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Grace Demands Everything, But Costs Nothing

The great drawing power of the gospel is grace. “For by grace you have been saved through faith (Eph. 2:8)” and “you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1)” along with many similar passages from the Bible have for two thousand years lifted people from despair into hope. There is also the widespread notion that this grace is free. Perhaps this idea springs from such passages as, “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, ...

Faith Against All Odds

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO Associated Press Marianne Williamson has kept barnstorming for months across America — to audiences large and small, from churches and colleges to spiritual centers and soup kitchens — in a demanding schedule of appearances in her second tenacious, against-the-odds run for the presidency. The bestselling spiritual author and one-time advisor to Oprah Winfrey didn’t make it to the 2020 primaries in a wide-open Democratic field. Now she is running against a sitting president from her own party, and the Democratic establishment has closed ranks behind ...

Authentic, Satisfying Relationships Are Developed Over Time

Q: I was recently shocked when a coworker said he’s heard that having an affair can actually spice up your marriage. I’m sure that’s wrong, but I’m at a loss as to what to say in response. What’s your take? Jim: My take: ALL of the best social research shows that having an affair will certainly NOT “spice up” the relationship in any positive long-term way. Infidelity has been described as a huge bomb detonating within a marriage. At Focus on the Family, we hear from hundreds of people every month who confirm that imagery. The effects on everyone involved are ...

RSV Infections Are Straining Some U.S. Hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — RSV infections are rising sharply in some parts of the country, nearly filling hospital emergency departments in Georgia, Texas and some other states. To help counter the surge, federal officials on Thursday announced they were releasing more doses of a new RSV shot for newborns that have been in short supply. Reports of the seasonal virus are rising nationally, but experts said RSV is not expected to generate the kind of widespread patient traffic seen last fall, when hospitals were overwhelmed with sick, wheezing kids. Nevertheless, cases will likely rise in ...

Britain Approves World’s First Gene Therapy For Sickle Cell

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s medicines regulator has authorized the world’s first gene therapy treatment for sickle cell disease, in a move that could offer relief to thousands of people with the crippling disease in the U.K. In a statement Thursday, the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency said it approved Casgevy, the first medicine licensed using the gene editing tool CRISPR, which won its makers a Nobel prize in 2020. The agency approved the treatment for patients with sickle cell disease and thalassemia who are 12 years old and over. Casgevy is made by Vertex ...

Rep. Santos Will Not Seek Reelection After Scathing Ethics Committee Report

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Ethics Committee in a scathing report Thursday said it has amassed “overwhelming evidence” of lawbreaking by Republican Rep. George Santos of New York that has been sent to the Justice Department, concluding flatly that he “cannot be trusted” after a monthslong investigation into his conduct. Shortly after the panel’s report was released, Santos blasted it in a tweet on X as a “disgusting politicized smear” but said he would not be seeking reelection to a second term. He gave no indication, however, that he would step aside before his term ...