New Year Brings New Unions in NH

CONCORD, N.H.
New Hampshire is becoming the fourth state to legalize civil unions and about 20 couples decided to be the first to take advantage of the new law with a late-night ceremony on the Statehouse steps.

Jennifer Major of Gilmanton, who helped organize the group ceremony, said festivities would begin at about 11 p.m. Monday with poetry readings and live music. The civil unions can take place once the law takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

Major and her partner, Kelley Morris, planned to be among the couples saying “I do.”

“Every single night … I come home from work and say ‘Guess what we’re doing on Monday?’ She says ‘Getting marriaged,'” Major said last week. “We have to keep pinching ourselves because it’s Monday, not next Monday or two weeks from Monday.”

Snow and freezing temperatures were forecast during the night. “I don’t have any winter coats with rhinestones and glitter, so I’m just going to dress warmly,” she said.

At the bill signing in May, Gov. John Lynch called civil unions for same-sex couples a matter of conscience. “How could any one of us look into the eyes of our neighbors, our friends or our loved ones if we continued to deny them these basic legal protections?” he said.

New Hampshire joins Vermont, Connecticut and New Jersey in legalizing civil unions. Massachusetts is the only state that allows gay marriage.

The new law says civil unions will provide same-sex couples with the rights, responsibilities and obligations of marriage, except the name.

It also says New Hampshire will recognize legal same-sex unions from other states, but a group of conservative Republicans in the Legislature is working to undo that part of the law. A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 24.

The state estimated 3,500 to 4,000 civil unions will be performed in the first year.

America what a way to start a New Year.

The Unseen Angels

For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways” (Psalm 91:11).God has created “an innumerable company of angels” (Hebrews 12:22), and there are many references to them in both Old and New Testaments, but few living men or women have ever actually seen real heavenly angels–or, at least, recognized them as such. We may “have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2), for they can assume the appearance of men on occasion, but normally they are invisible to human eyes.

Nevertheless, they are there! Furthermore, they are “all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). God has given them charge over us–that is, over each believer “that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High” (Psalm 91:1). They “excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word” (Psalm 103:20).

Wide is the variety of His commandments with respect to angelic ministry to believers. “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them. . . . They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone” (Psalms 34:7; 91:12).

Not only physical protection but also guidance and encouragement are angelic ministries. When a believer dies, angels translate his spirit to the Lord’s presence (Luke 16:22; II Corinthians 5:8), and we can look forward then to meeting and thanking them personally as we come to understand better all their ministries on our behalf during our lifetimes. They are keenly concerned with our salvation and spiritual progress, “which things the angels desire to look into” (I Peter 1:12). Finally, “When the Son of man shall come in His glory,” He will bring “all the holy angels with Him” (Matthew 25:31) as He judges the world.

by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

It’s A Girl

We had our fourth girl on December 14.

We named her Sarina Faith Cline

Praise the Lord.

It’s A Girl

We had our fourth girl on December 14.

We named her Sarina Faith Cline

Praise the Lord.