West
Pastor Greg Laurie to deliver faith-filled inspirational message at 'Hope for Lahaina' event
Nearly nine months after the devastating wildfire in Maui, the community is still struggling and suffering from the after-effects of the destructive blaze.
Pastor Greg Laurie, founder of Harvest Christian Fellowship in California and Hawaii, wants to help provide for the needs of those struggling on the island, both in the physical and spiritual sense.
Laurie, along with former “American Idol” contestant Danny Gokey and worship leader Leeland, are hosting an outreach event called “Hope for Lahaina” on Sunday, April 28. They’re aiming to preach a Gospel message to the people of Maui and be a source of encouragement and uplift for the people who are trying to regain a sense of normalcy after losing everything.
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Speaking to Fox News Digital this week, Laurie said there remains a “lingering sadness” over the island, long after the clouds of smoke and ashes faded.
“The reality is settling in,” he said. “Sadly, some have left the island altogether.”
While the event is called “Hope for Lahaina,” Laurie said “hope” is an acronym that stands for “Holding On with Patient Expectation.”
“The Bible tells us that hope can function like an anchor in a person’s life,” he said.
In Lahaina, this is playing out in quite a literal sense, said Laurie. A “massive anchor” now stands where the Pioneer Inn, a historic inn that was the oldest continuously operating hotel in Hawaii, once stood.
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“The anchor survived that horrific fire, as did the famed Banyan tree,” said Laurie. “That tree was originally planted in 1873 to mark the 50th anniversary of the first mission by missionaries to the island.”
The Banyan tree and anchor, said Laurie, “symbolize what we are doing.”
“Hope in God anchors us in tumultuous times, and God can bring ‘beauty out of ashes’ and we can live and grow again,” he said.
That hope, said Laurie, “is found in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.”
“Hope in God anchors us in tumultuous times.”
Harvest, which has a location in Lahaina, has “been able to step in the gap and bring both practical help and hope to the people of this island,” he said.
Thanks to donations from across the country, Havest Maui has provided food, clothing, school supplies, housing and more to people who survived the fires.
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“We also had mental health specialists on the island speaking, as well as at events for families — from inspirational movie nights to outreaches to thousands of kids,” Laurie told Fox News Digital.
He continued, “We’ve assisted local area schools by building temporary classrooms for their children and have continued to support Maui’s first responders, who are also victims of the fires.”
The aftereffects of the fire are particularly hard for children, he said, who are now bussed 90 minutes to and from school each day after their original schools were destroyed.
“Rebuilding here has been slow,” said Laurie.
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Aside from physical assistance, Laurie has also worked to meet people’s spiritual needs.
“Our weekly worship services and Bible teachings are the heart of all we say and do,” he said. “We’ve had Harvest Maui pastors trained in biblical trauma counseling to support those in the community who need assistance.”
“Harvest Maui is here for the long haul.”
“Harvest Maui is here for the long haul,” said Laurie, noting that his church will soon be moving to a more permanent facility to accommodate its growing congregation.
“I cannot emphasize enough how important spiritual help is to people, especially at a time like this,” he said.
The situation in Lahaina, he said, is not unlike the story of Lazarus in John’s Gospel.
Following Lazarus’ death, things “looked like the bleakest of circumstances,” said Laurie.
“Jesus came and changed everything,” raising Lazarus from the dead.
And “Jesus,” he said, “is still in the life-changing business today.”
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Montana
A small plane crashes in Montana, killing the pilot and a passenger
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A single-engine airplane crashed in southeastern Montana, killing the pilot and the passenger, the Federal Aviation Administration reported.
The Piper PA-18 crashed near Tillitt Field Airport east of the town of Forsyth at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, the FAA said. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash.
Rosebud County Sheriff Allen Fulton said they have identified the victims but weren’t releasing their names yet. The crash did not start a fire, he said.
Copyright 2024 KFYR. All rights reserved.
Nevada
Billionaire media mogul officially receives Nevada gaming license
The Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday approved the licensing of media mogul Barry Diller as a director for the MGM Resorts International board of directors.
In a 4-1 vote — the first for new member Abbi Silver — commissioners agreed to license Diller without restrictions after approving a limited two-year license for him in May 2022.
Two years ago, Diller was recommended for approval by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, but between the time of the Control Board recommendation and final commission approval, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced an investigation into insider trading allegations against Diller, his stepson-in-law Alexander von Furstenberg and film studio executive and producer David Geffen.
Diller, appearing at Thursday’s meeting online from New York, said the timing of the purchase of stock in videogame company Activision Blizzard, which later was taken over by Microsoft Corp., was coincidental. He said he, von Furstenberg and Geffen considered Activision to be an undervalued company worthy of their investment.
Diller and his attorneys told the commission there has been no further contact from the SEC and the U.S. Justice Department about an investigation into the stock trades.
“This matter has reached the end of the map,” one of Diller’s attorneys told commissioners.
Commissioner Rosa Solis-Rainey cast the one vote against Diller’s licensing and she said during the 15-minute hearing that while she had no misgivings about Diller’s character and suitability, she preferred a conditional licensing since the SEC left the possibility of a future investigation open.
The SEC’s email to Diller’s lawyer that Diller authorized be made public says, “must in no way be construed as indicating that the party has been exonerated or that no action may ultimately result from the staff’s investigation.”
Diller is the chairman and senior executive of IAC, a holding company that owns brands across 100 countries, mostly in media and internet, and chairman and senior executive of Expedia Group. He is a former chairman and chief executive officer of several companies, including Fox and Paramount Pictures Corp. Diller also serves on the board of The Coca-Cola Company.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
New Mexico
Brandon Richards: Showers and storms persist Thursday
We’ve had steady rain and storms Thursday across New Mexico but this won’t last into the weekend. See the latest conditions at KOB.com/Weather.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Scattered rain showers and storms will persist as Thursday goes on throughout New Mexico but will clear up as Friday nears.
For now, we’ll have to deal with temperatures below average. If you’re in a place like Carlsbad or Roswell, though, enjoy it. Temperatures will be near triple-digits in a few days.
Meteorologist Brandon Richards has his full forecast in the video above.
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