Dear Friend,



Welcome to the Friday Five! Every Friday we share our top five articles, stories, and quotes for you to read and share with your friends and church families.



We would be very grateful if you could make a donation of $100, $50, $25, or $10 today towards our work producing these Friday Fives and fighting for your values on the public square! <[link removed]>







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1. NC VALUES: 🗳️ 2024 Primary election results



This week's election brought not only a good amount for us to celebrate, but also some surprises.



In all, NC Values endorsed a total of 29 candidates, of which 17 won their elections. We congratulate all of our pro-values candidates who were victorious in their primaries, and are grateful to all of our candidates for making the difficult decision to run for public office.



Congratulations to:



- Laurie Buckhout (CD1)

- Virginia Foxx (CD5)

- Mark Harris (CD8)

- Chuck Edwards (CD11)

- Mike Schietzelt (HD35)

- Ralph Carter (HD48)

- Mark Brody (HD55)

- Dean Arp (HD69)

- Jonathan Almond (HD73)

- Grant Cambell (HD83)

- Blair Eddins (HD94)

- Brian Barrier (Burke County of Commissioners)

- Jamey Wycoff (Burke County School Board)

- Brad Camp (Burke County School Board)

- Jacob Arthur (Wake County Commissioners)

- Patti Mason (Craven County School Board)

- Lori Grady Spiece (Craven County School Board)



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2. CAROLINA JOURNAL: Lieutenant Governor race: GOP runoff for Weatherman and O’Neill as Hunt locks democratic nomination



"While State Sen. Rachel Hunt cruised to victory in her bid for the North Carolina Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, it may be a while before the Republican nominee is known as no one met the 30% threshold to clinch the nomination on Tuesday. The crowded field of eleven Republican candidates, including Rivera Douthit, state Rep. Jeffrey Elmore, Allen Mashburn, Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, Hal Weatherman, Seth Woodall, former state Sen. Deanna Ballard, Marlenis Hernandez Novoa, Jim O’Neill, Ernest Reeves, and Peter Boykin has been narrowed down to Weatherman and O’Neill as the two top vote-getters. The two will face off in a May 14 runoff election."



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3. RCP: Dear Mr. President, My Life Is Worth Living



"I wish that President Biden would highlight uplifting stories like ours at the State of the Union and encourage Americans to have hope in the face of these difficult situations, and to respect and appreciate the awesome beauty, value and dignity of each human life. Sadly, the Bidens will instead use Kate Cox’s tragedy for political gain.  Our nation’s women and children deserve better. Women like Kate Cox deserve to know how abundantly their children can – and will – live if they are willing to meet them and give them a chance.”



<[link removed]>Read more: [link removed] dear_mr_president_my_life_is_worth_living_1016693.html <[link removed]>



To read our response to the State of the Union address, <[link removed]>check out this recent press release. <[link removed]>



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4. WRAL: Here are the NC primary elections that are headed to a May 14 run-off



"Primary election season in North Carolina did not end Tuesday night. For a few races, the primaries will continue for another two months. In North Carolina if the leading candidate does not receive more than 30% of the vote, then the second-place finisher is entitled to request a run-off election. The run-off will be May 14."



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5. CAROLINA JOURNAL: Record-breaking 72,000 applicants seek Opportunity Scholarships



"Nearly 72,000 applications were received for the expanded Opportunity Scholarship program in North Carolina by the close of the priority application window March 1, according to new data from the state government agency that oversees the program.That record-breaking number more than doubles the current number of recipients. Demand was so high in the first hours of the application period that the application website shut down. There was also unprecedented demand in the first week."



Read more: [link removed]



Also worth nohing, asCarolina Journal <[link removed]>reports, Governor Cooper has called for a moratorium on Opportunity Scholarships despite the surge in demand. 













Weekly Prayer: Family



LORD, we cry out to you as Father. You are a model of the love, mercy, and authority of the perfect parent. We thank you for modeling for us what every parent should strive for, and for creating this wonderful institution called family. 



LORD, we thank you for creating us with a basic nature designed to not be alone. You made us to desire the intimacy of relationships, and it is here where we experience joys indescribable: the joys of marriage, the joys of having children; the joys of seeing our children have children. What a blessing and mercy you gave us in the family! In it we find our first teachers, our first guardians, and our first authorities. 



LORD, we recognize how deeply you love your children, and how deeply it pains you when they go astray. Alongside our adoration and thanksgiving, we pray in confession—as individuals and as members of larger communities—over any sins we may have committed that undermine your beloved institution. Forgive us when we endanger your institution through selfishness and arrogance. Forgive our communities and nation for attempting to redefine some of the most basic and deepest parts of being human—being made male and female, having lifelong marriage vows and responsibilities, and having parental rights over educating one's children. 



"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:12-17)







Amen













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Sincerely,





Tami & Team

NC Values



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