Not only is Sadie Robertson a member of the influential Duck Dynasty family, but she is also a well-received author and public speaker.

It is clear from speaking with Robertson that she is focused on making sure she fulfills God’s call on her life.

When asked in an interview with Christian Headlines what it was like to grow up in the Robertson household, Robertson mused. “Everybody asks that question, but it’s probably like it was growing up in your family. I don’t know anything else,” she shared.

When asked to share one main thing her parents taught her while growing up, she’s quick to offer a few words of wisdom passed down to her by her mother.

“Get rid of the ‘should ofs,’” Robertson recalled her Mom encouraging her to do.

This may explain Robertson’s steadfastness in pursuing God’s plan for her.

Her humility is authentic and on full display when she speaks.

Last month, Robertson released a new book, Live, which has already reached the New York Best Seller’s list.

“I didn’t plan on writing this book, it was only because of circumstances in my life and my friend’s life, that I changed the direction I was going,” she told Christian Headlines. 

Robertson’s book highlights the importance of not only living but being alive, concepts Robertson asserts are distinctly different.

Jesus, she explained, has called for us to be alive and to live abundant lives but just survive. 

Robertson also…

LAHORE, Pakistan, May 1, 2020 (Morning Star News) – When a Christian sanitation worker died after a police car struck him last week in Gujranwala, Pakistan, officers compensated his impoverished family with the equivalent of US$620.

Rights advocates fear the Christian family likely will be forced to pardon the driver.

The case typifies the discrimination and dangers that street sweepers face in Pakistan, a country with a 96-percent Muslim population where only non-Muslims – mostly Christians – are hired to pick up garbage from the roads.

“The government announced the measly monetary compensation only after the Christians raised this issue on social media, otherwise this incident too would have been swept under the rug as always,” Mary James Gill, executive director of the Centre for Law and Justice, told Morning Star News. “It’s unfortunate that the government continues to ignore the plight of the Christian sanitation workers, who are doing their jobs on the roads with full commitment amid the coronavirus pandemic, and that too without any protective gear.”

Ashiq Masih, a 56-year-old Catholic working as a contract employee for the Gujranwala Municipal Corporation in Punjab Province, was picking up roadside garbage on April 24 when a police vehicle speeding the wrong way on a one-way street struck him at full force, critically injuring the father of three.

With…

Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they agree with President Trump’s temporary suspension of new immigrant visas, which the White House says is necessary to ensure U.S. workers are protected as they search for jobs during the economic recovery from the pandemic.

A total of 65 percent of U.S. adults in the Washington Post/University of Maryland survey said they support “temporarily blocking nearly all immigration into the United States during the coronavirus outbreak.” Thirty-four percent opposed the idea.

“By pausing immigration, we’ll help put unemployed Americans first in line for jobs as America reopens,” Trump previously said. “… It would be wrong and unjust for Americans laid off by the virus to be replaced with new immigrant labor flown in from abroad.”

The new Trump policy suspends new immigrant visas for 60 days. Exceptions will be made for medical and other essential workers, spouses and minor children of American citizens, and other areas, according to a White House release.

“Mass migration of low-skilled labor into the United States disproportionately harms historically disadvantaged Americans,” the release said.

The poll reflects results from a USA Today/Ipsos poll in April, in which 79 percent of Americans said they supported a temporary pause on all immigration. Significantly, the USA Today survey showed that Americans back a policy even stricter than…

(RNS) — When Pastor Florine Newberry of Mattie Richland Baptist Church in rural Pineview, Georgia, realized her congregation wouldn’t be able to meet in the church’s blue carpeted sanctuary due to the coronavirus pandemic, “I just saw the sheep scattering,” she said.

Many of the 45 to 50 members of Newberry’s independent church do not have computers or home access to the internet. Though some own cellphones, cellular service is often spotty in the rural flats more than two hours south of Atlanta.

Her worst fears were quieted when some parishioners took to gathering 6 feet apart in their cars on sunny Sundays to hear Newberry preach. 

But once Mattie Richland Baptist became one of 46 predominantly black churches in Georgia to receive help gaining internet access from Fair Count, an organization founded to increase participation in the 2020 census in hard-to-count areas, Newberry’s great-nephew — and Sunday school teacher — said he could use his phone to livestream her sermons.

When Newberry preached her Easter sermon from the doorway of her church, her message was viewed by hundreds of people via Facebook Live thanks to the Fair Count hot spot.

“That hot spot from Fair Count, and through the blessings of God that watches over Mattie Richland, has allowed me to have peace of mind that I can still reach out to people,” said Newberry.

America’s black clergy,…

The Trump administration ensured that Planned Parenthood clinics would not receive rescue funds through the Paycheck Protection Program, according to multiple reports Thursday.

The program was part of the larger Cares Act and helps small businesses stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic. The loans are forgiven if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest or utilities.

The Trump administration, though, determined Planned Parenthood clinics were ineligible.

“Through the Paycheck Protection Program, President Trump is delivering vital relief to help small businesses keep employees on payroll,” a senior White House official told Fox News. “It’s clear that the abortion industry shouldn’t be able to qualify for those funds, which are desperately needed by small businesses.”

The Daily Signal first reported the news.

“President Trump is committed to ensuring Paycheck Protection Program money is used for saving jobs at small businesses, not getting the government into the business of funding abortion,” a senior White House official told The Daily Signal.

“While not all Americans share President Trump’s pro-life beliefs, there is broad bipartisan support for the idea that American taxpayers should not have to fund abortion,” the official added.

The Paycheck Protection Program applies…

In a sign of how the Coronavirus pandemic may be affecting churches and Christian organizations, LifeWay Christian Resources announced they will cut their budget by $25-30 million for the rest of 2020. LifeWay, the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, will realize the cuts through hiring freezes, spending freezes, salary cuts, and layoffs, the Baptist Press reports.

LifeWay was enjoying a strong start to 2020, as they were 3 percent ahead of budget at the end of March. However, the shutdown of churches during the pandemic took its toll over the last five weeks and revenues fell 24 percent. Lifeway officials attribute the loss in revenue to a drop in orders from churches for Sunday School curriculum, Bible study books, and VBS curriculum.

LifeWay CEO Ben Mandrell addressed the budget cuts, explaining that these cuts are necessary to ensure the organization’s long-term viability. He said, “We hope these proactive steps will allow Lifeway to continue ministering to churches throughout the crisis, however long it lasts, and long into the future.” He added, “We know the COVID-19 crisis has created a unique challenge for churches as they find new ways to gather, and many are also facing severe financial strains. We want to make sure Lifeway is in a position to continue serving churches and church leaders to help them fuel their ministries,” Christianity Today…