I know it’s only anecdotal but none of my unvaccinated friends have dropped dead in the last 4 years or developed weird cancers or neurological problems. I’m baffled! — Edward Dowd (@DowdEdward) September 10, 2024

by Brian Shilhavy, Health Impact News: The Marshall Project, a “nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that seeks to create and sustain a sense of national urgency about the U.S. criminal justice system,” just published an investigative report about a topic I have written about for the past decade, which is that States can take your baby away from you […]

September 12, 2024 What Makes Rejection and Betrayal So AwfulLYSA TERKEURST Lee en español "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." John 12:46 (NIV)  My mouth was dry. My hands a bit numb. There was a stabbing tightness in my chest. My mind blurred as my thoughts became a fragmented kaleidoscope of a million memories. The words traveled through my ears to my heart. I felt the full impact of their harsh landing. As they skidded their way across the most tender places inside me, they burned and cut and ripped apart what I thought would be so very permanent. Even though this was decades ago, rejection and betrayal always leave the deepest, darkest marks. I pulled out my journal today and tried to capture the raw essence of what makes these things so awful. But I couldn't capture it with finely crafted words. Instead of diving deep with my thoughts, I let them come in simple, personal phrases: I like stability.I don't like getting caught off guard.I like feeling known.I don't like feeling like I can't trust people. One line finally emerged to sum up rejection better than the others: I don't want my normal to be snatched away. Life feels impossibly risky when I'm reminded how unpredictable circumstances can shatter and forever change what I know and love. And in the fallout, some pieces never fall back into place. It's like taking a photograph containing all the people you love - and suddenly, some of them purposely cut themselves out of the picture. The gaping hole left behind in some ways is worse than death. If they'd passed away, you would grieve their loss. But when their absence is caused by rejection or betrayal, you not only grieve their loss but also wrestle through the fact that they wanted this. They chose to cut themselves out. Though you're devastated, they're walking away feeling relieved. Or worse, they might even feel happy. And there you sit, staring at a messed-up photograph no glue in the world can fix. Normal? Snatched away. Not by accident. Very much on purpose, by someone you never expected could be such a thief. Rejection and betrayal steal the security of all we thought was beautiful and stable and leave us with broken hearts and busted-up trust. But God. He's there. Jesus said, "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness" (John 12:46). With Jesus I can walk out of this dark place of rejection and into the light. Yes, He is the One who can help me. Heal me. Speak to me when I'm hurting. God drops a word into my heart. Like when I take a swig of orange juice just after brushing my teeth, I recoil at the unexpected taste ... of grace. Why grace?! Because I've been hurt, but that doesn't mean I now have to live hurt. I can get mad and bitter and even choose to isolate. Or I can choose grace. Hurt people hurt people.Healed people heal people.And I want to be in that latter group. This doesn't mean we're OK with what happened to us. But it does mean we're going to choose to move forward into a brighter future. You see, the trauma of having our trust broken by people we thought would never betray us is life-altering. But it doesn't have to be life-ruining. There's nothing we can do to eliminate the pain of rejection and betrayal. Oh, how I wish there were. With every fiber of my being, I wish I could remove it from my world and yours. But I can't. However, we can choose to allow each hole in our broken hearts to become an opportunity to create more and more space for grace. May it be true of us. Father God, please help me be a woman who is quick to give grace, even when it's the last thing I want to do. Thank You for the grace You extend to me each and every day. In Jesus' Name, Amen. OUR FAVORITE THINGS Loading ... Our favorite season of the Therapy & Theology podcast yet! Lysa TerKeurst, Dr. Joel Muddamalle and counselor Jim Cress are covering the topic of trust during Season 7. Each episode will answer questions like: What do I do with my trust issues? What must be present in order to repair trust? How do I trust God when the person who hurt me got away with what they did? You don't want to miss this one ... hear more about this season in the trailer from Lysa! ENGAGE Find real-life encouragement when you connect with Lysa TerKeurst here on Instagram. FOR DEEPER STUDY Isaiah 53:3a, "He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain" (NIV). How does knowing that Jesus relates to your pain and feelings of rejection bring you comfort today? We'd love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments. © 2024 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 MinistriesP.O. Box 3189 Matthews, NC 28106 www.Proverbs31.org The post What Makes Rejection and Betrayal So Awful –  Encouragement for Today – September 12, 2024 appeared first on GodUpdates.

A Prayer to Cast Off All Your WorryBy Alisha Headley Bible Reading"Cast all your worries and cares to God, for He cares for you." – 1 Peter 5:7 Do you feel worried right now about something in your life? Does everything around you give you reasons to worry, and you see no resolution, and you don't yet know the outcome? It's so hard not to worry in this world. We worry about our spouse, our kids, our future, our finances. Our worry often leaves us feeling overwhelmed and never at peace. Some of us are crippled with fear, and that fear controls the way we live our life. We live in a fallen world, and there are so many things we worry about but we have no control over. This is why the Lord left us with a guide and the greatest weapon, the Bible, to lead us to live worry-free lives in this worry-filled world.  Today's Scripture talks about casting all your worries and cares to God because He cares for us. Let's dive deeper and let today's verse sink in some more. The idea of "casting" comes from the Greek root word rhiptó, which means to throw and specifically throw off something or toss yourself onto something or someone else. It was often used to describe a man throwing a heavy burden onto a camel's back. So casting is an intentional act to relocate an object – to move it from one place to another, like taking off your jacket and tossing it off onto your couch.  In this context, with today's scripture, it means to throw one's burdens onto God and to trust in Him to carry them for us. This means we are to cast off or transfer our worries, fear, anxiety, or any care in the world that is weighing us down. We must transfer and throw it off our hearts onto God's heart. He becomes the bearer of all our burdens. What a glorious thing! We no longer have to carry the weight of our worries and cares even if we don't know the outcome of our circumstances that are worrying us. We can't force the outcome to come sooner, and we can always change the outcome, but we can cast the worries of the outcome on God and no longer be weighed down. Let's start the casting in our hearts onto God's heart right now in prayer. Let's pray: Dear Lord,Our hearts are so heavy right now. We don't want to live this way anymore. We don't want to go to bed thinking about the thing that is weighing us down and wake up thinking about the same thing all day. We choose today to cast all our cares and worries on you and list them all one by one, throwing them from our hearts to yours. All our fears, our thoughts, and our worries that are weighing us down. Forgive us for the times we have filled out minds with worry and for when we try to fix it on our own. When we do that, we still feel overwhelmed and consumed. We are choosing today to fully give it all to you. We are throwing it off our hearts onto yours. Thank you for being such an amazing Father. As I throw each worry off, you don't miss one. You are the perfect Father and the perfect burden carrier. We know you can carry this for us and resolve it the way you see best and the outcome that you desire. We trust you! We want to honor your Word and no longer carry the weight of our world. Hold us close as we humbly come to you. We love you.In Jesus' mighty name, we pray, amen. Photo credit: ©Getty Images/m-imagephotography Alisha Headley is a writer + speaker who has a desire to meet the everyday woman in her everyday life with biblical truth. Stepping into her true calling, she left the corporate world behind as a former-financial VP to love on her family as a stay-at-home wifey + dog mama, while also being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Healing from a chapter of life consumed with lies she once believed about herself, she is inspired to point women to Christ to experience the freedom + power to overcome those lies with the truth written in God's word. In her free time, Alisha enjoys road trips around the country, working out so she can eat her favorite foods, and creatively styling her outfits with a craft for fashion. Alisha is a proud wifey and dog mama living in Scottsdale, Arizona. You can follow her blog by visiting her website or connect with her on facebook + instagram. Related Resource: Remember God’s Enduring Love for You in this Guided Meditation on Psalm 100! This guided Christian meditation from Psalm 100 will help you experience and praise God for his unending love for you. Become aware of God's presence with you, and praise God for his loyal and enduring love from the beginning of time and into the future. Listen to every episode of the So Much More Podcast on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode! Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! Visit iBelieve.com for more inspiring prayer content. The post A Prayer to Cast Off All Your Worry – Your Daily Prayer – September 12 appeared first on GodUpdates.

A Prayer to Cast Off All Your WorryBy Alisha Headley Bible Reading"Cast all your worries and cares to God, for He cares for you." – 1 Peter 5:7 Do you feel worried right now about something in your life? Does everything around you give you reasons to worry, and you see no resolution, and you don't yet know the outcome? It's so hard not to worry in this world. We worry about our spouse, our kids, our future, our finances. Our worry often leaves us feeling overwhelmed and never at peace. Some of us are crippled with fear, and that fear controls the way we live our life. We live in a fallen world, and there are so many things we worry about but we have no control over. This is why the Lord left us with a guide and the greatest weapon, the Bible, to lead us to live worry-free lives in this worry-filled world.  Today's Scripture talks about casting all your worries and cares to God because He cares for us. Let's dive deeper and let today's verse sink in some more. The idea of "casting" comes from the Greek root word rhiptó, which means to throw and specifically throw off something or toss yourself onto something or someone else. It was often used to describe a man throwing a heavy burden onto a camel's back. So casting is an intentional act to relocate an object – to move it from one place to another, like taking off your jacket and tossing it off onto your couch.  In this context, with today's scripture, it means to throw one's burdens onto God and to trust in Him to carry them for us. This means we are to cast off or transfer our worries, fear, anxiety, or any care in the world that is weighing us down. We must transfer and throw it off our hearts onto God's heart. He becomes the bearer of all our burdens. What a glorious thing! We no longer have to carry the weight of our worries and cares even if we don't know the outcome of our circumstances that are worrying us. We can't force the outcome to come sooner, and we can always change the outcome, but we can cast the worries of the outcome on God and no longer be weighed down. Let's start the casting in our hearts onto God's heart right now in prayer. Let's pray: Dear Lord,Our hearts are so heavy right now. We don't want to live this way anymore. We don't want to go to bed thinking about the thing that is weighing us down and wake up thinking about the same thing all day. We choose today to cast all our cares and worries on you and list them all one by one, throwing them from our hearts to yours. All our fears, our thoughts, and our worries that are weighing us down. Forgive us for the times we have filled out minds with worry and for when we try to fix it on our own. When we do that, we still feel overwhelmed and consumed. We are choosing today to fully give it all to you. We are throwing it off our hearts onto yours. Thank you for being such an amazing Father. As I throw each worry off, you don't miss one. You are the perfect Father and the perfect burden carrier. We know you can carry this for us and resolve it the way you see best and the outcome that you desire. We trust you! We want to honor your Word and no longer carry the weight of our world. Hold us close as we humbly come to you. We love you.In Jesus' mighty name, we pray, amen. Photo credit: ©Getty Images/m-imagephotography Alisha Headley is a writer + speaker who has a desire to meet the everyday woman in her everyday life with biblical truth. Stepping into her true calling, she left the corporate world behind as a former-financial VP to love on her family as a stay-at-home wifey + dog mama, while also being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Healing from a chapter of life consumed with lies she once believed about herself, she is inspired to point women to Christ to experience the freedom + power to overcome those lies with the truth written in God's word. In her free time, Alisha enjoys road trips around the country, working out so she can eat her favorite foods, and creatively styling her outfits with a craft for fashion. Alisha is a proud wifey and dog mama living in Scottsdale, Arizona. You can follow her blog by visiting her website or connect with her on facebook + instagram. Related Resource: Remember God’s Enduring Love for You in this Guided Meditation on Psalm 100! This guided Christian meditation from Psalm 100 will help you experience and praise God for his unending love for you. Become aware of God's presence with you, and praise God for his loyal and enduring love from the beginning of time and into the future. Listen to every episode of the So Much More Podcast on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode! Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! Visit iBelieve.com for more inspiring prayer content. The post A Prayer to Cast Off All Your Worry – Your Daily Prayer – September 12 appeared first on GodUpdates.

September 12, 2024 What Makes Rejection and Betrayal So AwfulLYSA TERKEURST Lee en español "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." John 12:46 (NIV)  My mouth was dry. My hands a bit numb. There was a stabbing tightness in my chest. My mind blurred as my thoughts became a fragmented kaleidoscope of a million memories. The words traveled through my ears to my heart. I felt the full impact of their harsh landing. As they skidded their way across the most tender places inside me, they burned and cut and ripped apart what I thought would be so very permanent. Even though this was decades ago, rejection and betrayal always leave the deepest, darkest marks. I pulled out my journal today and tried to capture the raw essence of what makes these things so awful. But I couldn't capture it with finely crafted words. Instead of diving deep with my thoughts, I let them come in simple, personal phrases: I like stability.I don't like getting caught off guard.I like feeling known.I don't like feeling like I can't trust people. One line finally emerged to sum up rejection better than the others: I don't want my normal to be snatched away. Life feels impossibly risky when I'm reminded how unpredictable circumstances can shatter and forever change what I know and love. And in the fallout, some pieces never fall back into place. It's like taking a photograph containing all the people you love - and suddenly, some of them purposely cut themselves out of the picture. The gaping hole left behind in some ways is worse than death. If they'd passed away, you would grieve their loss. But when their absence is caused by rejection or betrayal, you not only grieve their loss but also wrestle through the fact that they wanted this. They chose to cut themselves out. Though you're devastated, they're walking away feeling relieved. Or worse, they might even feel happy. And there you sit, staring at a messed-up photograph no glue in the world can fix. Normal? Snatched away. Not by accident. Very much on purpose, by someone you never expected could be such a thief. Rejection and betrayal steal the security of all we thought was beautiful and stable and leave us with broken hearts and busted-up trust. But God. He's there. Jesus said, "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness" (John 12:46). With Jesus I can walk out of this dark place of rejection and into the light. Yes, He is the One who can help me. Heal me. Speak to me when I'm hurting. God drops a word into my heart. Like when I take a swig of orange juice just after brushing my teeth, I recoil at the unexpected taste ... of grace. Why grace?! Because I've been hurt, but that doesn't mean I now have to live hurt. I can get mad and bitter and even choose to isolate. Or I can choose grace. Hurt people hurt people.Healed people heal people.And I want to be in that latter group. This doesn't mean we're OK with what happened to us. But it does mean we're going to choose to move forward into a brighter future. You see, the trauma of having our trust broken by people we thought would never betray us is life-altering. But it doesn't have to be life-ruining. There's nothing we can do to eliminate the pain of rejection and betrayal. Oh, how I wish there were. With every fiber of my being, I wish I could remove it from my world and yours. But I can't. However, we can choose to allow each hole in our broken hearts to become an opportunity to create more and more space for grace. May it be true of us. Father God, please help me be a woman who is quick to give grace, even when it's the last thing I want to do. Thank You for the grace You extend to me each and every day. In Jesus' Name, Amen. OUR FAVORITE THINGS Loading ... Our favorite season of the Therapy & Theology podcast yet! Lysa TerKeurst, Dr. Joel Muddamalle and counselor Jim Cress are covering the topic of trust during Season 7. Each episode will answer questions like: What do I do with my trust issues? What must be present in order to repair trust? How do I trust God when the person who hurt me got away with what they did? You don't want to miss this one ... hear more about this season in the trailer from Lysa! ENGAGE Find real-life encouragement when you connect with Lysa TerKeurst here on Instagram. FOR DEEPER STUDY Isaiah 53:3a, "He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain" (NIV). How does knowing that Jesus relates to your pain and feelings of rejection bring you comfort today? We'd love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments. © 2024 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 MinistriesP.O. Box 3189 Matthews, NC 28106 www.Proverbs31.org The post What Makes Rejection and Betrayal So Awful –  Encouragement for Today – September 12, 2024 appeared first on GodUpdates.

Forever Blue, recorded by Terry Slesser and the Back Street Crawler Band, completes a remarkable journey for the singer