A federal judge in Wisconsin has declared the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional. Judge Barbara Crabb ruled in mid-April that government recognition of the day violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The decision “carries out the Founders’ plan of preserving religious liberty to the fullest extent possible in a pluralistic society,” wrote Crabb.Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund want President Obama to appeal the decision. “The National Day of Prayer provides an opportunity for all Americans to pray voluntarily according to their own faith – and does not promote any particular religion or form of religious observance,” said […]

Teen birth rates in the U.S. have recently declined after increasing in 2006 and 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The 2008 numbers show the rate declined by two percent among girls 15-19. The largest decline occurred among 18- and 19-year-olds, at four percent. Valerie Huber, executive director with The National Abstinence Education Association, said, “A positive trend begun a decade ago can continue.  We should redouble our efforts to help teens avoid all the consequences of sexual activity, including teen childbearing.” President Obama eliminated all funding for abstinence-centered education in his 2011 budget. However, due largely to […]

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is considering establishing a “dot-xxx” domain for pornography. Family advocates say this will only worsen the problem of addiction and family breakdowns caused by Internet pornography. This is the third time ICANN has considered a dot-xxx domain. The initiative was stopped before due to strong opposition worldwide. Patrick Trueman, formerly chief of the U.S. Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, said the domain would only increase the amount of porn on the Internet and make it more available. “There is no evidence that the public wants or needs this […]

Gov. Dave Heineman signed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act last month, making Nebraska the first to ban abortions after 20 weeks. LB 1103 asserts that pre-born children experience pain during an abortion. Mary Spaulding Balch, state legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee, said research has shown that at 20 weeks, pre-borns have all the receptors necessary to feel pain. “Doctors who do routine surgery on unborn children now use anesthesia to make sure those unborn children do not feel pain,” she said. She expects the law will be challenged, and may even make it all the […]

Years back, I remember being asked by one of the pastors in my church if I would like to serve in a capacity that would include a certain level of leadership responsibility.  Along with that position, I would be given a title as well as some tasks to carry out in our church body.  Being given a new opportunity to serve the Lord in ways I never had before was both humbling and frightening.  Would I live up to the standards of those who had served before me?  Would I be effective or would I fall flat on my face?  […]

In the Christmas movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”, we get to follow the adult trials and the childhood experiences of George.  Each time he faced a difficult situation he asked himself the same question: “What would Dad do?”  Somehow George picked up lessons from his dad that helped him navigate life and become a community hero. What about our children?  What are they learning from us? Times are different right now and different times require a different approach to life.  But different, even difficult times, offer parents an incredible training opportunity. Everyone will go through their own difficulties in life.  […]

When you turned on the kitchen faucet today, you didn’t wonder whether the water would flow out. When you went to bed remembering what you had to do in the morning, you were planning for tomorrow. We all exercise faith every day in the little things we do. It is a belief system of sorts, a kind of faith that we call on without realizing it. But what do we do when we need a supernatural kind of faith? The week before Christmas, my son’s home caught fire. An electrical short in the wiring sparked into flames about 4 a.m. […]

Compared to prior recessions, something is definitely different this time. If you’ve lost your job, it is harder than ever to replace it. The New York Times reports that 6.3 million Americans have been unemployed for six months or longer, more than double the next-worst recessive period of the early 1980s. Tighter credit, outsourcing, globalization, and productivity-enhancing technologies have played a role–and each is here to stay. As a result, many older employees are delaying retirement, making it increasingly difficult for recent graduates to enter the workforce. Voices across the political spectrum agree that America desperately needs private sector job […]

WOW! Eleven years. It seems like just last year it was ten years. It has been my blessing working with local churches, ministries, businesses, volunteers and people in South Florida and Southwest Florida over the last 11 years. We love helping and hearing from the community, we actually thrive on it. It’s why we are here … to help our community. What makes The Good News great is the addition of News, events and content contributed by local churches and ministries. Without the community, we would be just a blank sheet of paper each month. Over the years, we have […]