March Madness has reached the Oval Office. This week, Florida Gators fans Tim and Demi-Leigh Tebow and Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined President Trump in doing the classic “Gator Chomp.”

“A couple of Gators in the Oval Office,” a social media post read.

Tim Tebow and Wife Demi-Leigh Do the ‘Gator Chomp’ While Visiting Trump in the Oval Office

Former NFL quarterback and anti-human trafficking advocate, Tim Tebow, and his wife, Demi-Leigh, joined President Trump in the Oval Office Monday, March 31. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was there as well, as all did the “Gator Chomp” in support of the Florida Gators.

The Florida Gators, ranked second in the NCAA Southeastern Conference, have made it to the Final Four and will face Auburn on Saturday, April 5. Tebow played college football for the Florida Gators and won national championships in 2006 and 2008.

This isn’t the first time Tebow has had meaningful conversations in Washington, D.C. Last year, he petitioned a House Judiciary subcommittee to help combat human trafficking.

“We have to do more than just talk about it,” Tebow said of the war against child sex abuse materials (CSAM). “We have to act on it and be about it.”

The Tim Tebow Foundation joined Operation Renewed Hope in a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) collaborative effort focusing on the identification and rescue of those caught in human trafficking.

Tebow proposed a bill “to build a rescue team.” Tebow explained, “There’s so many frontline warriors and heroes, but there’s just not enough.” This rescue team needs “the funding, the support, the training, the technology so that they can get to these 50,000” children who are held captive in human trafficking rings.

It’s unclear whether the Tebows’ visit to the Oval Office included other agendas and conversations.

RELATED: ‘Tim’s a Girl Dad!’: Tim and Demi-Leigh Tebow Are Having a Baby Girl

Special assistant to the president and communications advisor Margo Martin posted a photo on X. “A couple of Gators in the Oval Office,” Martin shared with a photo of President Trump, Tim and Demi-Leigh Tebow, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

A couple of Gators in the Oval Office 🐊@TimTebow @DemiTebow @SecRubio pic.twitter.com/TBjFOVf9pk

— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) April 1, 2025

A scene from Part 1 of Season 5 of “The Chosen,” which released in theaters March 28, has some people squirming. Others, however, have found it amusing and appreciate how it illustrates the characters’ “humanity” [Editor’s note: This article contains spoilers for “The Chosen: Last Supper”]. 

In the scene in question, the Apostle John, played by George Xanthis, has to admit he cannot enter a room because he is unclean. It’s implied that the reason for his uncleanness is that he had a nocturnal emission.

In a statement on Facebook, the show’s creator, director, and co-writer Dallas Jenkins described several reasons why the writers included that scene, one being they were contrasting the Jewish leaders’ obsession with ritual purity with the “true purity” Jesus was bringing.

RELATED: Dallas Jenkins Responds to Criticism of ‘The Chosen’ With ‘Great News’: Viewers Read the Bible ‘More Than Ever’

“We always want to remind you of the Jewishness of the story. The prayers, the laws, the rituals are important to understand. And interesting,” Jenkins said. “It’s important to stress how the religious leaders were focused on the wrong things.”

“[The Jewish leader] is obsessed with making sure John and Zeb are ‘pure,’” said Jenkins, “when he’s talking to two Christ followers with the Messiah in town. And he can’t see the Truth because of his obsession.” 

“We want to contrast their perspective with our heroes,” the director said.

‘The Chosen: Last Supper’ References Levitical Laws

Season 5 of “The Chosen” is titled “The Chosen: Last Supper.” The recently released Part 1 includes Episodes 1 and 2. Part 2, which is the next three episodes in the series, will release April 4, and Part 3, the final three episodes, will release April 11. Fans will have the ability to watch all eight episodes the following week, which is Easter weekend.

 

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Part 1 of Season 5 saw the best theatrical debut “The Chosen” has had yet, grossing $11,755,197 domestically and nearly $13 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. The show came in third at the box office behind “Snow White” and “A Working Man.” 

Jenkins told Deseret News his “heart is full.” He said he had tried to keep his expectations for opening weekend low and that he was prepared “to be really happy” with $10 million. “If you’re one of the faces we saw in theaters this weekend: thank you,” he said. “Your support sends a huge message to media and makes it easier for storytellers like us to share impactful stories.”

A Kansas children’s pastor has been sentenced to 29 years and five months in prison after pleading guilty to the attempted murder of his family. Matthew Lee Richards had been a pastor on staff at Crossroads Christian Church in Shawnee prior to the incident that led to his arrest.

Richards was accused of attacking his wife and children with a knife before setting his home on fire in an incident that took place on Sept. 16, 2023. 

The victims included Richards’ wife and five children, four of whom were minors. His eldest child was 19 years old at the time. 

On the night of the crime, police received a 911 call about a house fire. A child also called 911 saying that the father was chasing them with a knife, and another caller told police she had been stabbed.

When police and other emergency personnel arrived on the scene, they discovered three victims with stab wounds waiting outside for help, and smoke could be seen coming from inside the house. 

Firefighters soon extinguished the fire. Richards’ wife and two of his children were rushed to the hospital with critical injuries. His adult child and two other children were treated for minor injuries.

During questioning, Richards admitted to setting the home on fire and attempting to murder his family. His home was in foreclosure, and rather than telling his family of their dire financial situation, Richards said he thought it was better to end their lives. 

“I stabbed my family…I stabbed my kids, detective. I stabbed my wife,” Richards said during the interview. He also referred to himself as a “monster.”

Richards was charged with five counts of attempted first-degree murder with premeditation and one count of aggravated arson with the risk of bodily harm. In February, Richard pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder as part of a plea agreement. 

Matthew Lee Richards and His Family Address the Court During Sentencing Hearing

At Richards’ sentencing hearing last week, Richards’ mother and sister addressed the court to speak on Richards’ behalf. 

RELATED: Pastor Murdered by Wife After Years of Forcing Her To Have Sex With 50 to 100 Men; Sentencing Underway

Turning to Richards, Richards’ mother said, “My little boy yesterday, my friend today, my son forever.”

Gospel singer Bishop Marvin Sapp has again addressed the controversy surrounding a viral clip of him asking for donations last summer. Sapp corrected an “absolutely false” narrative he said people are perpetuating, described “vitriol” he has experienced because of the controversy, and admitted he could have been less “assertive” when he asked for money. 

“People have created a narrative that was absolutely not true,” said Sapp in an appearance on “The Rickey Smiley Morning Show” Monday, March 31. That narrative, said the bishop, was that he held people hostage at his church until they gave $40,000. 

“That is absolutely false,” said Sapp.

PAW’s Presiding Bishop Defends Marvin Sapp

Marvin Sapp is an award-winning gospel artist, pastor, and suffragan bishop-senior advisor to the presiding bishop of Global United Fellowship. Last week, a clip went viral showing Sapp leading a worship service last July at a Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. (PAW) convention in Baltimore. 

RELATED: Bishop Marvin Sapp Responds to Viral Video of Him Saying ‘Close the Doors’ and Asking Worshipers for $40,000

During that service, Sapp asked 1,000 people in person and 1,000 people online to give $20 each, telling worshipers they had an “obligation” to God since they had benefited from his Word that evening. While Sapp was exhorting people to give, he repeatedly told ushers to close the doors and said that the whole group would “leave together.” 

“This is an easy miracle,” said Sapp. “We should be able to raise $40,000 tonight just from ya’ll giving.”

People, including Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, reacted negatively to the clip, with some viewing the bishop as pressuring people to give money. Sapp defended his actions in a March 26 statement on Facebook, saying he told the ushers to close the doors for security reasons and that he had a responsibility to the conference’s budget. The bishop also cited 1 Chronicles 29 in his defense.

The presiding bishop of PAW, Bishop Theodore L. Brooks, Sr., put out a statement Saturday, March 29, defending Sapp, saying “a short clip from our convention has now gone viral and unduly misrepresented not only Bishop Marvin Sapp, but the P.A.W., and churches worldwide.”

Brooks reiterated Sapp’s statements that Sapp was asking for the doors to be closed for security purposes and that the funds were being raised to support PAW’s ministry. “No doors were locked, and no one was held in the room against their will,” said Brooks. “We do not force or coerce anyone into supporting the operations of our organization, and we never will.”

The eight-day mission of NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams didn’t go according to plan. But Wilmore, an outspoken Christian, said God’s plans are greater and filled with purpose.

During a March 31 press conference, the 62-year-old astronaut testified about God’s sovereignty and talked about participating in worship and Christian fellowship during nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Wilmore and Williams, who returned to Earth safely on March 18 via the SpaceX Dragon capsule, answered questions Monday about life in space. A reporter who’d heard that Wilmore continued attending church services virtually asked why that was so important to him.

“The Word of God, continually infilling me, I need it,” Wilmore responded. He called his pastors “the finest…on or off, in this case, the planet.” While in space, the astronaut worshiped weekly with his home congregation, Providence Baptist Church in Pasadena, Texas. Wilmore serves as an elder at the church, located near the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

RELATED: NASA Astronaut Emphasizes Prayer Ahead of First Manned Moon Mission in 50 Years

During the unexpected delay, being able to “worship with my church family was vital,” said Wilmore. “It’s part of what makes me go.” In addition to worshiping virtually with Providence Baptist, Wilmore also watched services at a friend’s church in Tennessee “every single week” while at the ISS.

Astronaut Butch Wilmore: ‘I Need That Fellowship’

The weekly worship and fellowship opportunities while in orbit were “invigorating,” Wilmore said. “Part of what I need, as a believer in Jesus Christ, to continue that focus [is] a system, day in and day out,” he said. “Because I need that fellowship, even though it’s fellowship from afar.”

Christian fellowship from 250 miles above the Earth isn’t like “fellowship up close,” Wilmore admitted, “but still I need it.” From space, the astronaut led devotions and sang “Amazing Grace” with his home congregation.

Tommy Dahn, pastor of Providence Baptist, said in an interview last August that Wilmore “ministers to us, almost.” For example, the astronaut often called fellow congregants from space to share words of encouragement with them. The driving force behind all that? “The chance to share the gospel and proclaim Christ Jesus as Lord,” according to Wilmore.

‘God Is Always Good,’ Butch Wilmore Proclaims

At Monday’s press conference, a reporter asked about the life lessons the astronauts learned from having their “plans kind of fall apart.” Wilmore immediately referenced his faith, saying he centers his life “in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” who is “the end all, be all.”