Lessons on leadership and Reagan’s life told by best-selling author and speaker Margot Morrell in Reagan’s Journey, highlights the fact that, “even storied careers have ups and downs. Ronald Reagan’s was no exception. Throughout his career, Reagan used timeless strategies to coach himself through economic slumps, industry upheavals, and personal challenges. With determination and effort, he climbed to the top of five professions – sportscaster, Hollywood star, union leader, public speaker, and statesman.”
Christian Couple on God’s Faithfulness Amid Losing Baby, Raising Another Child With Turner Syndrome
Matthew and Sarah Harms are the parents of four girls; the oldest aged six, Elizabeth, has Turner Syndrome, a chromosomal abnormality, and the youngest, Ava, passed away on her first birthday on May 24, 2012. Despite their grief and bewilderment, they trusted in God’s goodness and faithfulness to comfort and provide for them.
The Harms were devastated when they learned that their first daughter had Turner Syndrome, a genetic condition in which a female does not have the usual pair of two X chromosomes; one of her sex chromosomes is missing or has other abnormalities. Girls with Turner Syndrome generally have non-working ovaries, absence of a menstrual cycle, and are sterile. Concurrent health concerns may also be present, including congenital heart disease, hypothyroidism, diabetes, vision or hearing problems, and autoimmune diseases.
Despite overwhelming grief, Matthew Harms shared in the video, “at that point we loved God and trusted God and knew that he was good but there were days that I started questioning that and there was definitely a point where we had to reassure ourselves every day that God was good… and we started to see how God was taking care of us.”
South Carolina Sued for Involuntary Sex Assignment Surgery on Infant
John Mark and Pamela Crawford are suing the state of South Carolina for performing sex assignment surgery on their adoptive infant three months prior to having legal custody of the child. This is the first lawsuit of its kind in the nation.
Their child, known as M.C., was born with both male and female reproductive organs, otherwise known as a special needs child that has an intersex condition. When M.C. was 16 months old and a ward of the state, under the care of the South Carolina Department of Social Services, doctors and department officials decided that M.C. should undergo sex assignment surgery to make M.C. a girl. The child’s biological mother was deemed unfit and the biological father was considered to have abandoned the child. The decision about the child’s sexuality was left to the state.
Faith and Work: ‘Survivor Nicaragua’ Finalist Holly Hoffman on How to Survive the Trials of Life
Holly Hoffman, a finalist who finished fourth in CBS’s reality television show, “Survivor Nicaragua,” just released a new book, Your Winner Within, Own your Power, Your Attitude and Your Life, to help others “survive in the real world.”
“What I learned from being on the reality show, I have been able to apply to the real world of survival,” she says. From her experience on the show, she learned what really mattered to her – her faith, her family and friends, and finding an inner strength she didn’t know she had. “Life is not always fair,” she says. “My faith makes me realize that there is always a reason [for a life experience] and if God brought you to it, He will get you through it.”
NYC Health Dept. Creates App to Battle Teen Pregnancy; Bisexuals Included in Video
The New York City Health Department is promoting a new smartphone app, “Teens in NYC – Protection,” created to battle teen pregnancy. One video featured in the mobile app addresses bisexuality and birth control.
The app was created to help NYC continue its trend of declining teen pregnancy. The New York City Health Department recently announced that its efforts over the last decade have led to a 5 percent decline in teen pregnancies in one year, hitting a new low by falling 30 percent over the last decade. The new app was created to provide teens with more accessible information to locate free, confidential reproductive health services.
Sen. Marco Rubio, Rep. Mike Turner Introduce Bills Banning IRS Political Targeting
Congressman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) introduced the Taxpayer Nondiscrimination & Protection Act of 2013 on Tuesday that would amend Title 18 of the U.S. code, making it a crime for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to discriminate against anyone (individual or group) based on their constitutionally protected rights of political speech and expression. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced similar legislation today.
“Americans of all political beliefs have been rightly outraged by the revelation of the IRS’ efforts to target certain political organizations,” said Turner in a statement. “The fact that this could occur with little to no corrective action against those who seek to silence their fellow citizens is unacceptable. That’s why I’m taking immediate action and introducing this bill.”
Department of Education to Eliminate ‘Mother,’ ‘Father’ From Federal Student Aid Forms
The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that it will no longer use the terms “mother” and ”father” when collecting information about a student’s legal parents when those parents apply for federal student aid. Instead of using the words “mother” and “father,” the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid form (FAFSA) will use “Parent 1″ and “Parent 2.”
The announcement states that the changes to the 2014-2015 federal student aid form “more accurately and fairly assess students’ need for aid” and that “Gender-specific terms fail to capture income and other information from one parent when a student’s parents are in a same-sex marriage under state law but not federally recognized under the Defense of Marriage Act.”
