A series of earthquakes rattled Southern California, coinciding with the landfall of Tropical Storm Hilary, which brought record rainfall and flooding to the region. The earthquakes, ranging from 2.5 to 5.1 in magnitude, struck near Ojai in Ventura County, while Hilary’s unexpected path caused intense downpours across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Read more.

Ohio Right to Life fired its communications director, Elizabeth Marbach, days after she tweeted that "there is no hope for any of us outside of having faith in Jesus Christ alone." Her post went viral last week after Ohio Rep. Max Miller, who is Jewish, called it "one of the most bigoted" tweets he had ever seen. Read more.

An unnamed teacher at White County Middle School in Sparta, Tenn., has apologized after giving students an assignment that instructed them to write about the experience of committing murder using a pre-written prompt. Concerned parent Shelly Davis said the teacher gave students images to inspire their writing, including an image of a "woman with no face" and another image of windows with "maybe possibly blood laying around" the area. Read more.

Angela Allen, vice chairwoman of the Goochland County School Board, has filed a lawsuit claiming that her colleagues censured her for posting a critique of the district's transgender bathroom policy on Facebook. Allen's January post noted that the district allows students to use restrooms different from their biological sex and asked whether that met the community's expectations; her post came in response to a concerned citizen, with Allen noting that she had been told the district had no such policy. Read more.

Author and apologist Robin Schumacher discusses America's obsession with stuff and why it's important to keep your possessions in check. Schumacher points to Luke 12 and writes, "Notice in that parable that possessing things isn't necessarily bad, but God comes first. And, whatever we do have we hold loosely in case it needs to go for a higher purpose." Read more.

William Wolfe, a visiting fellow with the Center for Renewing America, offers three questions believers should ask when determining whether they should boycott a company. In making these decisions, Wolfe reminds readers to agree to disagree when it comes to determining what merits a boycott. Read more.

Based on the inspirational true story about family, faith and never giving up hope. THE HILL: Growing up impoverished in small-town Texas, young Rickey Hill shows an extraordinary ability for hitting a baseball, despite being burdened by leg braces from a degenerative spinal disease. His stern, pastor father (DENNIS QUAID) discourages Rickey from playing baseball to protect him from injury, and to have him follow in his footsteps and become a preacher. As a young man, Rickey (COLIN FORD) becomes a baseball phenomenon. His desire to participate in a try-out for a legendary major league scout divides the family and threatens Rickey’s dream of playing professional baseball. Read More

Evangelist Nick Hall says believers need to stop debating over Christian music as long as it adheres to the truth of the Gospel. "Christian music should make space for any expression that wants to point to the hope we find in Jesus," he told CP, adding that debates over music have existed throughout Church history. Hall headlined the 11th annual Amplify Music Festival in Bentonville, Ark., over the weekend. Read his interview with CP here.

Faith-inspired films continue to win at the box office, surpassing movie critics' expectations. As the summer season winds down, check out these seven faith-inspired movies, including "Big George Foreman" and "Sound of Freedom." Read the full list now.