The story of how God is at work in this mission is truly awe-inspiring. What is being accomplished is only something God could do. Praveen, the campus pastor was connected to a Church in Simpsonville, SC through a divine appointment. At the time, he did not have a way to accomplish what God had placed in his heart. But, he had an unshakable faith in our God and what the Lord could accomplish. He shared the need to rescue these children with this U.S. church, Set Free Alliance was started as a result of this divine connection. Since then, the Lord has rescued over 22,000 children from slavery in rock quarries, sex trafficking, forced begging, brick factories, and other desperate situations. Set Free Alliance has partnered with many other Churches but the needs are on-going. Feeding the children daily is the greatest need and God is working through His people to meet this need. There are more than 18 million people enslaved in India. That’s more than anywhere else on the planet. While slavery is actually illegal in India, the country lives by an ancient tradition called the caste system, which shuns an entire people group known as “untouchables.” These are the poorest of poor who aren’t even considered a part of the system. They are trapped in an endless cycle of abuse, leaving them without the most basic human rights and as prey to modern day slavery. Through Set Free Alliance children are rescued, reunited with their families if they have them, cared for if they have nowhere to go, and empowered through education to live incredible lives. They are also partnered with a team of over 7,000 pastors in India who do the physical work of rescuing and caring for enslaved children. While many children are reunited with the families they were taken from, some live in their care long-term. They receive food, education, housing, counseling, love, age-appropriate vocational training, and they learn to dream big for their futures. Private donors cover their operational costs, so when you give, 100% of your donation brings freedom and empowerment to children in India. If you can spare just $20 you can buy rice and feed 150 children a meal. That’s a lot of full bellies. Click here to visit the official website for Set Free Alliance

Here are the 10 most popular (and timeless) blogs from Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family. 10. A Wife's Countenance 9. The Power of Words 8. 5 Truths for True Love in Your Marriage 7. Angry Women and Passive Men 6. Dads to Daughters: 5 Things to Look for in a Man 5. Having an "I Am Third" Marriage 4. Your Sex-Starved Husband 3. 11 Marriage Killers You Need To Avoid 2. The Ways Men Need Their Wives 1. Women Have Needs That Men Do Not Comprehend

I am re-posting an article I wrote and posted on another site in August of 2017. Isaiah 42:14-15; 20; 23 "For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant. I will lay waste the mountain and hills and dry up all their vegetation.; I will turn rivers into islands and dry up the pools... You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open but you hear nothing... which of you will listen to this or pay close attention in time to come?" Isaiah 46:10 "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand... what I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that will I do."  -GOD  **All underlined words will take you to the source by clicking on the link "For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs." - Mark 13:8 (Also see Matthew 24:7-8) "While they are saying, 'Peace and safety!' then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape." - 1 Thess 5:3 It is an indisputable fact that ALL birth and labor pains intensify right before the baby is to be born. Significant Earthquakes from 100AD - 1000           214 Quakes over 1st 900 Years Significant Earthquakes from 1000 - 1500              318 Quakes over next 500 Years Significant Earthquakes from 1500- 1900             1878 Quakes over next 400 Years Significant Earthquakes 1900-2000    2564 Quakes over next 100 Years  Significant Earthquakes 2000-2017  974 Quakes over last 17 years ** All Earthquake Data Sourced from: https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nndc/struts/form?t=101650&s=1&d=1 A prophecy against Damascus: "See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins. - Isaiah 17:1 Where is Modern Day Damascus? Google says, Syria. Lets ask Google: Is Syria in ruins?  Here is a picture of what Syria looks like right now. USA Today reported in March, 2017 that Syria still lies in ruins. ** New York Times Image of Syria 2015 * Updated Article: May, 2018 by CNN "The Lord will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea; with a scorching wind he will sweep his handover the Euphrates River. He will break it up into seven streams so that anyone can cross over in sandals. There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt." - Isaiah 11:15-16 "The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East."  - Revelations 16:12 The Euphrates River is the longest river in Western Asia and is experiencing something right now that has not happened since Biblical Plagues. ​Would it surprise you to know that the Euphrates River is drying up ? Oh, and, there have been 7 Dams installed on the Euphrates. Ask Google: "Has the Euphrates River Dried up 2017? Research has found that the Tigris-Euphrates Basin — comprising Turkey, Syria, Iraq and western Iran — is losing water faster than any other place on the planet except northern India. According to the UN Development Progamme (UNDP), while scientists have been able to record falling water levels, political analysts have simultaneously observed rising tensions." READ MORE The United Nations Development Program has predicted the total depletion of the Euphrates River by 2040 - click here to view the 2011 Drought Assessment Prophecy about Egypt..."The waters of the river will dry up, and the riverbed will be parched and dry. The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.The reeds and rushes will wither, also the plants along the Nile, at the mouth of the river. Every sown field along the Nile will become parched, will blow away and be no more."  - Isaiah 19:5-7 The Nile River is commonly regarded as the longest river in the world, The Nile, which is 6,853 km (4,258 miles) long and covers eleven countries. It is also the longest river in the world that has never gone dry until now. Do you think it's just coincidence  that the Nile River is also drying up ? Ask Google: "Has the Nile River Dried up 2017?" “The land has become very dry,” observes Mahmoud Abo Khokha, a farmer from Al Monofeyya governorate, in Egypt’s Nile delta. “Drought is no longer predictable; it used to hit a certain 15 winter days. The whole year’s crops could be destroyed because of one week’s drought.”  READ MORE Article Published by Yale University 4/2017 about the "Disappearing Nile" Prophecy in the Book of Daniel says that knowledge would increase in the End Times "....Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued...Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever. But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.”   - Daniel 12: 1-4 Just think back through the centuries for a moment. Has there ever been a generation that had so many advances in knowledge and in modes of transportation? Just 150 years ago the main mode of transportation was horse and carriage which is also true back through every century, less the carriage. The increase in knowledge in our generation is absolutely astounding.  In fact, until we had television, radio and the internet it would not have been possible for the entire world to hear the gospel message. "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." - Matthew 24:14 We are living in "The Information Age" making this sign seem even more obvious. Even the most skeptical mind must admit that knowledge is exploding in all directions. It is said that 80% percent of the world's total knowledge has been brought forth in the last decade and that 90% percent of all the scientists who have ever lived are alive today. Think of what we have seen within the last 100 years: Man went to the moon, nuclear weapons, heart transplants, cloning, computers, satellites, drones, cell phones, modes of transportation, 3D printers, video, medical advancements, scientific advancements, robot companions, and list could go on and on.  While it is true that the vast majority of the world will be without God and without hope when Jesus returns, the Bible also says that many people will understand, prepare, and be ready.  "Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand." - Daniel 12:10 I believe Global Warming is explained in the Bible. God said He would brighten the sun in the last days in the prophecy of Isaiah. Although scientist scramble for answers from the atmosphere, it is right here in black and white. "The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days..."  - Isaiah 30:26 Click here to read the article from The Guardian and the opinion of scientists written in March 2017 Ask Google: "is the sun getting brighter?" The Lord told us in His word what would happen so we could understand, discern and know when the time for the end was near, "even at the doors." And, He told us that as His children, we would not be caught by surprise. Yes, He did say, no man will know the day or the hour, but then He gave us very detailed descriptions so that we could know the season of time.  "Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober." - 1 Thess 5:1-6 While it is true that the vast majority of the world will be without God and without hope when Jesus returns, the Bible also says that many people will understand, prepare, and be ready.  "Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand." - Daniel 12:10

Jesus said of Judas Iscariot the most terrible thing that could be said of any man: “…It would have been good for that man if he had not been born” (Mark 14:21). His mother is unknown; his father’s name is given as Simon (John 6:71); however, no one except the Lord knew that the first cries of the baby boy heard in his home would be from one who would ruin a name forever. Judas had been a valued and honorable Hebrew name. For example, Judas Maccabeus was one of the great liberators and patriots of the Jews during the intertestamental period. According to the uninspired historical record now known as 1 Maccabees, Jews started to fight off the Syrians, hoping to secure the freedom to worship Jehovah. In 167 B.C.E., Judas Maccabeus (the hammer), a Levite priest, became leader and hero of this resistance movement. Judas was also the name of one of the half-brothers of Jesus (Matt.13:55). Many bore the name of Judas during the time of our Lord’s ministry, but after the betrayal, that name became a byword for shame and treachery (Luke 6:16; Matt.10:3; Acts 15:22ff). No one would dare name a man-child that name today. In the four lists of the Apostles, the name Judas appears last in every list for obvious reasons. Peter is first, Judas is last. In the Doge, the great palace of the rulers in Venice, there hangs a covered portrait. When you pass by the other historical portraits, they are well lit and prominent, but near the middle of the hallway you come to one that is “draped over.” When you look behind it, you find the picture of one of the early leaders of Venice who later betrayed the city. In order to shame the one portrayed, a drape hangs over the betrayer. In a very real sense, there is a drape over the portrait of Judas Iscariot. Everyone knows the particular act of treachery that earned him that title of infamy, but what is often forgotten is the story behind the man. • How did he become one of degradation, contention, and abhorrence? • Where did the ingratitude and selfishness come from which began his collapse? • How did it spread? Was Judas forced by the hand of providence or did he choose his fate? It is interesting that Peter―the great denier of Jesus―was restored and became the great preacher at Pentecost, but Judas―the great betrayer―only knew remorse and is marked down forever as a man of contempt and shame. Did Judas have the potential to be like Peter? Was there a glimmer of promise in him? There is so much about Judas that we would like to know. What do we know about his upbringing, personality, habits, and the friends that helped shape him? Very little is revealed. However, there are biblical facts concerning him that help us to learn something about his character and what led to its collapse. His Name and Background: There are two suppositions concerning his last name (Iscariot) which give us clues about his background. The Hebrew word “ish” (“man”) and “kerioth” point us to the region where he was born. We know from the biblical record that Kerioth was a village in the southern part of the holy land (Josh.15:25). He was Judas Iscariot, a man from Kerioth. What this tells us is that Judas was the only one of the twelve that was not a Galilean. He came from the south. He was, from the beginning, “the odd man out.” He may have felt a twinge of superiority because of that, for the Judea and Jerusalem Jews always felt superior or “blueblooded” over the Galileans who tended to be mongrels in their ancestry. His name, Ish Kerioth, a man from the village of Kerioth, stamps him from the beginning as the odd man out. The other supposition is that in the earliest days of the first century, there was a group called the Sicarii, which means “the dagger carriers.” The Sicarii were violent Jewish nationalists. They were the ancient Jewish equivalent of the modern Shiite Moslem. Some believe that the name Iscariot comes from the name Sicarii, the dagger carriers―a kind of guerrilla war group of Jewish nationalists. If this were true, then we know that Judas had a political bent and perhaps joined with Jesus more as a political leader than as a personal friend. We can safely assume that Judas saw in Jesus the charismatic command that he would perhaps influence for the purposes of the Sicarii. In other words, he wanted to make Jesus like him, rather than be like the Lord Jesus. The lesson here is that this kind of native bent is in all of us. We, as sinners, by nature would like to tame, domesticate, manipulate, and shape the Lord Jesus to be what we would like Him to be. This is the blasphemous undercurrent of the health and wealth Gospel which really says, in essence: we want to shape You to bless, endorse, and further our desires and causes rather than bow down and allow You to shape us to be like You. His designation gives us an initial insight. But perhaps what is more puzzling is… His Opportunity: No man in the group had a more promising start than Judas. Although we know nothing of the actual event of his calling by the Master and the experiences that led up to it, the question of the ages has been: why was he chosen to be one of the twelve? In Luke 6:16, we read that after our Lord had prayed all night, He chose the twelve including “…Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.” In other words, this was no split-second decision on the part of Christ. After conversing with His Father all night long, He still chose Judas. There is no evidence from the beginning that Judas was a self-seeking hypocrite. On the contrary, it is fair to assume that Judas was moved with the same kind of enthusiasm as the others. Let us put to rest once for all the idea that Jesus deliberately or intentionally fingered His betrayer. Read James 1:13 carefully and you will find that “…God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.” Why then did Jesus choose Judas? Here is the mysterious nature and balance between the sovereignty of God and the free agency of man. Neither Jesus nor Judas are instruments of blind fate or pawns in the divine strategy. The commentator, James Edwards, affirms that “Divine providence neither cancels human freedom nor relieves human responsibility for moral choices. Both currents of divine foreordination and human free will intersect in the cross.” Why did Jesus choose him? The more compelling question is: why did He choose you or me? Jesus was willing to take “the risk of love” on Judas, just as He does with us. He was willing to risk His own vulnerability on what might have been. Knowing what He knew about them and about us, why does Jesus still choose us? The writer to the Hebrews tells us in 2:17, “…He had to be made like His brethren in all things [except sin], so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God…” Is there conceivably a more bitter experience than the one of being betrayed by a friend? His Downfall: The only handicap Judas possessed was the same handicap that we, and all of the other disciples, possessed: a fallen nature. Keep in mind that as a part of the plan of redemption, Jesus takes us where we are and, through regeneration and sanctification, He progressively reduces our nature from being a negative disability, turning it into a positive capacity to glorify Himself (1 Cor.6:19-20). In the case of all the other disciples, this change happened. Each disciple increasingly became competent for carrying out His kingdom agenda. But Judas grew worse, until, in the end, Satan entered into him through a door that he himself opened! (John 13:2; Luke 22:3-6, 47-48) • He became blinded to all his statements of commitment. • He made a calculated bargain with the Master’s enemies to betray Him into their power for a price. • He rejected a friendship he no longer felt was necessary. • He chose to be the willing pawn and betray the Master with a kiss. • He became the victim of remorse and demon-possessed anarchy against the Son of God, which led to self-murder in the dark of night. (James Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark, p.424) An unknown poet once wrote: For ships sail East, and ships sail West On the self-same winds that blow. It is not the gale, but the set of the sail That determines the way they go! The story of Judas could really be the story of what could happen to any one of us. The true story is told of Leonardo da Vinci who had difficulty finding models for the faces of Jesus and Judas when he was painting his renowned “Last Supper.” He finally found what he considered the right face for Christ. Years later, the only face he had not yet painted was that of Judas. One day, while walking in the slums of his city, he found a man with a face filled with hate, lined deeply with the struggles of life. The artist had never seen a sadder man. The man sat for the painting, and when da Vinci finished, he asked the man his name. The man said, “Don’t you remember me? Several years ago you used my face as the face of Christ.” What appeared so righteous years ago now appeared exceedingly evil. A wise Christian doesn’t forget that a little of Judas resides in all of us, and, therefore, we must not be superficial in our devotion and loyalty to Jesus. Discussion: In what way can your devotion to Jesus be superficial? What will you do to guard yourself against this tendency? Here was a man who ministered with miraculous power, according to Mark 3:14-19 (Cf. Matt.7:21ff). Privilege does not ensure men or women against the ultimate disaster. The same kind of tragedy could be re-forming in our lives right now. The question the disciples asked can still be asked of us today: “Is it I, Lord? Is it I?” Let no one settle down with some self-complacent attitude of Judas as if we could never betray the Lord (1 Cor.10:12). The question we must ask in this study is: what undetected weaknesses or unprotected areas did Judas, as well as the other disciples, miss? How did he go all that time under the gracious influences of the Lord’s ministry and yet end up a castaway and apostate? Several insights are given of the character of Judas: • First, it all began with an unsurrendered life. Judas failed because he refused to make a full and entire surrender of himself to the Master from the start. He simply did not leave all when he joined Jesus. Have you? He carried over into the new life a part of the old love. And that old love competed with Christ for the rule of his heart. He was overcome because his allegiance, though openly professed, was secretly divided. He wasn’t wholehearted. Sincerity was as far as it went, but he didn’t go far enough. An honorable life is comprised of three parts: reality, sincerity, and integrity. When the first is missing, the other two can hide under a cloak of hypocrisy for a time, but, sooner or later, they will be exposed. Here we also discover how fatally easy it is to mistake mere knowledge about Christ for that close intimate relationship which He describes as truly knowing Him (Matt.7:21ff; John 17:3). • Second, it continued with an undetected and protected weakness. Judas was one who took great pride in the handling of money. His position as the purse-bearer indicated that he had an aptitude for finance, economical habits, and administrative ability. He prided himself on being wise with wealth, and yet he ignored all of the teaching about how impossible it was to serve God and mammon (Matt.6:22- 24). He heard about the tragedy of bursting barns and an unsecured soul (Luke 12:13-34). He heard about the disaster of a world gained and a life lost (Matt.16:26). But hearing without heeding brings a delusion, according to James 1:22. In John 12:1-6, we discover that the only motive assigned to Judas was that of a greedy, grasping spirit. We would like something more dramatic, but nothing is there. Slowly and insidiously, he came under the power of the things he loved most. Greed slowly and silently takes over a man’s soul like termites spreading over a house made of maple wood. This is why the writer of Hebrews warned us, “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money…” (Heb.13:5; Cf. Luke 12:15). A subtle double-mindedness comes with caring so much about money. Many will argue that money is a part of life and we cannot do much without money in this world, and even in the church. However, the subtle resistance that is paraded as respect for money fails to pass the smell test. What some call stewardship reeks of insatiable desire—a love of money which is the “…root [or source] of all sorts of evil…” (1 Tim.6:10), even betrayal of the Lord of Glory! There are four other roots of evil that we would do well to weed out of our lives: 1) bitterness (Heb.12:15); 2) unsanctified desire (James 1:14ff); 3) unbelief (Heb.3:12); and 3) unforgiveness (Eph.4:30-32). Taking a personal examination: 1. Bitterness (Heb.12:15)—What does it mean? What does it do? How can you tell? What should you do? 2. Lust (James 1:14ff) 3. Unbelief (Heb.3:12) 4. Unforgiveness (Eph.4:30-32) With greed comes a lure, which leads to a lust, which ends in lostness. “Still as of old, men by themselves are priced, For thirty pieces Judas sold himself—not Christ.”2 • Third, Judas possessed an uncleansed and prideful heart. Secretly, “…he was a thief…” who lived with a bad, evil, defiled conscience (John 12:6) which nagged him and ultimately drove him to suicide in order to silence it. You cannot play with your conscience! Luther was right when he said, “It is neither safe nor wise to go against it.” What would have happened if Judas would have just taken his secret struggles to the Lord of grace and mercy? What if he had humbled himself and admitted, “There is a foe inside who’s too strong for me!”? But he didn’t! Why? Why? Why? He was in love with the foe. His idol became his guide. When your heart has never really been the Lord’s completely, then every day it becomes more and more divided, until, at last, it becomes an opposing force no longer reconcilable. Even to the last day, Jesus endeavored to make Judas face up to himself. At the table, He offers Him the sop (John 13:21-26). In the Garden, He calls him, “Friend…” (Matt.26:50). Up until the last, Jesus sought to win the man of Kerioth, but sin is a cruel, raging ruler that violently plunged him into despair. The final cry heard from him is, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood!” (Matt.27:4). 2 J. Stuart Holden, The Master and His Men, p.86 The bright warning flare is the story of how one of the most privileged men in the history of the world became the most despised. The warning is: 1. Beware of the half-hearted Christian life. It will only end with a whole-hearted allegiance to the god of this world. 2. Beware of the small beginnings of great tragedies. Spiritual evils are progressive—from small imperceptible beginnings, they will grow and increase to the worst of evils (Cf. 2 Tim.2:17; 3:13). Fight the first risings. The little foxes ruin the vineyards (Song.2:15). 3. Beware of honoring the Lord with your lips while your heart is actually given to another. Article Produced February 22, 2019 by The Church at South Mountain Reproduced with Permission

This study is life changing. It is a wonderful tool to help you grow in your understanding of God and in your personal love relationship with Him. If you are unable to attend a Bible Study then you can participate from home! We would like to make it easy for you to follow along and be part of a group study, at your own pace.  STEP 1: Purchase your workbook  -click here *this book is not affiliated with Tour of Truth STEP 2: Watch the Unit 1 Video Session -click here STEP 3:  Complete Unit 1 (daily homework) in your workbook for the next 5 days.  STEP 4: At the end of the unit listen to the Tour of Truth Bible Study Review - Unit 1 Repeat this cycle for each week of study This is a 12-week study. Subsequent weeks will follow as the podcasts are recorded each week. Please join us and follow along with our Bible study group. We pray that you are blessed abundantly!  Please see below for links to the additional unit videos and Bible study group podcasts. Experiencing God YouTube Video Sessions *Watch video at the beginning of a new unit Unit 1 - Week 1 Unit 2 -Week 2 Unit 3 - Week 3 Unit 4 - Week 4 Unit 5- Week 5 Unit 6 - Week 6 Unit 7 - Week 7 Unit 8 - Week 8 Unit 9 - Week 9 Unit 10- Week 10 Unit 11 - Week 11 Unit 12 - Week 12 Click here for additional video resources  Corresponding Bible Study Review Group Podcasts * Play podcast at the end of each unit Unit 1 Review  Unit 2 Review Unit 3 Review  Unit 4 Review Unit  5 Review Unit 6 Review Unit 7 Review Unit 8 Review - In the week to follow Unit 9 Review - In the week to follow Unit 10 Review - In the week to follow Unit 11 Review - In the week to follow Unit 12 Review - In the week to follow Find additional resources and information on the Experiencing God Study at: https://blackaby.org/experiencing-god/

As heinous as critics find New York's decision to legalize abortion up until the day of birth, former Planned Parenthood clinic director turned pro-life advocate Abby Johnson warns this is nothing new. It's a much bigger issue than most people realize. The controversial Reproductive Health Act, which was signed into law Tuesday by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), does away with restrictions on abortion past 24 weeks. Given the state's track record on reproductive issues, Johnson says the news comes as no surprise to her. "New York is already known as the nation's abortion capital, so I don't think that's going to change with this new law," she recently told CBN News. However, in a wake-up call to pro-life Americans, Johnson notes that similar late-term abortion scenarios have long been unfolding across the United States. "I know that many are disheartened by the New York vote to legalize abortion through birth, but let me be clear," she writes in a Facebook post. "This is already happening in almost a dozen other states. THIS IS NOT NEW. Babies have been aborted through birth for quite some time now. New York has now just been added to the list." Johnson also predicts that abortion doctors in other parts of the country may soon be relocating to The Empire State. "I think that what will happen is that a lot of these late-term abortion providers are going to be now seeking practices in New York so that they can perform late-term abortions without any penalty," she said. How Widespread is Late-Term Abortion? The Guttmacher Institute reports that while most states restrict later-term abortions, many of those restrictions have been struck down – mostly because they don't contain a health exception. And according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the following states don't have any prohibitions on abortion later in pregnancy:  Alaska, Colorado, District of Colombia, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, and Vermont.    In addition, 24 other states make an exception, allowing late-term abortions for the sake of the mother's general health. Pro-life advocates contend that the generic "health" exception essentially allows abortion-on-demand, saying late-term abortions can be allowed in any states that have a generic exception for the health of the mother. Faithwire's Will Maule explains, "Effectively, abortion will be available 'on demand' up until birth — if the woman wants to terminate her fully-formed child because she claims it is too much for her to deal with financially, emotionally or otherwise, she will be allowed to do so." Other states from the KFF list make it clear that the mother's life or "physical health" must be at risk to allow a late-term abortion, which seems to be proof of that pro-life claim regarding the general "health" exception. What exactly is late-term abortion? Christian author and speaker Lisa Bevere offers this heartbreaking description: And Johnson offers this rebuttal to the health argument that pro-choice advocates make for late-term abortion: The Broader Nationwide Battle Over Abortion Meanwhile, in yet another blow to the pro-life cause, a district court judge ruled Tuesday that Iowa's pro-life "fetal heartbeat" law is unconstitutional and may not be enforced. The law would ban abortions once a baby's heartbeat is detected, which can happen as early as six weeks into gestation. Many abortion advocates are hoping developments like the ones in New York and Iowa are a sign that 2019 will be a watershed year in what they view as the fight for women's 'reproductive health.' "This is a time where women are feeling they have some political power. This is not a foregone conclusion, but there's no time to stand on the sidelines anymore," the Pacific Standard quoted Julie McClain Downey, senior director of campaign communications at the pro-abortion Emily's List. Johnson, however, argues there has never been a better time to advance the cause of the unborn – and perhaps ultimately overturn Roe v. Wade. "I think it is the right time to take a personhood or heartbeat bill to the Supreme Court. And so that's sort of the hope – that a bill will be passed in a state that the pro-choice groups (Planned Parenthood, NARAL, NAF) will then challenge the state law and then take it to the Supreme Court," she told CBN News. "And then, hopefully, the Supreme Court would hear that case and would then overturn Roe v. Wade and would allow states to make the decision whether or not they want abortion in their own state," she said. That's precisely the reason Cuomo and New York Democrats gave for expanding abortion rights and adding them into New York law. They say Roe v. Wade could be overturned soon, which would then leave the future of abortion rights in the hands of the individual states. So they want to enshrine abortion into New York's state constitution next to ensure that abortion will always be legal in New York, even late-term abortions up until the point of birth. This article was written by: 01-25-2019 for CBN News Crystal Woodall, Benjamin Gill

REGISTER >> THEME: ENDURING FAITH "For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations." Psalms 100:5 (ESV) WHEN: May 17-19, 2019 SCHEDULE: Click here for event schedule (pdf) >> WHERE: Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center, 91 North Lakeshore Drive, Lake Junaluska, NC 28745 (800) 222-4930 SPEAKER(S): June Evans, Robbyn Evans, and Christine Disibio WORSHIP: Angel McGinnis REGISTRATION FEES: Non-Refundable Friday 7:30PM - Sunday 12 Noon $65 Early Bird until April 30, 2019 $80 After April 30, 2019 REGISTER FOR EVENT >> LODGING & MEALS PACKAGE at LAKE JUNALUSKA: Available until 4/17/19 unless sold out earlier Lodging (2 nights) and Meal Package per person (5 meals: Friday dinner-Sunday breakfast) Double Occupancy: $217.82 per person includes tax and gratuities Triple Occupancy: $187.50 per person includes tax and gratuities Quad Occupancy: $163.43 per person includes tax and gratuities  CALL (800) 222-4930 OR Reserve Lodging & Meals Here >> CAREFULLY READ webpage for charges and cancellation policy.  Please inform Lake Junaluska of any dietary restrictions.