1. On Jan. 12 a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit the town of Léogâne, approximately 16 miles west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, leaving 250,000 dead. The presidential palace, the United Nations headquarters and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption were destroyed. Around 300,000 were injured, and more than a million Haitians were left homeless; those whose homes survived slept outside for months as aftershocks continued into March. It’s been almost a year now, and Haitians are still experiencing homelessness, joblessness, and political turmoil. Pray for Haiti.

2. On April 20, 11 workers were killed and 17 others were injured when an explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit caused the unit to burn and sink, precipitating the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.
Although the BP well was finally capped in mid-August, cleanup of the Gulf is still ongoing and scientists are beginning a yearlong study of the ocean and shore environments, seeking to identify long-term effects.

3. On March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act became law. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blithely remarked, “we have to pass [the health care bill] to see what’s in it.” Pro-life Democrats in the House provided the deciding votes in return for . . . nothing. Republicans are promising to try to overturn the act and rescind it in 2011.

4. Ongoing holocaust: More than 50 million American babies have been aborted since 1973. THis “story” may be the most significant and consequential of this year, or any year since ’73. How can we escape the horrific consequences of killing our own children, year in and year out? God forgive us.

5. War and persecution in Afghanistan.

6. An 8.8-magnitude earthquake on Feb. 27 released 500 times more energy than Haiti’s quake and became the fifth-strongest earthquake ever recorded. But Chileans fared better than Haitians because of better building codes.

7. The last of U.S. combat forces in Iraq left in mid-August. Some non-combat troops and Special Forces remain. “The day after the 2nd Infantry Division left, bombers and gunmen killed at least 55 Iraqis and wounded hundreds in nearly two dozen coordinated attacks across the country.”

8. On Oct. 31, attacks on a Baghdad church service left 58 dead and more than 70 wounded. Christians have been leaving and continue to flee Iraq.

9. The European Union and the International Monetary Fund bailed out Greece in May to the tune of $145 billion. Then, in November, the EU and the IMF bailed out Ireland’s economy, $130 billion. They say either Spain or Portugal or both are next.

10. WikiLeaks began releasing portions of 250,000 diplomatic cables after Thanksgiving, 2010, to select newspapers and via its own website. The head of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has yet to be charged with treason or any other crime in the United States.

11. The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization, held October 17-25 in Cape Town, South Africa brought together enthusiastic participants from Latin America, Africa, and Asia —and some from Europe, North America, and Australia, too. “Participants devoted much of Saturday to repentance and prayer as they responded to a call to reflect on the movement’s lack of humility, integrity, and simplicity.”

12. iPhone 4, iPad, e-Readers of all kinds, apps, Facebook, Twitter, Google, and tablets are all changing the way we communicate and the way we use technology to relate to one another and to educate and amuse ourselves. Maybe the technologies are also changing us, but it’s difficult to know how or how much.

World Magazine’s Top Ten News Stories of 2010.

Actually, these are only the stories we know about that might be significant influences on the future of our world or of God’s Kingdom. The real story may be a baby born somewhere in China or Albania or Venezuela, or a young woman born again in a tiny church near an obscure village, or two or three gathered together faithfully to pray for God’s deliverance and for revival. It’s amazing to me to think that someday in heaven, we may be able to see and hear about all those really crucial events and people that God used to bring about His will and His plan for our little planet.

God is in control.