Have you caught the recent stories about the pornography industry threatening to leave California for Arizona because of new regulations in L.A.?
Both Fox 10 and ABC 15 reported on this story.
In response, County Attorney Bill Montgomery sent a clear message today: Arizona laws are not friendly to pornographers. (more…)
Last Saturday I witnessed an inspiring event at Scottsdale Bible Church. Hundreds of families came together to learn about adopting waiting kids from foster care.
Right now, there are more than 350 kids in the Arizona foster care system waiting for adoptive families and thousands more in need of safe and loving temporary foster homes. The stories shared about these orphans waiting for “forever families” were heart-wrenching, yet filled with hope and promise.
Several times we heard the phrase, “No child is ‘unadoptable.’ We just haven’t found the right family yet.”
One speaker asked the crowd, “How many of you are adopted?” A smattering of hands went up. Then, he read Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:3-10 emphasizing verse 5, “In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, …”
Again, he asked, “How many of you are adopted?” We all raised our hands.
Another speaker shared passionately about the need, boldly asking the crowd, “Do you have what it takes? Is God calling you?” After a brief moment of silence, a voice from the crowd spontaneously shouted the words, “I am!” and the whole place exploded in applause.
Last Saturday, 144 families started the process by getting their fingerprints done (see picture).
As we saw the line for fingerprints grow and stretch out the door, a mom of 9 (as she puts it “4 bio and 5 adopted”) leaned toward me with tears in her eyes and whispered, “Wow, what a blessing … this is so huge.”
If you want to know more about what you can do to support adoptive families or about becoming an adoptive family, check out Christian Family Care at www.connectonenow.org/adoption.
Education is on everyone’s mind at the Legislature this session.
Governor Brewer announced that improving education as a key part of her plans for 2012 when she said in her State of the State address that we will see “excellence and accountability in our education system.”
How do we achieve this high standard? The answer is simple – school choice.
Expanding school choice is the single best strategy for improving education for all children. (more…)
Moments ago, two school choice bills were passed by the Arizona State Senate by a vote of 19-9-1.
Arizona’s robust school choice programs have been an undeniable success, opening the doors of educational opportunities to tens of thousands of families. Yet the need for scholarships for students to attend the school of their parents’ choice remains great, with thousands of students sitting on waiting lists. (more…)
Another study has been released on the harms of divorce. This one from the University of Arizona shows that divorced men and women may die earlier than married individuals.
“A new review by the University of Arizona of more than 30 published studies found divorced adults have a significantly higher risk of early death compared with married adults.
The risk of dying early was 23 percent greater among divorced adults than married couples tracked by researchers for an average of 11 years. Researchers found the risks associated with divorce are similar to other well-established public-health risks, such as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, getting limited exercise, being overweight and drinking heavily, said the study’s lead author, UA psychology professor David Sbarra.”