WE NEED YOUR HELP! Perhaps you've read this before and are wondering, "Why am I seeing this again?" But millions of other Christians haven't seen it! So please use the "share" buttons above to share it with your social media friends. Thanks!!
A NEW APPROACH TO HOME HEALTH CARE
The state of Washington has a tool to assess the needs of family caregivers and refer them to the most useful resources, and in Minnesota, the 'Live Well at Home' program gives grants to local organizations to test ways to support older adults and caregivers."
And don't forget Medicare's "Home Health Care" and the more than 5,000 independently-run local "Meals on Wheels" programs – these can go a long way toward keeping you at home – that is, if your home is suitable for this when you need it to be. This is why we offer our online Social Ministries of the Church program.
You can also do an Internet search for "home health care organizations in XX" (XX = your state) to find out what's available locally, or go to Home Care Association of America and click on the "Find a Provider" link. They sponsor a multitude of programs all over the U.S. to advance health care for people in the "baby boom" generation who are reaching their 70s now, when health issues tend to crop up. [read more...]
Click → CONTACT US ← for more info!
If 5% of the people who see this would give $5 per month (just 17¢ per day!) – two cups of coffee with your favorite friend at your favorite coffee shop – we could cover our operating expenses and do much more in spreading the word, serving and providing accessible housing for the disabled. My wife and I left our careers over 30 years ago to serve in Russia as missionaries: we're now "semi-retired" – we've put on a new set of semi tires and keep on trucking! We live on our retirement income and volunteer our time: we receive no financial support from Agape Restoration Society. Our websites and ministry are funded by us and just a few friends. ...thanks in advance!
MASS ABORTING OF BABIES WITH DOWN SYNDROME AMOUNTS TO EUGENICS
from: LiveAction News
(16 Jan.) The National Review quoted the New York Times' "The Ethicist" column this week featuring a would-be father asking if prenatal testing for conditions such as Down syndrome amounts to eugenics. Their answer, predictably, is no: "None of these scenarios are morally troublesome, in my view" – saying that eugenics is only aimed at raising the "quality" of the human gene pool.
This is too narrow a view of what constitutes eugenics. Eugenics is more than trying to control the health or other attributes of a general population. Rather, it reflects an all-too-commonly promoted mindset that some people are better or have greater value than others, and that an acceptable answer is to make sure disfavored persons are never conceived... or never make it out of the womb. [read more...]
COMMENTARY: Eliminating a whole category of people from society is nothing else but eugenics. But even when a NYT pseudo-intellectual, sophist word-salad puts lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig. And eugenics is still eugenics, even if you use fancy words to try to hide the obvious. Life is the most basic human right: there are really no rights unless you have the right to life.
CHINA'S POPULATION CONTINUES TO DECLINE
from: BioEdge.org
(18 Jan.) Synopsis: China's population has declined for the second consecutive year, with a drop of 2.08 million people in 2023, reaching 1.41 billion. Despite government incentives to encourage childbirth, the number of births also fell by 500,000.
The decline is attributed to factors such as delayed marriage age, reduced willingness among young people to have children, fewer women of childbearing age, and increased infertility. While 2024 might see a temporary recovery due to the traditional significance of the Year of the Dragon, experts believe population decline is inevitable. China's economic success, high living costs, and changing societal aspirations contribute to the challenge. [read more...]
COMMENTARY: This should be a no-brainer: the desire for more material things for oneself leads to decreased concern for the rest of society, but the result of such a self-centered worldview, not having enough children, is that there will no longer be a society in which to enjoy oneself. People who are self-seeking, however, often can't see far enough ahead to realize this.
OCCUPIED UKRAINE: "IF THEY TOOK RUSSIAN CITIZENSHIP, THEY COULD RETURN TO DONETSK"
from: Forum 18 News Service
Hebrews 13:3 – "Remember those who are in bonds, as bound with them..."
(19 Jan.) Two priests of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (separate from the Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate's Ukraine affiliate), fined and ordered deported for violating Russian law on missionary activity in Russian-occupied Donetsk Region in September 2023, have been transferred to Russia.
Fr Khristofor Khrimli and Fr Andri Chui are now in a Deportation Centre for foreigners. Bailiff Aleksandr Nikolenko told Forum 18 the priests refused deportation via Latvia becauses they want to live in Donetsk. "If they took Russian citizenship, they could return to Donetsk, but they can't do so as citizens of another state." [read more...]
COMMENTARY: Russia continues to insist that the territories it occupies in Ukraine now belong to Russis. Foreign Affairs article "The Quiet Transformation of Occupied Ukraine" describes how Russia is gradually russifying all (un)civil society's institutions there, as well as forcing Ukrainians to get Russian passports.
BOXING SERVES AS DEVELOPMENTAL THERAPY FOR THOSE WITH DOWN SYNDROME
from: Disability Scoop
(9 Jan.) Synopsis: Marjorie Anderson from West Philly's Overbrook undertakes a lengthy and costly commute, involving two SEPTA buses, to take her nonverbal daughter, Phoenix, to a one-hour boxing class at Jack Costello Boxing Gym in Torresdale Avenue, Tacony. The trip takes over one hour and 36 minutes each way, costing $9 round trip.
Phoenix, diagnosed with Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), participates in the Down to Box program, using boxing for coordination, mental focus, and physical fitness. The program, distributed to interested gyms, is particularly beneficial for individuals with Down syndrome who commonly face challenges in interpersonal relationships as well as in muscle tone, hand-eye coordination, and balance. [read more...]
COMMENTARY: It is fascinating to learn about the connection between hard physical exercise and increased ability to have interpersonal relationships. Focusing one's attention in boxing can help a person with Down syndrome to focus in other areas as well.
THE PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW DISMISSED ARCHIMANDRITE CYRIL GOVORUN
from: Religious Information Service of Ukraine
(18 Jan.) In an announcement cited by Russian media, it is disclosed that Patriarch Kirill has decided to remove Archimandrite Cyril from the clergy because he "violated the 25th rule of the Holy Apostles." Archimandrite Cyril served as the head of the Department of External Church Relations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) under Metropolitan Onufriy from 2008 to 2009, which is subordinate to the Patriarchate of Moscow.
Until March 2021, he was the Vice Chairman of the Education Committee of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. In March 2022, amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, Archimandrite Cyril condemned the concept of the "Russian world" and Russia's invasion of Ukraine in a post on his personal Telegram account. [read more...]
COMMENTARY: It is apparent that Archimandrite Cyril is an intelligent, thinking Christian who understands the value of each person and the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. When it became clear to him that the hierarchy of Moscow's Orthodox Church was more aligned with Russian nationalism and imperialism than with the Kingdom of God, he made the right decision and is out.
AMERICA'S BLOODTHIRSTY SPIRIT
from: American Life League
(Jan. 9) Synopsis: A Slate website explores the consequences of a culture where legal protection for abortion exists, linking it to potential societal repercussions. The article references the Perry High School shooting in Iowa, contemplating whether a disregard for the most innocent in society contributes to such violent acts.
It also discusses a 2024 Arkansas ballot measure aiming to address the effects of the Dobbs decision on abortion rights, expressing concerns about its limitations. The piece suggests a desire for unrestricted abortion, echoing a sentiment found in other media outlets. The overall theme is the impact of societal attitudes towards abortion on the younger generation, fostering callous perspectives on the value of human life. [read more...]
COMMENTARY: The Slate author is thinking straight, realizing that there's a linkage from the general disregard for the value of human life, as manifested by abortion of the unborn, euthanasia of the disabled and elderly by action or neglect, and the rise of mass shootings in the U.S. and around the world. What's behind all this? If people do not believe in a loving God and creator, they will not see any more value to himan life than in its pleasure and material productivity.
THE FIRST CHRISTIANS WERE NOT LIKE THOSE WHO CAME LATER
To eloquently bemoan the fact that Christianity has matured over the centuries is merely to belabor the obvious. The Church is Christ's bride: is a 79-year-old wife the same person as when she was a 21-year-old bride? Of course Christian teaching and practice have grown and matured with time and experience. There have been clarifications by the Church Fathers, but there have also been errors and even heresies. The danger lies in going to extremes. That's how heresies arise.
Some people say, for example – “Neither the New Testament nor the writings of early Christians support the idea that material wealth is intrinsically evil.” But neither is wealth intrinsically good, because acquiring wealth so often leads to the passion of greed or covetousness. The Lord Jesus Christ taught in the Sermon on the Mount:
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don't break through and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Mammon" (Mat. 6:19-24 WEB).
Get the full article on our ARC-News blog at blogspot.com, or download it from https://agape-biblia.org/literatura/#1st-Christians and share it!
Please remember to pray for Christians in Secularized Countries, and for...
Your fellow-servants,
Bob & Cheryl
p.s. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
This page may link to our FastDomain.com affiliate account, so when you click on a link and buy something there, a small commission is credited to that account.