COCO GAUFF’S TESTIMONY OF FAITH

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Tennis star Coco Gauff was captured in a moment of deep gratitude and reflection after securing her first major tournament victory at this year’s US Open. Following her triumph, Gauff, who has openly expressed her Chrisitan faith on multiple occasions, knelt down in prayer at her chair after having rushed into the stands to embrace her family and coaches. When ESPN’s Mary Jo Fernandez asked about her faith, Gauff said: “It’s been so important…I don’t pray for results, I just ask for the strength to give it my all, and whatever happens, happens. I’m so blessed in this life. So, I’m just thankful for this moment. I don’t have any words for it, to be honest.” Her victory over Aryna Sabalenka marked her as the first American teenager to win the tournament since Serena Williams in 1999.

Reflecting on her previous straight-sets loss in the 2022 French Open final, the 19-year-old added: “That French Open loss was a heartbreak. I realized God puts you through trials. This makes this moment even sweeter than I could imagine.” It’s known that Gauff attends the Saint John Missionary Baptist Church in Florida and has previously revealed that she prays with her dad before every match. She told the New York Times in 2019: “We don’t really pray for victory, just that me and my opponent stay safe.” She also frequently shares thoughts and Bible verses about her faith on her social media accounts.

We need more testimonies like this one from young people who demonstrate the value of living a life that acknowledges and thanks God for His many blessings.

QUEEN ELIZABETH SPEAKS OF “LIVING FAITH”

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Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II, head of the Church of England, thanked BBC’s long-running TV series “Songs of Praise,” which celebrated nearly 3,000 episodes on its 60th anniversary Sunday, for presenting Christianity as a “living faith.”

“For 60 years, Songs of Praise has drawn together congregations and BBC viewers throughout the United Kingdom in collective worship,” the queen said in a message for a special episode of the show Sunday, The Telegraph reported.

“During that time, the program has shown Christianity as a living faith not only through hymns and worship songs, but also by featuring the many people who have put their faith at the center of their lives,” the 95-year-old queen continued.

“I congratulate ‘Songs of Praise’ and all those involved in the program on its 60th anniversary,” she added.

Aled Jones, who has been a “Songs of Praise” presenter for over 20 years, called it “one of the biggest joys of my life.”

“It is an honor to be able to share uplifting stories of faith with our dear audience and to gladden hearts with music that means the world to me. Here’s to a future filled with wonderful ‘Songs of Praise!’” Jones was quoted as saying.

On Saturday morning, while opening the new session of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, the queen spoke publicly about the Duke of Edinburgh for the first time since his death in April, The Sunday Times reported.

“I have spoken before of my deep and abiding affection for this wonderful country, and of the many happy memories Prince Philip and I always held of our time here,” she was quoted as saying. “It is often said that it is the people that make a place, and there are few places where this is truer than in Scotland, as we have seen in recent times.”

A church leader close to the late Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, revealed in a media interview back in April that he had “persuaded” the queen, his wife, to talk more about her Christian faith ahead of her Christmas broadcast in 2000.

From my post PRINCE PHILIP’S FINEST HOUR:

Prince Philip wanted his funeral service to be a testimony to His Triune God. There was no eulogy. He wanted the total focus to be on His God and on all three persons of the Trinity. This he did by his choice of Scriptures that were read. He also wanted all to know, particularly his family and friends, that he had total confidence his eternity was in the hands of the God he wanted to be made known through the funeral service he had planned.