Articles by semperverus

Captive Nations Week 2025

President Donald Trump proclaims July 20–26, 2025, Captive Nations Week. He calls upon “all Americans to reaffirm our commitment to supporting those around the world striving for liberty, justice, and the rule of law.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Global Persecution of Christians Surges in 2024 ]

In his proclamation, President Trump says, “This Captive Nations Week, I offer my heartfelt support to every person living under a totalitarian regime, and I reaffirm my commitment to advancing a new era of peace where freedom is cherished, sovereignty is respected, and every nation can live without fear of tyranny or oppression.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION ]

“In 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower first proclaimed Captive Nations Week to counter the emerging threat of communism and declare America’s resolve to defend the fundamental rights of free speech, religious liberty, and self-government. As President, I continue that work today, as far too often, oppressive regimes still silence dissent and persecute their own citizens for practicing their faith.

Lesson From a Firefighter: Don’t Wait to Make a Positive Difference in Someone’s Life

The third practice of the five SemperVerus components is BE, which emphasizes the importance of intentionally reinforcing rectitude in yourself. It’s stated thusly:

III. Be: developing rich personal leadership character of exemplary moral and ethical quality.

In the following brief TED Talk video, volunteer firefighter Mark Bezos shares a life lesson he learned on his first fire emergency:

Or watch it here.

Something to think about as you live a SemperVerus life.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of BE ]

Stay True to what is right. Stay True to your aim.


Invite SemperVerus® to present its 5 life-changing success-generating components—prepare, aware, be, know, do—to your organization to inspire and motivate your members.

Join the SemperVerus Brotherhood™!

Stopped: Armed Man Threatening Mass Shooting in a Naples, Florida Church

A 23-year-old man walked into a Naples, Florida church Sunday, July 6, 2025, during the final moments of the morning worship service. Two church employees observed his erratic behavior and strange statements. He claimed to be a “trained killer,” asked how much money it would take to stop a mass shooting, and appeared to have a handgun in his waistband.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]

While one staff member attempted to de-escalate the situation and call 911, another discreetly moved children to safety. When deputies arrived and disarmed him, they discovered he had a loaded handgun, a round in the chamber, and three fully loaded magazines containing 60 rounds of 9mm ammunition.

Too Little Faith to Be an Atheist

The observable universe is approximately 93 billion light-years (one light-year equals about 5.88 trillion miles) in diameter, containing an estimated 100 billion to 2 trillion galaxies, each comprising an average of 100 million stars, according to calculations based on the Hubble Space and James Webb telescopes and new mathematical models. Voyager 1 is a space probe launched by NASA in 1977 to explore the outer solar system and interstellar space. After 48 years of continuous flight, it is currently over 15 billion miles (22.3 light-hours) from Earth and still going. Our own Milky Way galaxy alone is estimated to be 105,700 light-years in diameter and contains 100–400 billion stars and at least that number of planets.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Life Lessons to Learn From a Space Capsule Failure ]

Our unique planet teems with life, from the microscopic flea to the colossal blue whale. While the exact number is unknown, scientists estimate around 8.7 million animal species are on Earth. Only a small fraction of these have been formally described, with estimates suggesting that 86% of land species and 91% of marine species remain undiscovered. And there are roughly 391,000 known species of plants.

WOW!