March 18th, 2024

Sonya McKinzie

18 POSTS
Sonya is a Christian, mom, second-generation domestic violence survivor, victims' advocate, survivors' coach and the founder of Women of Virtue Transitional Foundation, Inc. She is an author of nine books, the creator of The Blogging ThriveHer™, and enjoys sharing the Word of Jesus Christ with the world.

Exclusive articles:

4 Ways to Grow Faith That Outweighs Fear and Worry

Fear and worry will try to sentence your faith to death row. Don't let them. Try these 4 practical strategies for unshakeable faith.

5 Ways the Bible Equips Parents to Answer Their Kid’s Tough Questions

Kids ask the toughest questions, but parents can rely on the Word of God to help navigate every answer. Here's how the Bible can help.

5 Ways to Relieve Loneliness at Christmas

Loneliness at Christmas affects many people, but the gift of God's love is forever. Here are 5 ways to help relieve loneliness that you can do right now.

Can You Be a Christian and an Introvert?

Are you a Christian introvert who wonders if God can use you for His glory - even though you're not extremely outgoing? Keep reading. God has a plan.

Sleepless Nights? Find Peaceful Rest Through Jesus Christ

Sometimes it's challenging to quiet your mind and get a good night's sleep. Here are 3 ways to find peaceful rest through Jesus Christ.

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Trolls Band Together in Theaters November 17th

Nothing's Stronger Than Family Harmony About This holiday season, get ready...

Are State Laws the Solution to Kids’ Access to Porn?

As data continues to show the harms of viewing porn, particularly for children, support for stricter legal limits on pornographers has grown.

The Burial: A Glimpse Into the Life of William Gary

The Burial: Based on a True Events About Inspired by true...

Pandemic Restrictions Had No Lasting Effect on Churches, Study Finds

Even in states where regulations were severe, most congregations moved on quickly. Jeff Schoch was ready to be done with COVID-19 health safety regulations. Like most ministers in the US, the pastor of Crossroads Bible Church in San Jose, California, did his best to comply with the many pandemic rules imposed by state and local governments. But as soon as they were lifted, he wanted to put them all behind him. He quickly tore down the state-mandated signs about social distancing, hand washing, and masks. “I got rid of every visual reminder in the church,” Schoch told CT. “I was anxious, personally, to make that a memory.” Across the country, Protestant congregations are dealing with the long-term impacts of the pandemic. A new, extensive study by Arbor Research Group and ChurchSalary, a ministry of Christianity Today, found that a lot of pastors are still in crisis. Some furloughed staff members haven’t gone back to work. And even when attendance numbers have rebounded, there are still people missing from many congregations. Christian leaders will likely be grappling with the fallout from COVID-19 for years to come. But, surprisingly, state-level pandemic restrictions had no measurable, lasting impact on American churches. Even in places like San Jose—where the county government imposed some of the strictest rules in the country, the restrictions changed frequently, and authorities aggressively went after churches they said failed to comply—pastors like Schoch were able to just move on. The data doesn’t show any adverse effects from the government regulations. Eric Shieh, a research consultant for Arbor Research, said that surprised him. “You would think that the restrictions made things tougher for churches. They didn’t meet as much, and so you’d ...Continue reading...
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