Southeast
True meaning of fasting during Lent goes far beyond skipping dessert, says Georgia evangelist
Fasting during Lent has a much deeper meaning than simply giving up dessert or snacks, an evangelist told Fox News Digital.
“When we fast, we’re practicing an ancient discipline designed by God to draw us near to Him through surrender,” John Heerema, CEO of Biglife, told Fox News Digital. Heerema lives in Atlanta.
Biglife is a ministry dedicated to “reaching lost souls by shining Christ’s light into the world’s darkest places,” its website indicates, and has a presence in over 160 countries.
MUSIC OF LENT HELPS PREPARE CHRISTIANS FOR EASTER, SAYS DOMINICAN FRIAR, BLUEGRASS MUSICIAN
In scripture, fasting is done for many reasons: for mourning, as an act of seeking wisdom and guidance, and for empowerment in the face of temptation, said Heerema.
“When we look at fasting in scripture, two common themes emerge,” he said.
John Heerema, the Atlanta-based CEO of Biglife, reveals why fasting is a good practice during Lent — and it goes beyond just giving up dessert. (Kristen Chapman/iStock)
The first theme is that “disciplined fasting means practicing humility before God,” said Heerema.
“As Jesus says, fasting is meant to be private because His focus was on the eternal mindset of fasting to unite ourselves to the Father through the act of surrender, not the admiration and sympathy that the scribes and Pharisees chased after.”
HERE ARE 4 BLESSINGS PEOPLE CAN RECEIVE DURING LENT, SAYS CALIFORNIA PASTOR
Fasting, Heerema said, “teaches us to let go of inward selfishness and rely solely on upward providence.”
And “by allowing God to sustain our needs, we’re experiencing the freedom [that] Christ describes in Matthew,” he said.
“By allowing God to sustain our needs, we’re experiencing the freedom Christ describes in Matthew.”
The second theme, Heerema told Fox News Digital, is that the act of fasting invokes the Holy Spirit.
This is seen in both the Old and New Testaments.
“When Daniel committed himself to fasting, an angel of the Lord appeared to him to empower him. When the apostles committed themselves to fasting, the Holy Spirit spoke to the group and launched Paul’s and Barnabas’ mission.”
‘SPRING TRAINING’ FOR CHRISTIANS IS WHAT LENT IS ALL ABOUT, SAYS COLLEGE CHANCELLOR IN COLORADO
Heerema continued, “Then, the group prayed and fasted again before sending them on their mission to Cyprus. An 84-year-old prophetess named Anna committed herself to prayer and fasting, then met the Messiah she had been waiting for face to face and was immediately empowered to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others.”
The act of fasting should be done with the Holy Spirit in mind, said a faith leader based in Georgia. (iStock)
When Christians fast, they should really think about their reasons for doing so, said Heerema.
“Are we expecting the Holy Spirit to move in mighty ways like these? Are we just hoping to be more aware of God throughout our day — or do we have faith that the Spirit will clarify God’s will and empower us to act obediently?” he said.
With Christ’s resurrection from the dead, “now is the time for us, His disciples, to commit ourselves to fasting and rid ourselves of our stubbornness to anticipate His arrival.” (iStock)
If people are fasting “to lose a few pounds,” they are going about it the wrong way, he said.
This mentality would mean people aren’t “opening ourselves to the expectation that when we commit ourselves to prayer and fasting, God transforms our hearts and minds to become more like Him.”
With Christ’s resurrection, “now is the time for us, His disciples, to commit ourselves to fasting and rid ourselves of our stubbornness to anticipate His arrival,” said Heerema.
“When we fast, may we be reminded that we aren’t just ‘giving up dessert for Lent’ — we are wholly, humbly and obediently surrendering our entire selves to our mighty Creator and inviting Him to guide our every step!”
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
Read the full article from Here
Southeast
GOP Rep Nancy Mace introduces ‘Death Penalty for Child Rapists Act’
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., has introduced a bill to authorize the death penalty as a potential punishment for the sexual abuse of children.
“We have zero mercy for child rapists. Those who prey on our most vulnerable deserve the harshest consequence we can deliver,” Mace said in a statement.
The proposal is aptly called the “Death Penalty for Child Rapists Act.”
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., announces she will run for South Carolina governor during a press conference at the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, on Aug. 4, 2025. (Tracy Glantz/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“No predator should be allowed to walk away from the most unthinkable crimes against children,” Mace noted.
“This bill is simple. Rape a child and you don’t get a second chance, you get the death penalty. We will never apologize for protecting America’s children,” Mace added.
The bill would put capital punishment on the table as an option to punish those who sexually abuse children.
REP NANCY MACE SLAPS DOWN EARLY RETIREMENT RUMOR: ‘BIG FAT NO FROM ME’
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., attends the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“INTRODUCING: The Death Penalty for Child Rapists Act to amend Title 18 to authorize the death penalty for aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a minor and abusive sexual contact offenses against children. It will also amend the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to authorize the death penalty for the rape of a child,” she said in a post on X.
“We’ve spent months fighting to expose Jeffrey Epstein’s network of powerful predators. We’ve demanded accountability and pushed for transparency. Now we’re making sure anyone who rapes a child faces the ultimate consequence,” she noted.
Mace has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since early 2021.
NANCY MACE CLAIMS NANCY PELOSI ‘WAS A MORE EFFECTIVE HOUSE SPEAKER THAN ANY REPUBLICAN THIS CENTURY’
She is one of the candidates currently running in the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary.
Read the full article from Here
Southeast
Virginia Democrats talk affordability — and vote to nearly triple their own pay
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Virginia State Senate and its Democratic majority may have voted to nearly triple their pay if a provision inserted into their final budget survives the House reconciliation process and reaches Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk.
The development comes as Spanberger has centered her campaign on “affordability,” with Richmond Democrats echoing that they are working to improve their constituents’ personal finances.
Virginia’s legislature itself was founded as a part-time, gentleman’s chamber, where lawmakers would return to their day jobs when Richmond wasn’t holding session.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signs executive orders. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Proponents of raising the current 1988-established salary of $18,000 for senators and $17,640 for delegates say the structure restricts who can afford to serve as a lawmaker today. Lawmakers also qualify for a $237 per diem, mileage reimbursements, and coverage of office, meeting and other expenses.
Senators’ new salary would be $50,000.
Republicans were quick to criticize the final budget, with the Virginia Senate Minority Caucus saying in a statement that “teachers got a 3% raise, but Democrats give themselves 300%.” The actual increase would be closer to 178%, though one could say the new salary would be 300% of the original.
“The affordability hoax just gets worse and worse,” the caucus said, adding that the chamber’s majority killed a repeal of the car tax — something GOP gubernatorial nominee Winsome Sears ran on — while increasing the state budget by $1 billion overall.
Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, told WVTF it is the “wrong time” to address lawmaker pay.
NEW DEM STAR’S QUICK HARD-LEFT TURN AFTER ‘MODERATE’ CAMPAIGN WON HER COVETED RESPONSE TO TRUMP: LAWMAKER
“It’s supposed to be affordability for working families across Virginia, not members of the General Assembly,” he said.
Virginia’s legislature — the oldest continuous legislative body in the New World — has been making laws since its inception as the House of Burgesses in Colonial Williamsburg, where Spanberger gave the Democratic Party’s State of the Union response.
In her speech, she claimed President Donald Trump is the one “enriching himself, his family and his friends” and said Republicans are the ones “making your life more expensive.”
“I traveled to every corner of Virginia, and I heard the same pressing concern everywhere: costs are too high. In housing, healthcare, energy, and childcare,” she said.
“Americans deserve to know that their leaders are focused on addressing the problems that keep them up at night.”
“Democrats across the country are laser-focused on affordability — in our nation’s capital and in state capitals and communities across America,” Spanberger said Tuesday.
The pay raise could be moot if the Democrat-controlled House of Delegates does not amend its own budget proposal to include the provision.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The House’s budget includes $137 million for expanded childcare access, a minimum wage increase to $13.75 in 2027 and $15 in 2029, and a $20 million appropriation for state employees’ and home health care workers’ collective bargaining, according to Washington’s ABC affiliate.
Fox News Digital reached out to the governor, as well as the House and Senate minority leaders, for further comment.
Read the full article from Here
Southeast
Virginia murder suspect in bus stop stabbing had lengthy criminal history, multiple dropped charges
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A Virginia murder suspect accused of fatally stabbing a woman at a bus stop earlier this week has a lengthy criminal history filled with multiple arrests, but was let back onto the streets nearly every time.
Abdul Jalloh, 32, is charged with the Monday night killing of Stephanie Minter, 41, of Fredericksburg, at a bus stop shelter, the Fairfax County Police Department said.
Minter was found by officers with stab wounds to her upper body and pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Abdul Jalloh, 32, is accused of killing Stephanie Minter, 41, at a Virginia bus stop. (Fairfax County Police Department; provided)
Jalloh, 32, who was seen on surveillance cameras exiting the bus with Minter at Richmond Highway and Arlington Drive, was arrested the next day.
He was arrested at a liquor store after an employee called 911. At the time, officers arrested him for allegedly shoplifting. Investigators linked him to the murder a day later.
Authorities were still trying to determine a motive for the killing and what led to the deadly stabbing.
A search of online court records revealed Jalloh has more than a dozen arrests in northern Virginia, including on charges of petty larceny and malicious wounding.
In most of the cases, prosecutors dropped the charges, FOX D.C. reported.
REPEAT OFFENDER ON PAROLE FOR MURDER TIED TO BRUTAL JAIL ASSAULT, ESCAPE HOURS AFTER ROBBERY
Abdul Jalloh seen on a bus in Virginia. (Fairfax County Police Department)
Laura Birnbaum, the chief of staff for Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, said Jalloh was known to the district attorney’s office and was “acutely aware of the risk he posed to the community.”
“That is why we convicted the defendant of a 2023 malicious wounding charge, and have since made every effort to hold him accountable each subsequent time that he has come in contact with the criminal justice system, including asking him to be held in custody whenever possible,” Birnbaum said.
“Unfortunately, the defendant in this case also had a history of selecting victims with no fixed address – some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” she added. “In multiple cases, we were unable to move forward with prosecution because victims could not be located or contacted.”
Stephanie Minter, 41, was killed on Monday after getting off of a bus in Virginia. (Provided)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
An obituary for Minter described her as a “happy, jolly” person.
“A beam of light in dark places,” the obituary states.
Read the full article from Here
-
World4 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts5 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Denver, CO4 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Louisiana1 week agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Technology1 week agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Politics1 week agoOpenAI didn’t contact police despite employees flagging mass shooter’s concerning chatbot interactions: REPORT
-
Technology1 week agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making
-
News1 week agoWorld reacts as US top court limits Trump’s tariff powers