Where's the good news for our world which is so filled with strife and trouble!?

There's rioting in Africa—right now in Egypt, threatening the integrity of the country itself. There were recent riots in South Africa over the closure of a platinum mine that would put 14,000 people out of work during these troubled economic times.

There is also strife in Iran. Strife is how to describe Iran's relationship with the United States and especially with the nation of Israel. And we haven't even talked about China's hostile attitude toward Japan and the Philippines.

Without the true God of the Bible, strife and trouble is simply the nature of mankind—anywhere on earth—because "…the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jeremiah 10:23).

Bible prophecy shows that the Middle East will be the boiling pot that spills over into the worst-ever world war that will lead to Jesus Christ's second coming. It's a sad time, but there will be much better times ahead when Christ has established the Kingdom of God on earth.

Readers of The Good News like yourself know that really good news is coming—but not before some bad news happens. What a world for our children and grandchildren to grow up in!

With our younger generation in mind, let me tell you about Vertical Thought, a wonderful, online, sister-publication to The Good News. For nearly 10 years as a print magazine Vertical Thought has addressed a multitude of issues of concern and importance to teens and college-age adults. All those articles are stockpiled on VerticalThought.org, free for you and your family to read.

Vertical Thought is drawn from God's statement given through the prophet Isaiah: "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9). To think vertically is to think about what God thinks and says. Young people today—and older people too—need to read Vertical Thought.

Recently, our Vertical Thought editorial staff decided to significantly increase their colorful and interesting content. To afford to do that, we shifted the magazine from a quarterly print schedule, and are launching a high-energy, daily, digital publication!

Here's how you can help. Just go to www.verticalthought.org and subscribe to receive our free e-mail updates about new youth and young adult articles, news items and stories about God's way to the Kingdom of God. That way you'll know when new content is ready and waiting for you to read and enjoy. And please, share this information about Vertical Thought with your friends and family!

Thank you for being a faithful reader of The Good News. We very much appreciate your interest in and support of the gospel of the Kingdom of God!