Flooding in GA, National Suicide Prevention Month & Forgiveness

Floods affecting a small town in northwest Georgia mirror last week’s ongoing water crisis in Jackson, Miss.

Heavy rainfall this weekend prompted churches to adjust Sunday morning schedules in Summerville, Ga. while leading others to donate bottled water and other items.

The National Weather Service announced Sept. 5 that over ten inches of rain fell in Summerville, which made the Chattooga River rise almost 17 feet.

Georgia Baptists’ state newspaper, The Christian Index, reported Sept. 4 that several churches had already dispatched trucks filled with bottled water to the area.
===

Most Americans say suicide has become an epidemic in the United States.

In 2008, September was declared National Suicide Prevention Month in the United States. According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 45,979 people died by suicide in the United States in 2020, which amounts to one death every 11 minutes. Additionally, 12.2 million adults seriously thought about suicide in 2020.

According to a Lifeway Research online survey, 77% believe suicide has become an epidemic in the United States, with 34% strongly agreeing and 44% somewhat agreeing. This number is larger than the 56% of Americans who agreed in a 2014 phone survey. And the number of Americans who have a friend or family member who committed suicide has increased slightly since 2014 (39% v. 36%).
===

Good News for Today is sponsored by The Voice of the Martyrs

Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.
===

Ronnie and Anita Smith had the blessing of Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Texas when they embarked on a mission to spread love in Benghazi amid rising terrorism from Islamic extremists.

As Ronnie jogged on a street in December 2013 not far from the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, gunmen approached in a black jeep and shot Ronnie dead.

Anita extended forgiveness to the murderers just days later in interviews widely broadcast across the globe.

It’s been almost 10 years and Anita says she still forgives the gunmen who killed her husband. In a story on Baptist Press, she says she takes her anger and grief to God. You can read the Baptist Press.com.

While you’re at Baptist Press, make sure to sign up for our daily emails.