NationBuilder

Welcome to the Friday Five! Every Friday we share our top five articles, stories, and quotes for you to read and share with your friends and church families.

We would be very grateful if you could make a donation of $100, $50, $25, or $10 today towards our work producing these Friday Fives and fighting for your values on the public square!

1. NC VALUES: 1 down, 7 to go

Thus far, this legislative session has been our busiest yet. After working for several years on a number of important pieces of pro-values legislation, the changing political landscape has allowed for us to capitalize on our efforts of getting a number of important bills before the NC General Assembly. Already, our labor has helped pass legislation that protects many thousands of unborn babies.

However, we’re not done yet.

With the successful override of Governor Cooper’s veto of the “Care for Women, Children and Families Act” (SB20), we now have 7 other pieces of legislation we’ve been actively working on passing this session.

And we would greatly appreciate your help!

2. NORTH STATE JOURNAL: Sports betting, medical marijuana back on legislative radar

"Legislation that would establish sports betting and open the door to legalized medical marijuana is back on the General Assembly’s plate this week. An N.C. Senate committee made several changes to the March bill approved by the N.C. House of Representatives, including language to make it easier for adults to bet in person and adding horse racing to the list of approved betting options."

3. CAROLINA JOURNAL: Emails show UNC lobbying against bill to teach founding documents

"Uncovered emails from senior officials at the University of North Carolina revealed the government affairs team worked behind the scenes to stop college constitutional literacy legislation called the REACH Act, according to emails obtained in a recent public records request. I requested the records to see what discussions the UNC System lobbyists might be having on the bill, which I authored. And I was disappointed by what I found. 'We tried to slow this down…It was a "wrap yourself in the flag" type bill,' said Bart Goodson, UNC’s senior vice president of government affairs in an April 3 email. Goodson’s annual salary is $305,000."

4. FOX NEWS: Alabama bans transgender female athletes from women's college sports

"Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation Tuesday that prohibits transgender women from participating on female sports teams in college. The state had previously banned transgender athletes from participating in female youth sports from grades K-12."

“‘Look, if you are a biological male, you are not going to be competing in women’s and girls' sports in Alabama. It’s about fairness, plain and simple,’ Ivey said in a statement.”

5. CAROLINA JOURNAL: Lawmakers move appointment powers away from Cooper, future governors

"On Wednesday, the North Carolina House passed a bill that would transfer some appointment powers from the governor to other members of the executive branch and the General Assembly."

Weekly Prayer: Life

LORD, we recognize that you are Sovereign over all creation. We recognize you made man from the dust, and in your mercy, you crowned creation with man and woman made in your image. What a wonder it is that you would bestow upon us this blessing and responsibility!

LORD, may we not take this blessing for granted. We pray that this great responsibility and dignity may motivate us to love You, our neighbors, and our families more. LORD, may we as a culture truly see and believe that children are a blessing from the LORD—born or unborn; able or disabled. All children should have an opportunity to experience the liberty of life. LORD, make us your vehicle to change our culture into one that cherishes and protects life. Keep at the forefront of our minds our responsibilities to respect, cherish, and serve the youngest and oldest in our society.

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 'Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.'" (Matthew 18:1-6)

Amen

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Sincerely,

Tami & Team
NC Values