It’s time for our list of must-read inspirational stories from the past week. So, let’s begin:
1) We covered a number of “miracle” baby stories this past week. First and foremost: The smallest surviving infant to ever be born at Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago went home last Wednesday after spending more than four months in the NICU. Entitan Martins delivered her daughter, Eirianna, when she was just 23 weeks pregnant. Just wow.
2) And there’s a similar story about twins born in Scotland. Arriving at 23 weeks and four days to parents Claire and James Weir in Scotland last April, the babies are reportedly the “youngest and smallest surviving twins to be born” in that country, according to their mother. Meet the babies.
3) Moving on, U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry Black made headlines earlier this month when he brought down the house at the National Prayer Breakfast with a powerful keynote about prayer. And in a follow-up interview with Faithwire, Black, a retired rear admiral who has served as the 62nd chaplain of the U.S. Senate since 2003, described his role in detail, delivering a fascinating lesson about the chaplaincy, which was first established in 1789.
Oh, and he also had a history lesson about the separation of church and state.
4) Plus Faithwire’s Dan Andros recently went to Haiti, where he witnessed an incredible act of goodness. It’s truly an amazing story, as a missionary named Kate rounds up some basic medical supplies each morning like bandages, tape, medicines, and so forth, and then heads down a Haitian mountain and into town to help the people. The peoples’ reactions are heartwarming.
5) And in a truly fascinating and uncommon scene, Vice President Mike Pence, armed with a rake, helped physically clean up a Jewish cemetery in Missouri that was desecrated by vandals over the weekend. Watch him help with the clean-up efforts. Pence’s visit to the cemetery alongside Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens came amid a rash of threats against U.S. Jewish centers.
6) Then there’s the story of a U.K. woman named Deb, a former heroin addict who found herself one day rummaging through a dresser drawer in search of a match when she discovered something else entirely: a tiny Gideon New Testament. When she started to read it, her life was transformed.
7) On the charity and goodwill front, New York City musician Will Boyajian can regularly be seen playing his guitar and singing bluegrass in Manhattan’s Port Authority Bus Terminal. Like many other performers, he solicits donations from passerby — but instead of keeping it, he ends up giving the money to homeless and poor people in dire need. It’s pretty incredible.
8) And in Hollywood news, on the heels of reports that CBS is gearing up for a new Bible-themed TV comedy titled, “Living Biblically,” there’s another faith-based, small-screen project in the works — a show that plans to reimagine popular Bible stories in the modern era. Find out more about “The Scroll.”
9) The next story is a tough one to read, but it’s worth doing so. An elderly Illinois couple are turning to their Christian faith as they cope with a horrific tragedy that took the lives of their daughter, granddaughter and son-in-law. Erwin and Ursel Schmidt, aged 77 and 73, respectively, recently told the Daily Herald about the importance of their Christian faith as they grieve the heartbreaking losses, and work to comfort their surviving grandchildren, 15-year-old Hailee and 10-year-old Christian.
10) Last but not least, an Arkansas teenager who spent 2,310 days — more than six years — in foster care was recently granted the gift of a lifetime: adoption by a forever family who has lovingly decided to take him in. It’s all pretty incredible.
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Other Must-Read Stories:
– This Teen is ‘Planned Parenthood’s Worst Nightmare’
– Atheists Shock Pastor by Delivering a Surprisingly ‘Graceful’ Review of Graphic Novel Bible
– Watch Pence Help Rake, Clean Up Desecrated Jewish Cemetery — and Listen to His Stirring Words