Friend,



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.  <[link removed]>



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! <[link removed]>



<[link removed]>







<[link removed]>



1. NC VALUES: 2020 Election Recap



Many of you have called, texted, and emailed about the North Carolina election, so as the votes are still being counted, we wanted to put out this summary of what we know this afternoon:



Why the results in North Carolina are still not final:



- The State Election Board reported they are in the process of reviewing40,766 provisional ballots(ballots from voters who may have voted in a different precinct, were not registered but attempted to vote, or whose eligibility may be otherwise questioned).

- Election boards across the state are also continuing to review and accept up to116,200 absentee and overseas military ballotswhich must be postmarked on or before November 3rd. Under state law, these ballots would normally only be counted if they are received by tomorrow, November 6, but because of a lawsuit filed in federal court by Democrat attorneys weeks before the election, the U.S. Supreme Court has extended the deadline to November 12th. These absentee ballots were requested but have not been returned, and they include voters who voted in person instead of returning their absentee ballot. So many of these ballots will be disqualified.

- North Carolinians will not know the final outcome until the official county by county canvassing on November 13th. It is worth noting that not all the provisional ballots will end up counting in this election. In 2016 voters cast about 60,000 provisional ballots, more than half of which weren’t counted.







Given the closeness of some of the races, check out this North State Journal article <[link removed]> about how the North Carolina Attorney General and Chief Justice outcomes are likely days away.



















<[link removed]>











<[link removed]>



2. VIDEO: Dan Forest Concession Speech



We congratulate our endorsed candidates for the Council of State--Mark Robinson who won the Lt. Governor’s race, Dale Folwell who won re-election as State Treasurer, Josh Dobson who won the Commissioner of Labor race, and Catherine Truitt who won the Superintendent of Public Instruction race. We are also deeply dismayed that North Carolina voters failed to elect Dan Forest to the Governor’s office, E.C. Sykes as Secretary of State, and Jim O’Neill as Attorney General (although this race could well move into the win column as votes continue to be counted). We can only trust in God’s timeline and that each of these great men has a future leadership role in our State.







Watch Dan Forest's concession speech here. <[link removed]>























<[link removed]>











<[link removed]>



3. NORTH STATE JOURNAL: Fitzgerald: No one wants an HB2 debate, again!



“Destructive gender ideology, which is enshrined under SOGI laws, threatens the right of parents to raise their children consistent with their beliefs. People of faith should not be treated like second‐class citizens. Tolerance is a two‐way street. Tolerance and respect for good‐faith differences of opinion are essential in a pluralistic society like ours. They enable us to peacefully coexist with each other. SOGI laws ostracize and marginalize people who hold decent and honorable beliefs about marriage, sex and gender.



We urge mayors across our state to heed the words of our own North Carolina Constitution which says, “No human authority shall, in any case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience,” and the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent reaffirmation of religious liberty, when it stated, “We are also deeply concerned with preserving the promise of the free exercise of religion enshrined in our Constitution; that guarantee lies at the heart of our pluralistic society.” People of faith should be welcome in our cities, not targeted and punished.



To our city leaders we say: listen to important stakeholders like female athletes, small business owners and people of faith. Our voices are important. It’s time for a different approach.”























<[link removed]>



<[link removed]> <[link removed]>







<[link removed]>



4. N&O: NC first lady apologizes for Facebook comment about ‘flipping off’ Trump supporters



“North Carolina first lady Kristin Cooper apologized Thursday night for a Facebook comment in which she said she “flipped off” President Trump supporters by the State Capitol in downtown Raleigh days before the election.”



“According to a screenshot of the comment that circulated on social media, Kristin Cooper responded to a comment about the event on another Facebook user’s private page.



Her comment  <[link removed]>included: “There was a pitiful family group waving those flags by the Capitol today. I flipped them off and told them to go home. Was flipping off a brainwashed kid my finest hour? Probably not, but I can live with it.”































<[link removed]>















<[link removed]>



5. DAILY SIGNAL: Is Voter Fraud Afoot? A Look at 7 Claims



“As might be expected during the undecided presidential contest between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, pundits and typical voters alike are voicing more concerns about voter fraud and unfair election practices.



Already numerous internet rumors have been proven wrong or lack evidence. That doesn’t mean every assertion will prove to be without merit, however. 



Conversely, some legitimate questions about ballot counting have enough evidence behind them to support litigation. That doesn’t mean such questions won’t ultimately have satisfactory answers. 



Here’s a sampling—based on what currently is known—of seven claims in the postelection chaos.”





























<[link removed]>



























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 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!



We pray LORD that we would not take this for granted. We pray that both this great responsibility, and this great dignity, may motivate us to love you more, love our neighbor more, and love ourselves 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.



"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









Will you chip in $100, $50, $25, or even $10 to help the NC Values Coalition continue to fight for your rights? You can donate by clicking here.  <[link removed]>





<[link removed]>





Sincerely,



North Carolina Values Coalition



<[link removed]>







-=-=-

NC Values Coalition - 9650 Strickland Rd, Suite 103-226, Raleigh, NC 27615-1902, United States

This email was sent to [email protected]. To stop receiving emails: [link removed]

-=-=-



Created with NationBuilder - [link removed]