Good Morning!
Dwight L. Moody once referred to “long-suffering” as “love-enduring” – an appropriate way to sum up the force, fervor, and loyalty of those who continue to work towards a culture of life:
- Rising Hope for a Pro-life America at the March for Life
From The Daily Citizen:
Thousands of pro-life Americans gathered in Washington D.C. today to rally together and march to promote a national culture that affirms the dignity of every human life.
Excitement was in the air as speakers and attendees alike shared their optimism about Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court case that legalized abortion across America, potentially being overturned by the Supreme Court this term.
U.S. Representative Chris Smith (NJ-04) said, “We meet this year with fresh hope and heightened expectation…that the Supreme Court may soon take a powerful step towards inclusion, justice, and respect for the weakest and most vulnerable. We are here to say that equality begins in the womb and the injustice of abortion need not be forever.”
Jim Daly, President and CEO of Focus on the Family, said he is optimistic about the future of the pro-life movement. He cited the recent Knights of Columbus poll which shows that 71% of Americans support limits on abortion. The poll also found that “81% of Americans believe laws can protect both the mother and her unborn child.”
Yes, indeed, the pro-life future is bright. The March for Life reminds us that collectively we have power to change the moral direction of this country. It’s up to each of us to faithfully do our part to promote a culture of life.
2. The Countries Where It’s Most Dangerous to Be a Christian in 2022
From the Gospel Coalition:
Over the past year, 360 million Christians lived in places where they experienced high levels of persecution and discrimination. Of that number, 6,175 believers were detained without trial, arrested, sentenced or imprisoned, 3,829 were abducted, and 5,898 were killed for their faith.
The 2022 World Watch List reveals that persecution is extremely high in Afghanistan, which for the first time has supplanted North Korea as the most dangerous country to be a Christian.
- The National Committee for Religious Freedom is Hoping to Reduce Faith-Related Conflict
From the Deseret News:
After years spent combating religious persecution overseas as part of the Trump administration, former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is setting his sights on related conflict playing out much closer to home.
This week, Brownback, with the support of faith leaders from across the religious spectrum, launched the National Committee for Religious Freedom, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to protecting the right of religious expression by, among other things, naming and shaming politicians who disregard the concerns of people of faith.
The group, which is modeled after the National Right to Life Committee, plans to have a presence in all 50 states. Representatives will assess political candidates’ faith-related record, distribute voter guides and generally raise awareness of the “importance and beauty” of religious liberty, according to Brownback, a former U.S. senator who most recently served as ambassador at-large for international religious freedom.
“A big part of what we’ll be about is educating people about the necessity of this right,” he said.
4. Department of Education Investigates Religious Colleges after LGBT-Identified Students File Complaints
From The Daily Citizen:
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (DOE, OCR) is targeting religious colleges and universities for violating Title IX by upholding biblical standards about relationships, sexuality and marriage. LGBT-identified students have filed complaints that they were discriminated against on the basis of their “sexual orientation” or “gender identity.”
The first school to be investigated was Lincoln Christian University in Lincoln, Illinois, affiliated with the Christian Churches or Churches of Christ.
Kalie Hargrove, born male but living as a “transwoman,” alleges that the school violated Title IX and discriminated against him “on the basis of sex (gender identity) by directing her either to withdraw from classes or face discipline because she publicly identified as transgender.” Hargrove was pursuing a master’s in divinity but had begun to accept his “own identity as a transgender woman.”
RELATED:
Matt Walsh Speaks the Truth About ‘Gender Ideology’ on Dr. Phil – Upsets ‘Non-Binary’ Activists
From The Daily Citizen:
Kudos to Matt Walsh, a conservative Christian author and activist, who participated in a Dr. Phil show with two “non-binary,” “transgender” activists. He explained the truth about the false “gender ideology” that has swept across our culture, courageously speaking before a hostile audience.
Walsh, with truth, respectfulness and civility, countered and questioned the ideology of LGBT activists Addison, born male but now identifying as “non-binary,” and Ethan, who was born female but now says she’s “non-binary/trans-masculine.”
Walsh said that his goal before the show was to keep things simple and not get lost in the weeds and confusion of “transgender” rhetoric. He uses humor, common sense and logic to make his points.
The activists spent a lot of time trying to explain to Dr. Phil McGraw, host of the show, transgender language and ideology. They worked to separate the physical reality of sex – being male or female, from so-called “gender identity” – how a person feels or thinks.
Addison said, “We need to realize that ‘transwomen’ are women and ‘trans men’ are men, too.”
Walsh said, “Well, this is one of the problems with this left-wing gender ideology, is that no one who espouses it can even tell you what these words mean.” He then asked, “What is a woman? Can you tell me what a woman is?”
Ethan said, “No, I can’t. Because it’s not for me to say. Womanhood looks different for everybody.”
5. Woke Candy: M&M’s Characters to Become More ‘Inclusive’
From The Daily Citizen:
Did you know that M&M’s characters are exclusive and make people feel as if they don’t belong?
Mars Inc., the parent company of M&M’s, recently admitted as much.
The company just announced a revamp of the M&M’s characters that are seen on the candy’s packaging and commercials.
“At Mars we believe that in the world we want tomorrow, society is inclusive,” the company said in a statement. “And, as one of our most iconic brands, M&M’s is announcing a new global commitment to create a world where everyone feels they belong.”
M&M’s announcement that their characters are becoming more “inclusive” leaves several questions.
Who was M&M’s previously excluding prior to this newfound “inclusivity?” And why was the candy company previously so exclusive? Shouldn’t the company’s executives apologize for their previously exclusivity?
The Daily Citizen reached out to Mars Inc. for comment on these questions but has not received a response.
And here’s another question: Do you know a single person who felt excluded by M&M’s characters, or offended at M&M’s lack of inclusivity?
It’s a rhetorical question, but I think I can guess your answer.
- Heartbreaking video from high school shows slain NYPD officer giving uplifting message
From the NY Post:
Slain NYPD rookie Officer Jason Rivera told high school freshmen “to put in the work” to make it in life, he said in an inspirational video filmed when he graduated.
In a heartfelt video message when he graduated Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School in 2017, Rivera urged younger students to work hard or they would make it “nowhere” in life.
“High school is high school. Like, you know what? We don’t like it but we still have to do it,” he says in the clip, which was also posted to Instagram by his alma mater. “And I want y’all to do it. Because when I was a freshman, I didn’t have no one to motivate me. I want to motivate ya.
“Ya gotta put in the work. Ya gotta put in 100 percent effort. And ya know what? If it takes some time after school, ya know, so be it, because you gotta do it. If you don’t do it you’re not gonna make it nowhere in life.”
“I sometimes sit in my room alone and just think to myself that life is not easy,” Rivera wrote. “Sometimes you are thrown a ball, and you have to learn how to dodge that ball. You can either stay hurt from the ball thrown at you, or you can work hard and heal again.”
- ‘We can already feel the pinch.’ Families aren’t getting child tax credit checks for the first time in 6 months
From CNBC:
Without a January child tax credit payment, Jen Cousins will have to wait a few extra months to replace the brakes on her minivan, the only car her family of six owns.
Cousins, 44, a stay-at-home mom in Orlando, Florida, has been receiving the full credit for each of her four children ages six, eight, twelve and thirteen for the past six months. She’s put most of the extra money toward medical expenses – the entire family wears glasses, one child needs special prescription eye drops and speech therapy and soon, her oldest kids will need braces.
Her husband, Matt, 43, works as a software architect and has insurance through work, but it only covers him, so the family pays almost $1,000 each month to insure Jen and the kids, she said. Plus, additional out-of-pocket expenses always come up.
“When you have four kids, weird things come up all the time,” she said. “Somebody breaks something, and you’ve got a $400 ER visit you’ve got to pay.”
- Moms in Middle Age: Rarely Alone, Often Online and Increasingly Lonely
From the Wall Street Journal:
Middle age is a crowded time. It’s also a lonely one. Work and family demands leave little time for nurturing friendships, particularly for women.
Pre-pandemic, conversations about loneliness often centered on men, with talk of a “loneliness epidemic.” But during lockdown, Generation X women, who range in age from 41 to 57 years old, reported the sharpest rise in loneliness, according to a survey of more than 1,000 adults conducted in the spring of 2020 by the Roots of Loneliness Project, a research organization. And the increase in social isolation reported by women living with children was also greatest among those from Gen X, according to an unpublished portion of the survey shared with The Wall Street Journal.
For women feeling burned out from holding family life and work together, social media has typically been the most convenient place to vent and seek connection. But going online has surfaced feelings of inadequacy and loneliness, many say.
9. Alcohol ‘directly causes several types of cancer,’ doctors warn
From Study Finds:
If you enjoy a nightly glass of wine or beer, one study may have you thinking twice next time you need to take the edge off. New research warns that alcohol consumption can be blamed for the development of multiple types of cancer.
Moreover, the study out of Oxford University suggests that people who never drink, or just have an occasional sip, are 31 percent less likely to develop certain types of the disease.
Alcohol has been linked to a range of tumors including those of the breast, bowel, mouth, throat and liver. Now, scientists have shown it is a lethal trigger, especially for those with specific gene mutations.
“These findings indicate alcohol directly causes several types of cancer,” says lead researcher Dr. Becky Im, of Oxford Population Health, in a statement. “These risks may be increased further in people with inherited low alcohol tolerability who cannot properly metabolize alcohol.”
10.Tongan Man Swept Away by Tsunami Survived After 26 Hours Afloat
From The New York Times:
Lisala Folau had been at sea for about 12 hours, drifting between the islands of Tonga overnight after a tsunami hit his home, when he saw a police patrol boat.
Mr. Folau, 57, grabbed a rag and waved, hoping for rescue from the disaster caused by an undersea volcano’s eruption about 40 miles from Tonga. But the people on the police boat did not respond. Mr. Folau wasn’t even halfway through his trial of trying to reach safety.
Mr. Folau said he wanted to find land, but he also thought if he clung to a tree, his family would have an easier time finding his body.
He said these thoughts motivated him to get to Sopu, which is on the western edge of the capital, Nuku’alofa, on Tongatapu, the main island.
Mr. Folau arrived around 9 p.m., crawled to the end of a public road, then used a piece of timber as a walking stick. He walked until he found help from someone in a vehicle. He did not tell the radio station whether he knew the condition of his niece or other relatives, and communication with Tonga remained difficult on Friday.
“And it was the manna of God to me and my family, and the church as well as Atata, so unexpected that I survived after being washed away, floating and surviving the dangers I just faced,” he said.
Peter Lund, New Zealand’s acting high commissioner in Tonga, told The Associated Press that Mr. Folau’s story was in line with the timeline of the disaster and the report of a missing person on Atata. “It’s one of these miracles that happens,” Mr. Lund said.
