Feel Good News

Lubbock Texas Votes To Become Sanctuary City for The Unborn

In a victory for pro life supporters, citizens in Lubbock, Texas voted this past weekend to declare the city a “Sanctuary City for the Unborn. The city’s measure declares performing or aiding in an abortion unlawful. The passage of the ordinance makes Lubbock one of some two dozen cities that have declared themselves sanctuary cities for the unborn. Supporters of the measure say it reflects the views held by many in conservative Lubbock. They believe the ordinance would stand up in court and say they have an attorney who will defend the city free of charge if it is challenged. Read more about the measure here.

Christian And Missionary Alliance Considers Women “Pastors”

When it comes to women being pastors, Christians are deeply divided. The CMA (Christian and Missionary Alliance) consecrates and licenses women for ministry but does not permit them to use the title “pastor.” The term is restricted to men who can be elders, even though not all pastors are elders in CMA churches and not all elders are ordained pastors. But now that may change. The CMA is considering changing the title restrictions at the denomination’s annual General Council meeting, scheduled for both Nashville and online at the end of May, allowing women to be called pastors in the future. Read more about the pending decision here.

NBA Star Tobias Harris Puts Jesus In All He Does

As a member of the Philadelphia 76ers for the past three seasons, Tobias Harris  is gaining a reputation for his gifts on the court as well as his humanitarian work off of the court. His work off the court consists of community outreach for underprivileged youth nationwide and in Philadelphia. Tobias said he uses every interaction with other people to show them “the light” inside him, which he says is God. He is also quoted as previously saying, “Any person I meet, I try to embrace them and show them love so that they know I’m a Christian. Jesus Christ was a loving man. And as Christians, we have to try to model our lives after Jesus Christ.” Read more about this inspirational man here.

Maryland Good Samaritan Rescues Baby

Maryland fire officials are crediting a Good Samaritan with saving a child’s life after the infant was ejected from a vehicle during a car crash and sent flying into a body of water. When authorities arrived, they soon discovered that one pediatric patient was ejected from the car teetering over the guardrail and landed into the Assawoman Bay. But thanks to the hero who jumped into the water, rescuing the baby, tragedy was avoided. The infant was later airlifted to John Hopkins Children’s Hospital in Baltimore, while seven other patients were transported via ambulance to various hospitals in the area, fire officials confirmed. Read more about the accident here.

32nd Annual D.C. Bible Reading Marathon Starts Saturday

This years annual 90-hour Bible Reading Marathon will kick off in Washington, D.C., Saturday as several congregations and members of Congress are expected to take turns reading from Genesis to Revelation in about four days. The 32nd annual marathon will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday and continue through 10 a.m. Wednesday. The event is hosted by the Indiana-based Bible distribution ministry, Seedline International, and will also be streamed online. The event traditionally has taken place every spring on the West Terrace of the U.S. Capitol. Read more about the marathon here.

MercyMe is Back With New Album

Best Selling Christian Band, MercyMe, has just released their new album. it is the band’s 10th studio album, and it’s called, “inhale (exhale).” Currently, the track “Say I Won’t” from the album is hitting the top ten in multiple Christian music charts. It is currently 6th on iTunes and 10th on the Christian Top 40 list. Additionally, it is also in 6th place on Billboard’s Top 100 Christian Songs. MercyMe is best know for their song, ‘I can only imagine”, which is the best selling Christian song of all time. There was also a movie based on the popular song. Watch videos from the new album here. 

Christian Lawmaker Arrested After Allegedly Assaulting Student

Dog Gives Comfort To Grieving Child

Raelynn Nast, a 6-year-old from Fort Smith, Arkansas, was devastated after her father, Davey, died recently of colon cancer at 41 years old. The day of Davey’s visitation, Emily Beineman, happened to be jogging by with her dog, Blue. Raelynn approached her and asked if she could give Blue a hug. An immediate bond was formed. Raelynn then asked Emily to come inside and see her father, which Emily did. “Everyone was kind of looking around like, ‘Where did she come from?’ And she came in right next to Rae like they’d known each other for so long. There was that connection there,” Raelynn’s mom, Lacey, said. Raelynn and Emily got together again this week and plan to stay friends forever. Read more about Raelynn and Blue here.

Illinois Church Under Fire For “Drag Queen” Sunday 

In a gross example of 2 Timothy 3, an Illinois Methodist church has faced criticism for having a service entitled “Drag Sunday”. The service included drag artists who sang, prayed and performed. A drag speaker during the service said the goal was “celebrating and uplifting the voices of drag artistry within the church.” Drag itself, the speaker said, is “divine.” The church certified a drag queen as a candidate for ministry in the United Methodist Church. the candidate is the first openly gay man to be certified within the Illinois Great Rivers Conference and, as far as anyone can tell, the first drag queen certified in the United Methodist Church. Read more about the disturbing service here

Senator Tim Scott quotes Worship Song In GOP Rebuttal

When delivering the Republican’s response to President Biden’s stage of the union speech, Senator Tim Scott ended his speech by quoting a popular worship song, The Blessing, by Elevation Worship, Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes. “May the Lord bless you and keep you. Make His face shine upon you. And be gracious to you. May His presence go before you, and behind you, and beside you. In your weeping and you rejoicing. He is with you. May His favor be upon our nation for a thousand generations. And your family and your children. And their children. Scott credits his faith for getting him through difficult times. Read more about his speech here. 

Arizona Governor Signs Ban On Abortions Based On Genetic Abnormalities

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey is being applauded by pro-life supporters. Ducey signed into law a measure banning abortions performed strictly on the basis of genetic disorders detected in the fetus, such as Down syndrome or cystic fibrosis, unless the condition is considered lethal. The bill, approved in Arizona’s Republican-controlled legislature along strict party-line votes last week, makes it a felony for a medical professional to terminate a pregnancy solely on the basis of a hereditary abnormality in the fetus. Doctors performing such an abortion could face prison time. Read more about the bill here.

Georgia Police Save Woman From Burning Car

Savannah Georgia officers are labeled heroes after smashing a car window to save a woman from being burned after the car caught on fire. Body camera video footage shows the officers shattering the windows of the car because the door was jammed and the 18-year-old woman inside the vehicle was unresponsive. They were able to pull the woman over the front passenger seat and out the back door of the vehicle. “I am so proud of these officers for their actions when responding to the scene last night,” Chief Roy Minter said. “They literally ran toward the flames and worked quickly as a team to not only remove the passenger from the car but get her to a safe location.” Read more about these heroes here.

Small Ministry Travels Across The Country Delivering Bibles to Prisons

Prisoner turned preacher, David Stevenson and his wife Tiffany of Texas, have been traveling through multiple states in an old school bus they’ve refurbished (decorated with the slogan, “There’s always hope for tomorrow,” painted on the side) delivering Bibles and discipleship books to prisons as part of their ministry, Online Christian Services (OCS Ministries). Knowing first hand what its like to be locked up, Stevenson also plans to publish an inspirational book, titled “From Lemons to Lemonade.” Read more about this impassioned pastor here.

Christians Blast Canadian Extended Assisted Suicide Bill

Physician-assisted suicide, known as “Medical Assistance in Dying” or MAID, has been legal in Canada since 2016. But now the law is expanding. The new law expands access to assisted suicide to those whose death is not “reasonably foreseeable,” including the mentally ill, although that provision will not become law for two years to allow a review to establish protocols and safeguards. The new law also allows people to make advance requests for euthanasia if they fear losing the ability to make that decision later in life. Read more about this devastating law here.

Dallas Megachurch Loses Pastor

Todd Wagner, senior pastor and co-founder of Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas, who temporarily stepped down from his pulpit late last summer due to the sin of pride, revealed Sunday that he has resigned from his position. The pastor said he had gotten to a point in ministry where he was just not listening enough to his leadership team and failed to lead “with the usual grace in my relationships with my closest friends. I’ve been short and irritable. I’m invalidating at times. I’m impatient enough that people were noticing a difference.” Read more about his resignation here.

Common Heart disease Drug May Fight Obesity

Those looking for a magic pill to fight the fat may be in luck. A group of researchers led by Nabil Djouder, Head of the Growth Factors, Nutrients and Cancer Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), shows that digoxin, a drug already in use against heart diseases, reduces inflammation and leads to a 40% weight loss in obese mice, without any side effects. Linking obesity to inflammation, the drug could be a key in providing beneficial weight loss. Read more about the findings here. 

Study Shows Majority Of Christians See Getting Vaccine As Loving Your Neighbor

With opinions split in the Christian community about the covid-19 vaccines, some say receiving the vaccine goes along with biblical principals. Yet according to a new study by the Public Religion Research Institute and Interfaith Youth Core, four in 10 Americans disagree with the sentiment. A slight majority of Americans (53%) told pollsters they agree with the statement “Because getting vaccinated against COVID-19 helps protect everyone, it is a way to live out the religious principle of loving my neighbors.” Another 44% disagreed with the statement. Read more about this study here.

New Indiana Law Labels Churches As Essential

During the pandemic, houses of worship have been fighting to reopen or remain open. In a victory to Christians, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a bill into law Thursday that calls churches and religious organizations “essential services” and limits how the state can restrict them during an emergency. Churches would be allowed to hold services without any restrictions, such as capacity size or mask mandates, under the bill. The bill’s sponsors say it is needed to protect churches during future emergencies similar or even worse than the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to local and state governments shuttering churches. Read more about the bill here.

In the film, “Walking with Herb”, based on Joe S. Bullock’s 2015 novel of the same name, is about Joe Amable-Amo,  a former amateur golfer struggling with his life and faith after a tragedy. In the midst of this pain, Joe receives a message on his computer from God that he needs to spread an inspirational message by returning to his golf roots. And helping Joe is a messenger named Herb, played by comedian George Lopez. A Christian himself, Lopez credits his faith with getting him through dark times in his life. Proud of his part in the movie Lopez says, “Walking With Herb emphasizes the importance of being a disciple of the Almighty.” Read more about the film here.

Beets: The Vegetable with Anti-Aging Properties

Researchers are finding out more and more about the amazing anti-aging health benefits of a common garden vegetable, beets. Recently, it was found that eating beets, and drinking beet juice, can have some profound benefits to your skin, eyes, heart, and brain. Beets are packed with very high concentrations of antioxidants, carotenoids, folate, fiber, iron, manganese, potassium and Vitamin C. These ingredients in beets have been found in research to have antiaging properties. Read more about the benefits of beets here.

Arizona Holocaust Education Billed Stalled In Senate

Earlier this year, a bill to require education on the Holocaust and other genocides was introduced and passed by the Arizona State House unanimously. However, the bill has stalled in the Arizona senate due to the bill’s definition of antisemitism. Dozens of liberal and progressive groups spoke out against the definition, saying that it would criminalize free speech. But Arizona State Sen. Paul Boyer, a Republican, says , “The purpose of this bill is not simply to mandate a fact-of-the-matter, look back in history for our children. It is ultimately about our forward-facing goal of improving our future as a society by reflecting upon outstanding tragedies and injustices of the past from which key lessons must be learned.” Read more about the bill here.