, 3.75).

Melton will try to keep up the Tigers’ outstanding starting pitching.

In the first game, on Monday, Tigers righty Casey Mize became the first pitcher in the Tigers’ 126 seasons to throw seven or more innings, allow one hit or less, no runs, no walks and strike out 10 or more in an outing. The 10 punchouts matched his career high.

Contact Jeff Seidel at jseidel@freepress.com or follow him @seideljeff.

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Milwaukee, WI

Career minor-leaguer Garrett Stallings gets his shot with the Brewers

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Career minor-leaguer Garrett Stallings gets his shot with the Brewers


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Garrett Stallings was in position to hit a pretty big milestone with Class AAA Nashville.

“Someone told me this week I would have hit my 600th minor-league inning, which is kind of crazy for someone who hadn’t made it to The Show yet,” Stallings said on Tuesday – but from the Milwaukee Brewers dugout at American Family Field after the right-hander had been selected to the 26-man roster.

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“But the whole time I’ve kind of put my head down and continued to go at it, and the work’s really paid off.”

Stallings, 28, was in the midst of his best minor-league season to date with the Sounds, posting a 3-3 record and 3.45 ERA in 16 appearances (12 starts) and 59 strikeouts in 62 ⅔ innings. His last six outings have been starts, but with the Brewers he’ll join a bullpen group that’s been ridden hard in recent weeks.

“Really, just learned how to be a reliever really quickly,” said Stallings when asked how things changed for him with Milwaukee. Originally a fifth-round pick of the Angels out of the University of Tennessee in 2019, he was traded the following year to the Orioles and then to the Brewers in 2024 in exchange for right-hander Thyago Vieira and minor-leaguer Aneuris Rodriguez.

Stallings re-signed with the Brewers as a minor-league free agent in the offseason after pitching in a career-high 30 games in 2025

“I’d been a starter my whole career, and just continued to be adaptable,” he continued. “In order to get your name called you can’t just tailor to one thing. That’s really helped broaden my horizons in the game, and as many different situations you can be in, it’s helped me just adapt to the game and keep my head up and be the best version of myself.”

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Stallings lacks the electric fastball and truly nasty stuff that defines so many pitchers these days, instead relying upon moxie and a willingness to try new things.

“I’ve always been a throw-every-type-of-pitch (guy),” he said. “I’ll tinker this side of the rubber or this side and I’m always one that will always at least try new things to see if I can get that edge. I think if anything, the experience of throwing 600 minor-league innings you learn a lot along the way. And it comes with failure, too.

“It hasn’t always been the easiest path. But this year I feel like I’ve just been able to keep getting a little bit better.”

Stallings joked that he’s felt at times like he’s been the best player in the minor leagues and at other times the worst, with the cumulative experiences helping shape him into a reliever being asked to contribute outs whenever he receives the opportunity.

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“I talked to him today,” said manager Pat Murphy. “That’s the best part. You get to sit here and let those guys come in, knowing how he grinded and stuck with it and hung with it and probably didn’t believe for a while that he would (make it).

“Then, to finally believe and get that phone call, I immediately think about his mom and dad, He’s got a fiancee, his brother and sister are coming. That’s really cool, and even cooler when he gets up (to pitch).”

Stallings, a native of Chesapeake, Va., could receive that chance as soon as tonight as the Brewers try for their fifth win in as many games against the Cincinnati Reds this season.

“It’s a dream come true,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming.”

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Stallings becomes the 45th player to appear on Milwaukee’s active roster this season and seeks to become the sixth to make his major league debut.

To clear space on the 26-man roster, left-hander Robert Gasser was optioned to the rookie Arizona Complex League Brewers, a procedural move that will allow him to be available July 7 when Milwaukee will need extra starting pitching for its doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.



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