 Blake Fussell, a contributor to Christian Post, wrote this article about the crisis of teen suicide in America. Here's an excerpt. You can read the full article at the Christian Post website by clicking the button below.
"Suicide and drug overdoses are killing more young people than COVID-19 as the two pre-existing epidemics have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield warns. "In an interview with the Buck Institute for Research on Aging earlier this month, Redfield laid out that suicide and drug overdose have claimed more young lives during the pandemic than COVID-19, a disease that has been attributed to thousands of deaths nationwide this year. "'We're seeing, sadly, far greater suicides now than we are deaths from COVID,' Redfield explained. 'We're seeing far greater deaths from drug overdose that are above the excess that we had as background than we are seeing the deaths from COVID.' "A June survey from The Addiction Policy Forum reported a 20% increase in substance abuse with 34% of respondents experiencing a change in their treatment and recovery due to the pandemic."
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 This article was first published on Right to Life of Michigan (below is an excerpt, and below that is a button link to the full article):
"Adeline Raymond defied the odds. She was given a one-in-ten chance of surviving her birth, not by her doctors, but by statistics. If it were up to some of her doctors, Adeline wouldn’t have made it. Her parents Andy and Ida said they were told by doctors to abort her. "Adeline’s misfortune was being diagnosed in the womb with multiple birth defects. The statistics show a staggeringly high rate of abortions performed on children diagnosed with disabilities in the womb. One international study showed 92 percent of children diagnosed with Down syndrome and 64 percent diagnosed with spina bifida were aborted. "The pregnancy started out normally, and just before Christmas in 2010 Ida was scheduled for a routine scan at 10 weeks. Her obstetrician saw cause for concern during the scan, however, and she was quickly referred to a doctor in Ann Arbor for detailed tests."  Philip G. Monroe has contributed to CP Voices of Christian Post. The full article applies to pastors, but this part applies to finding peace in the middle of the storm. We have a link to the full article at the bottom of this post.
"Traumatized and distressed people need to know that what they are feeling is real and important. Being in distress is not a sign of spiritual weakness. It is the reality of being a human. When church leaders validate pain and distress without sermonizing or giving the deeper theological answer, people in pain often feel understood and less alone —thereby often reducing the pain they feel. There is a temptation to offer perspective as a means of comfort, but our presence helps more than our insights. If you find it hard not to jump to exhortation, try asking these three questions first: 'What happened (what is causing your pain)?' 'How does that make you feel?' 'What has been the hardest part?'"  Alexander Zhang of The Epoch Times wrote an article about vaccine passports in the UK. See the excerpt of what he wrote here, and click below at the button to read the rest of the article:
"The UK government will not introduce CCP virus 'vaccine passports,' but people will be able to ask their doctors for proof of vaccination if needed for international travel, Britain’s vaccine deployment minister Nadhim Zahawi said on Sunday. "The government has 'no plan of introducing a vaccine passport' because 'vaccines are not mandated in this country,' Zahawi told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show. "'That’s not how we do things in the UK. We do them by consent. We yet don’t know what the impact of vaccines on transmission is and it would be discriminatory,' he said.  Here's the first few paragraphs from an article written by Philip G. Monroe on CP Voices for The Christian Post:
"Everyone is aware of the physical health crisis caused by COVID-19. However, as a country, we are facing a new danger. It is coming in the form of mental health distress – increased anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and suicidal impulses. Those who are vulnerable, isolated, or ill-equipped to address mental health effects of the pandemic have turned to alcohol, marijuana, porn, and over-eating in significant and quantifiable numbers. Our country is dealing with rising cases of domestic, sexual and child abuse. These problems often lead to a cascade of other medical and social problems, and our medical and public health systems are not well prepared to respond. "I’m encouraged by the agility of the church we’ve witnessed over the past two months. While our governments have done what they can to address the many needs of Americans, local churches have often been the ones to meet financial, physical and emotional needs in very efficient ways. Church leaders are deeply plugged into the specific needs of their communities, and, most importantly, they have a heart for providing spiritual support and care. "However, many pastors find it difficult to speak about mental health challenges from the pulpit. In a 2018 survey, nearly half said they rarely, or never, speak on the subject to their churches in sermons or large group messages." |
AuthorBWGR Radio is an online Gospel radio station reaching the world with the Gospel of Christ. Archives
September 2021
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