Top Stories
Courageous Students for Life
Students For Life of America has released its first book,
which they say shows their aim to end abortion in our lifetime. “Courageous” is written by Kristan Hawkins
and features stories of people who have answered the call to end abortion. Kristan should know a little something about
that. She has almost single-handedly
helped to more than triple the number of pro-life campus groups in the U-S
since 2006.
President Nominates CIA Director and Secretary of Defense
President Obama yesterday officially nominated John Brennan
as the new CIA Director, and former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel to head up
the Defense Department. Mr. Obama hailed the experiences of both men as
uniquely qualifying them for service in their proposed roles. Hagel is a
Vietnam Veteran and former US
Senator from Nebraska.
Brennan is a “lifer” in the intelligence systems who is said to have the
respect of his peers. While the Hagel nomination is seen as controversial because
of his stance on Israel and Iran, Brennan’s confirmation is anything but
guaranteed as several Republicans continue to look for answers regarding the
September attacks in Benghazi,
Libya. South
Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, for one, said yesterday he doesn’t believe
anybody should be confirmed until those questions are answered.
Thousands Have Died in Syrian Civil War
It’s been almost two years since the civil war started in Syria,
and new estimates from the United Nations suggest more than 60-thousand people
have been killed. That figure is based
on reporting from seven different sources, and is more than the 45-thousand
given by the activists fighting against President Bashar al Assad.
Pro Life Laws Put Dent in Abortion
State lawmakers around the nation passed the second highest
number of abortion restrictions ever last year.
Nineteen states enacted forty-three different measures limiting access
to abortion services. That comes on the
heels of ninety-two restrictions in 2011.
LifeSiteNews says that means that even though abortion is still legal,
it is increasingly difficult to access.
And a lot of these pro-life laws are showing women that there are
alternatives.
Crimson Tide Rolls Fighting Irish
After a six week layoff, it’s easy to forget that the
college football season was not over until last night - and then it was over by
halftime as the Alabama Crimson Tide went up 28-0 early and rolled to a 42-14
win over Notre Dame for their second straight BCS national title – the fourth
for coach Nick Saban and the seventh straight for the SEC.
Church Around the World
Iranian Pastor Released, Again. Attorney Still in Jail
Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has once again been
released from prison in Iran
and is back home with his family again.
Remember he had been released in September after serving almost three
years for evangelizing Muslims in Iran. However last month he was put in jail again
after prison authorities said he had been released too early due to the
insistence of his attorney. Now, his
attorney has been disbarred and is serving a ten year sentence for actions
against the Islamic regime.
Faith
Religious Freedom Day Celebrates Historic Statute
A week from tomorrow is Religious Freedom Day. It happens every year on January 16th, the
anniversary of the passage of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom back in
1786. Alan Sears with the Alliance
Defending Freedom says “Religious freedom is our first liberty, and it now
finds itself under increasing attack in the public square.” There are all kinds of helps for parents,
teachers, students, and churches up on the website – www.ReligiousFreedomDay.com.
Great
Britain Refuses to Protect Sunday Off Days
A new court ruling in Great Britain says that Christians
there have no right to refuse to work on Sundays because it is not a “core
component” of their beliefs. That
decision comes after an appeal by a Christian woman who was forced to resign
from her job as a home care worker.
Christina Mba says her employers told here when she hired in that she
could have Sundays off, which is why she took the position. They then began threatening her with
disciplinary measures if she refused.
Audio Bible Reaches Milestone
A big milestone for the audio bible ministry Faith Comes By
Hearing, as they have added nine new recordings and now have recorded
Scriptures available in 703 languages.
That represents a potential outreach to more than five billion people,
over two-thirds of the world’s population.
And remember they offer free access to that digital collection via
streaming, downloads, podcasts, and the Bible.is app.
Family & Relationships
Dad’s Stress Level Affects Kids
For years, doctors have told us that a mom-to-be’s stress
level can effect her unborn child. Now
new research suggests that the way dad handles things is just as
important. The study of about 32,000
kids in Norway
shows children whose fathers scored high for psychological distress and
depression were more likely to develop behavioral problems by the time the
child turned three.
Work
More Education Not Necessarily A Lucrative Endeavor
A lot of folks have used this down economy as a time to
finish degrees, in hopes of moving up.
Unfortunately, when they finish they’re finding a lower salary is
waiting for them. New figures from www.Payscale.com shows that the starting
pay for graduates with their MBA has fallen by more than 4.5-percent since
2008. And as if that weren’t enough,
they now have the added pressure of having more student loan debt to pay off.
Health
Mental Fitness is Important, Too
As a lot of Americans focus on getting more physically fit
in the New Year, one expert is calling for more mental fitness. Dr. Paul Nussbaum is a neuropsychologist at
the University of
Pittsburgh, and says
adopting a brain fitness program may be the key to helping prevent dementia. What is in a brain fitness program? A lot of the same things that are in a
regular fitness program – walking everyday, or at least some form of aerobic
activity. More fruits and veggies, and
foods big in Omega 3’s like fish and nuts.
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