Video of abortion worker’s comments goes viral
A shocking recording is receiving criticism from conservatives and anti-abortion groups. A video recorded by Live Action, a pro-life group, is going viral. It shows an unidentified employee with Planned Parenthood in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, telling the person under cover that an abortion is safer than carrying a baby to term. The employee goes on to tell the person that in-person abortion and abortion pills are safe and effective. The video was released prior to the annual March for Life, which uses peaceful demonstrations to call for more restrictions and the banning of abortions in the U.S., as well as support for mothers who are contemplating ending their pregnancies. More videos released in the sting show employees claiming they are not sure what a patient will see and experience following taking the abortion pill and an underage patient being told they can have an abortion without parental knowledge. Planned Parenthood has not commented on the now viral videos.
Capture of dictator changes attitudes in other authoritarian countries
The capture of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro has sparked immediate political tension in some South American countries. Political prisoners are being released in Venezuela and in Nicaragua. Venezuela’s acting president has continued to release prisoners as part of terms agreed to with the Trump Administration. The numbers vary according to government figures, and, counting what citizens are reporting in Venezuela alone, the number of political prisoners could be as high as 800. In Nicaragua, dozens have been released. Human rights groups claim more than 60 political prisoners are being held. That country’s president did confirm the release of several inmates but has not given a number.
Christian event recharges youth/ young adults for the Great Commission
A gathering in Arizona is reporting large numbers of young adults have committed to spreading the Gospel of Jesus. More than 7,000 people gathered for the annual Urbana 25. The conference, part of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA, encourages students and attendees to reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus. The conference has been held since 1946 and encourages several generations to witness the Gospel. The five-day conference ended with 800 people accepting Jesus as their personal Savior or recommitting to their relationships with Christ. Forty-two percent of the attendees also signed a commitment to surrender to the will God in helping spread the Gospel around the world.
SNBC Health report: Genes Are Not Your Destiny
We’ve been told that our genetic destiny is written in our DNA. However, research is gradually dismantling this fatalistic view and is closer to resembling what the Word tells us.
Naturally speaking, genetics may influence a small percent of how we age, but the remaining portion is influenced by factors entirely within our control: what we eat, how we move, and how we handle stress, others, and ourselves.
Stanford researcher Lucia Aronica’s findings on epigenetics and nutrition embody this balance of nature and nurture. “You are not just a passive reader of your genetic code, but an active writer of your health story every day with every choice,” she said.
As Christians, our foundation to good health is the Word of God. Proverbs Chapter 4 tells us His words are life to us as we find them and health to all our flesh.
The second pillar of good health is good food. The chemical groups our bodies use to regulate genes include:
Folate: From green leafy vegetables, liver, legumes
Vitamin B12: Mainly in meat, fish, shellfish, liver
Choline: Mostly egg yolks, liver, and some in cruciferous vegetables
Betaine: From beets, quinoa, shrimp, wheat bran
Also, we should make sure we eat the rainbow foods:
Red Foods: Tomatoes, bell peppers
Orange Foods: Oranges, pumpkin, carrots
Brown Foods: Coffee, dark chocolate
Purple Foods: Berries, and
Green Foods in particular (which Aronica calls the boss of our body’s own antioxidants that keep our genes happy…foods such as Spinach and cruciferous vegetables
Every meal, every workout, and every time we choose joy represents an opportunity to pick up that epigenetic pencil and rewrite our genetic code, and thus, our health story.