Family Life News interviews Chaplain Matthew Suter at the Bath VA in Steuben County, NY on a special Memorial Day edition of the Noon Report

Roland Warren, president and CEO of "Care Net" is speaking to Family Life's Bob Price about why it's not enough to be pro-life to make abortion unthinkable.  He says we must be pro "abundant life" if we truly want to reclaim the sanctity of human life in our culture today.

Family Life Bible Quizzing coach Becky Cable gave us an insider look at the youth ministry of competitive Bible Quizzing as she prepared to lead several Family Life Ministry teams to a national competition in Wisconsin. She spoke about it with Family Life's Mark Webster:

Learn more at https://www.familylife.org/resources/bible-quizzing/ and track the competition at https://www.quizzing.live

Paul Celuch at College Assistance Plus is partnering with John Decker with Every Student Sent to help lower the cost of college and help students flourish in their faith, in the process.

Faith and Dale Ingraham with "Speaking Truth in Love" Ministries are hosting a 2-day seminar on sex abuse and domestic violence April 25th and 26th at the "Shining the Light" conference center in Addison, NY.  They spoke recently to Family Life News about why they are putting this event on.

Cash and valuable prizes have changed college sports ministry

Mike Blanc, director of pro and elite sports ministries for FCA

A Family Life Special News Feature

Now that the brackets are set for the NCAA women's and men's basketball tournaments, we explore a new era for college sports. 

Court rulings now say that "amateur" players across all college sports can earn payments for use of their "name, image, and likeness".  While these athletes can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars -- and for a few prime stars, one or more millions -- a leader in the national Fellowship of Christian Athletes says there is a downside for many of these young students.

Mike Blanc, a former Pittsburgh Steeler and now FCA's director for pro and elite sports, says the "NIL" era has opened new and important opportunities for Christian ministry. He tells us that the big payoffs result in big pressure. Someone who is given so much money to play his or her sport also carries the expectation that they must perform at a level that is worth that investment. That, Blanc says, flies in the face of the individual's value as measured through the Lord's grace.

This is our second interview with Mike Blanc, who is also is a veteran of sports ministry for the University of Miami. You can hear our first conversation with him -- about how more bigtime coaches and athletes are being bold in talking about and demonstrating their faith. These public figures in turn can inspire teammates, fans, and school-age athletes to be open with sharing their faith. Find that podcast on www.FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts as our 3/03/2025 Special Feature.

Current Health Care Trends: "Big Picture" issues in 2025

One physician's persepctives on where America is with our health care system

This week marks the 5th anniversary of Covid-related lockdowns in the U.S.

A handful of new measles cases in the nation has people asking new questions about vaccines.

The president's new Health and Human Services secretary is promising some major changes for the health care industry.

And, the average American household is spending more than $1 of every $6 they have in annual on health care.  (And that is only their share of insurance, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs. That doesn't include what the Federal and state governments pay, employers' share of insurance, charitable medical assistance, or the effects when local hospitals write off hundreds of thousands in unpaid bills.)

Yes. The health care system is one of the universally-impactful aspects of our lives. 

Our guest on today's Family Life News Feature offers his overview on what we need to know about American medicine these days. Dr. Chad Savage operates his own private medical practice and is connected with a Christian organization called Samaritan Ministries.

He offers his commentary on Covid, how the actions in 2020 and beyond have increased public questions and skepticism about vaccines and "official" health advisories. Greg Gillispie also asked him how Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and upcoming Trump Administration policies might change our health care options. Savage also describes what we need to know about who pays for health care, how that affects doctors and clinics, and how it affects patients. 

A "Lover's Quarrel" with Evangelicals

Family Life News talks with Warren Smith of MinistryWatch.com

Christian journalist Warren Smith has a "lover's quarrel" with the evangelical church.
He says many congregations and denominations are inwardly-focused on their problems, and fail to live up to a biblical mandate to be "salt and light" into their surrounding culture:

Smith writes a response to others who point to how, for some people, the Christian faith has been "deconstructed" during the current era. His call is for individual Christians, congregations, denominations and faith networks to reclaim the identity which Jesus Christ gave to it. He encourages a reflection on how people of faith measure success. He is concerned that many pockets of the church "measure the wrong things", saying that the size of membership and budgets and programs has replaced the measurement of faithfulness, community, love, long-suffering, joy and other Fruit of the Spirit.

This can be an important conversation for you and your household, and might be a discussion starter for leadership groups in your church.

Warren Smith is the president of the national Christian news website "Ministry Watch".

Their website, MinistryWatch.com, has an excerpt from the book we discussed in this interview (in text and audio formats), plus news about the church and its people, trends in the culture, and insights for donors to large Christian organizations.

He and his team also provide weekly podcasts related to the latest developments and trends in the church and in the culture.

Faith on the Field, the Court, the Diamond

Prominent athletes are sharing their Christian priorities in interviews, on social media, and in the public images

We heard it in the post-game interviews from the winning coach and quarterback at this year's Super Bowl. Those very public statements of faith circled the globe in the biggest media event of the year.

Are these public stances of Christians who are sports stars in a new era? And, how to the "big league" athletes being unashamed of their faith influencing the athletes elsewhere in pro leagues, colleges and local high schools?

Family Life offers a special interview with a former Pittsburgh Steeler who talks about evangelism from national and local athletes -- and the rest of us. Mike Blanc played collegiate and professional football, with Auburn, the Chargers, and the Steelers. After his playing days, Blanc became the chaplain for University of Miami's athletics. 

He now directs outreach with pro and elite athletes as a national leader in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

This is our first of two interview with the FCA's Mike Blanc.

In our followup conversation, he talks about the new opportunities for ministry among top college athletes, in the new "NIL" era -- when students can make money (often lots of it) by licensing their Name, Image, and Likeness.

Listen, share or download it from FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts .  Find the 3/17/2025 Special Feature.

For more information, online videos and resources:

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes website is FCA.org

Search "FCA" or "FCA_" to find the official FCA social media feeds

You can subscribe to or read their online newsletter and devotional e-publications

Find (or create) a local "huddle" at your middle school or high school

Mike Blanc's biography

A separate ministry, Sports Spectrum, also explores the connections between sports and faith.

 Making Choices about College ---

in light of Higher Education's higher price tag

a Family Life News Interview

Costs to attend a college or university has skyrocketed. And most of those tuition and room and board costs are being paid with borrowed money.

The total student debt in America in the past two decades has mushroomed more that 600 percent. 

In an interview for the Family Life Noon Report, Bob Price asked New York-based higher education financial advisor Paul Celuch about:

The Family Life Noon Report covers the latest news from Pennsylvania, New York, across the nation and around the world, with insights shaped by a Biblical worldview. You also hear weather updates for our region, the "two-minute drill" for sports, special features and Christian commentary. The Noon Report airs weekdays on our two-state radio network, plus the Family Life Now streaming and app. You can also hear it anytime from FamilyLife.org/newspodcasts and many popular podcast platforms. Search for "Family Life News".