Dear Jack,


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: Your Efforts Mattered


This week's election was historic.


At the national level, middle working-class America made their voices clear at the ballot box, electing President Trump as our 47th President, and with him workable values-friendly Republican majorities in the US Senate and likely the House. North Carolina’s congressional showing was particularly strong, with conservatives winning 10 of our 14 congressional seats. The end of both the Kamala campaign and Biden administration are also things for us to celebrate. Kamala’s campaign was centered on advancing abortion, and her loss is a great repudiation of the politics of Planned Parenthood. Furthermore, with the close of the Biden administration comes the end of one of the greatest legal and institutional threats against our cherished values of life, family, and religious freedom.


In North Carolina, we’re happy to also share that the large majority of our endorsed candidates won their elections. The state also saw great judicial gains, with favorable victories in the Supreme Court race and all three Court of Appeals races. We congratulate all pro-values candidates who were victorious in their elections, and are grateful to all of our candidates for making the difficult decision to run for public office.


Read more: https://ncvalues.org/your-efforts-mattered/

2. YOU'RE INVITED: Mama Bear Workshop in Cape Carteret


While the election is over, our work continues.


Whereas some organizations may take some time-off after the election, we’re already busy with our next family-empowering effort: our free Mama Bear workshop event at Cape Carteret Baptist Church next week on Wednesday November 13th. Our Mama Bear Workshops give an overview of the events and transparency issues that are currently in North Carolina Public Schools. They also teach Mama and Papa Bears how they can get involved in protecting children from harmful curriculum and indoctrination.


RSVP: https://ccbcnow.churchcenter.com/unproxy/registrations/events/2579209

3. NORTH STATE JOURNAL: You’re Rehired: Trump Reclaims White House


"Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary comeback for the former president who defeated Vice President Kamala Harris handily in his bid to recapture the White House.


With a win in Wisconsin, Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency."


"Trump won North Carolina for the third time as a presidential candidate, even as statewide races were closely contested. Trump won 50.95% to Harris’ 47.56%, while Democrats Josh Stein, Rachel Hunt and Jeff Jackson all won key Council of State elections on the same ballot. As of Wednesday morning, Trump held a nearly 5 million advantage in the popular vote, which would be the largest margin of victory for a Republican presidential candidate since George H. W. Bush in 1988."


Read more: https://nsjonline.com/article/2024/11/youre-rehired-trump-reclaims-white-house/

4. NORTH STATE JOURNAL: NC House Republicans Lose Supermajority by One Seat


"This election cycle, multiple legislative races were competitive, giving Democrats a chance to break Republican supermajorities in the North Carolina General Assembly.”


“The one seat the Republicans need could be recouped in a possible recount of District 32’s race in which Republican Frank Sossamon lost to Democrat Brian Cohn. The margin in that race is only 0.42%, meeting the recount threshold requirement.


Republicans held 30 of the state Senate’s 50 seats, while Democrats controlled 20 until election night. A pickup by any one seat for Democrats would break the supermajority hold in that chamber, which did not happen.


Senate Democrats may have lost two seats, which would bring the Senate tally to 32 Republicans and 18 Democrats. Democrat Sen. Rachel Hunt’s Mecklenburg County seat went to Republican Woodson Bradley, although the vote margin was 0.02%, which triggers a recount. Democrat Sen. Mary Wills Bode’s Wake County seat went to Republican Ashlee Adams, where, again, a recount will happen as the vote margin was 0.03%.”


Read more: https://nsjonline.com/article/2024/11/nc-house-republicans-lose-supermajority-by-one-seat/

5. N&O: NC Supreme Court Race Could Head to Recount; GOP Sweeps Court of Appeals Races


“The race for a seat on North Carolina’s Supreme Court remains extremely close and could be headed to a recount. With all precincts reporting, Republican Jefferson Griffin is roughly 9,800 votes ahead of his opponent, Allison Riggs, the Democratic incumbent, as of Wednesday morning.”

“As for the Court of Appeals, Republicans swept all three races. None of these races could have flipped the overall partisan majority of either court; Republicans already held commanding majorities on both. But Republicans have expanded their dominance on the Court of Appeals and may do so on the Supreme Court as well.”


Read more: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article294787034.html

Weekly Prayer: Family


LORD, we cry out to you as Father. You are a model of the love, mercy, and authority of the perfect parent. We thank you for modeling for us what every parent should strive for, and for creating this wonderful institution called family.


LORD, we thank you for creating us with a basic nature designed to not be alone. You made us to desire the intimacy of relationships, and it is here where we experience joys indescribable: the joys of marriage, the joys of having children; the joys of seeing our children have children. What a blessing and mercy you gave us in the family! In it we find our first teachers, our first guardians, and our first authorities.


LORD, we recognize how deeply you love your children, and how deeply it pains you when they go astray. Alongside our adoration and thanksgiving, we pray in confession—as individuals and as members of larger communities—over any sins we may have committed that undermine your beloved institution. Forgive us when we endanger your institution through selfishness and arrogance. Forgive our communities and nation for attempting to redefine some of the most basic and deepest parts of being human—being made male and female, having lifelong marriage vows and responsibilities, and having parental rights over educating one’s children.


“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:12-17)


Amen