The American Civil Liberties Union is suing seven cities in Texas that passed ordinances banning abortion businesses from operating within their jurisdictions.

The national ACLU and its Texas chapter filed the lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division, on behalf of two abortion activist groups, Texas Equal Access Fund and the Lilith Fund for Reproductive Equity.

Defendants named in the suit are the cities of Waskom, Gary, Joaquin, Naples, Rusk, Tenaha, and Wells, which have all recently voted to become “Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn.”

“The right to access abortion is protected by the United States Constitution. But in recent months, at the behest of anti-abortion activists, several east Texas municipalities have passed ordinances that claim to ban abortion,” the lawsuit says, in part.

“Although this section of the ordinances cannot be enforced while Roe v. Wade is in effect, the ordinances’ existence misleads residents of these cities as to whether individuals can in fact exercise their right to access abortion.”

The suit also argues that “while the ordinances concede that they cannot ban abortion under current law, several other provisions are in effect.”

“The ordinances deem Plaintiffs Texas Equal Access Fund (‘TEA Fund’) and Lilith Fund for Reproductive Equity (‘Lilith Fund’), and other pro-choice organizations, as ‘criminal organizations,’” continued the suit.

“This means that Plaintiffs have been judged criminal without ever having been charged with a crime, much less afforded a trial.”

Brigitte Amiri, deputy director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, said in a statement released Tuesday that the ordinances were “part of a nationwide attack on abortion access.”

SOURCE: Christian Post, Michael Gryboski

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The Spirit of Thanksgiving All Year Round #3

A.W. Tozer said: “Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it.”

This is Daniel Whyte III here with this short podcast designed to encourage you to celebrate Thanksgiving all year round—not just on the holiday—by thanksliving, cultivating a heart of gratefulness and thankfulness to God and others each and every day.

Our verse on thanksgiving from the Word of God today is Luke 17:11-19 which says: “And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”

Our featured quote on thanksgiving today is from Joyce Meyer. She said: “As you go about your day, make a point to be grateful for the things you may otherwise not even notice. For instance, I really like coffee. Sometimes I take a moment in the morning to thank God for this “little thing” that brings me joy and comfort. Or how about the blessing of having hot water? It’s something we can easily take for granted, but it makes our lives so much better! As you begin to thank God for the seemingly small things in your life, it will help you to focus on the positive and everything you do have. As a result, you will also be much happier!”

Our featured Thanksgiving song is “Doxology”:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

PRAYER

Now, if you are listening today, and you do not know the One to whom we ought to give thanks for all things or His holy son—the Lord Jesus Christ—as your Saviour, allow me to show you how.

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9-13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Until next time,

Remember to keep thanksgiving in your heart year-round!

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A small Mobile Church moves forward a day after an unthinkable tragedy unfolded at their doorstep. Police say True Cornerstone Church on Halls Mill Road was the scene of attempted murder and suicide. Friends say a man came to the church looking for his wife, shot her outside and then shot and killed himself. Clean-up continues inside and there’s a new wall outside, thanks to quick generosity from the surrounding community.

“People are incredible, we had people we don’t even know come by here yesterday,” said Pastor Derek Gandy. The pastor and his wife say the woman who was shot immediately started praying.

“She was calling on Jesus, even with the bullet in her she was calling on Jesus,” said the Pastor’s wife, Kula Gandy. It’s a sad tragedy for everyone, the pastor says the victim and the shooter were both friends of theirs. The service forged ahead.

“I can’t preach faith if I don’t live by faith cannot preach determination if you don’t live by it,” said Derek Gandy. Despite all that unfolded in this tragedy the pastor’s wife said her faith was strengthened.

“The Devil is not going to get the victory, at all, he is not going to get the victory,” said Kula Gandy. “To be able to come and pray for her and see she was already looking uk that she was already praying that she was already calling on Jesus I already knew Jesus was going to take care of her.” She points out that things could have gone a lot worse. The car could have crashed into a packed church, the shooter could have shot his wife several times or several people could have been hurt. None of that happened.

“I’m still alive, that young lady is still alive,” said Kula Gady. Mobile Police Have yet to formally release any names in the case. At this time News 5 is withholding the identities of the couple involved. They’re still trying to raise money to help fund building repairs. You can find them on Facebook. They’re asking for donations via “Cash App” to $TCCgive

Source: WKRG

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Pope Francis has been forced to cancel a planned Mass in Rome with other clergy after suffering a ‘slight illness’.

The Vatican said the 83-year-old pontiff had a ‘slight indisposition’ that meant he did not attend an event at the St John Lateran basilica in Rome on Thursday morning.

A spokesman said Francis would continue with the rest of his day’s business, but preferred to stay within the Vatican rather than travel across the city.

There was no word from the Vatican about the nature of his illness, but the pope was seen coughing and blowing his nose during the Ash Wednesday Mass.

It comes a day after he kissed heads and touched faces as he met with crowds in St Peter’s Square, saying he had solidarity with those suffering from coronavirus.

Italy is currently in the grips of a coronavirus outbreak that has seen towns in the north placed on lockdown and travellers from the region spread the infection to previously unaffected areas of Europe.

Rome had three cases, but all three were cured.

Francis had been scheduled to go to the St John Lateran basilica to meet with Rome clergy and celebrate a penitential Mass at the start of Lent.

Francis is bishop of Rome, but delegates the day-to-day running of the archdiocese to a vicar.

The Argentine pope has generally enjoyed good health. He lost part of one lung as a young man because of a respiratory illness, and suffers from sciatica, which makes walking difficult.

Francis has had a busy schedule lately, including his public general audience on Wednesday and the Ash Wednesday service later in the day in a Roman basilica.

Source: Daily Mail

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Yesterday, we told you about Set Free Ministries’ work in East Africa supporting disabled children who would otherwise be abused and neglected. But that’s not all they do.

Set Free also works in areas of East Africa, where witch doctors have an iron grip on the people. Dean VanderMey with Set Free says in these regions, it’s children and orphans who suffer the most.

One such region is Rakai, Uganda. VanderMey visited Rakai with Set Free for the first time in 2005. He says, “Rakai had 95 percent unemployment at the time. Fifty percent of the people that we were ministering to had AIDS and there were thousands of orphans walking around kind of hollow-eyed. I couldn’t even believe what I was seeing.

“For every 11 people, there’s one witch doctor. So, the witchcraft in that area is very, very strong and they hold everyone through fear because everyone has been abused by a witch doctor there.”

Malaria and waterborne diseases are rampant in Uganda and other areas of East Africa. VanderMey says whenever someone falls ill, their first response isn’t always to visit the nearest hospital. Especially in remote areas, a medical doctor or hospital may be extremely difficult to get to, so they go to the local witch doctor.

“The first thing he will do is he pulls the curtains and that’s where you’re going to be sexually abused as a child,” VanderMey says. “After that, he will give you the herbs to cure you. So the witch doctors hold everyone through fear and terror, and there’s demonization that goes with it.”

SOURCE: Mission Network News, Lyndsey Koh

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Outside of China, South Korea is home to the largest number of coronavirus diagnoses in the world. Within a week, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 catapulted from a few dozen to more than 1,000.

Some have been wondering how such a leap could happen in such a short period of time, but as more information comes in, one potential culprit is becoming increasingly likely, according to numerous reports.

Thankfully, researchers with the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been working around the clock to learn more about COVID-19, how to cure it, and how to stop the illness from continuing to spread.

This is an astonishing situation — South Korea has done 35,000+ coronavirus tests. The US has done ~400 and the rollout of testing capability nationwide has been held up by a faulty test. https://t.co/KqZMKsdurD

— carolyn johnson (@Carolynyjohnson) February 25, 2020

In the meantime, though, several journalists and local authorities have invested time into figuring out what exactly might have caused that major spike in COVID-19 cases in South Korea.

One major theory is that a fringe Christian church could have unintentionally spread the illness throughout the Asian country.

The uptick in cases, according to Business Insider, correlates with dozens of diagnoses among the congregants of the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, a branch of the controversial Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which the South Korean government has described as a “cult.”

SOURCE: Faithwire

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A high school student was denied permission to start a Christian club on her campus. As a result, letters of support poured in from other students across the country, reports Fox News.

Fox & Friends co-host Pete Hegseth interviewed 14-year-old Daniela Barca, who said she wanted to start the Bible club because “sometimes it feels like it’s just me” who is a Christian on campus.

But Roy C. Ketcham High School denied Barca’s request because the club was too religious and “not generic enough.”

SOURCE: Charisma News

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