Listener Feedback: The last word

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MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Time now for Listener Feedback for the month of September.

We got several messages about Lauren Canterberry’s on September 3rd story about fetal diagnoses and a family who had a baby with Trisomy 18. Carlan Wendler sent this and prefaced it by saying he’s a pro-life missionary doctor and father of kids he’ll first meet in heaven.

CARLAN WENDLER: The way you close that segment with the loss of the child, the loss of that relationship, but the hope that remains in Christ was so fitting and was a wonderful apologetic for the Christian worldview, the biblical perspective on life in and outside of the womb, and even after death. So thank you so much. We appreciate all that you guys do. Keep it coming.

BROWN: Wesley Garrett from Gainesville, Florida was also moved by the story:

WESLEY GARRETT: I just wanted to say thank you for reporting on stories that are telling the truth and representing the fight of faith, well, even in the midst of difficulty and an outcome that we don't hope for, I was so thankful for their courage to share their story and encourage parents to fight for their children, no matter what the outcome is. To trust in God, so continue to keep up the great work, reporting honestly and truthfully on hard stories like these.

EICHER: Mollie Bruno said she had not known much about the Shroud of Turin prior to Les Sillars’ Doubletake episode on September 19th…and it made her consider the things we have not seen, but still believe in.

MOLLIE BRUNO: The shroud is something I've vaguely heard about. And I avoid looking into it for the same reasons that I avoid watching shows like The Chosen or a movie like The Passion of the Christ and a lot of really good things that are out there that are artistic and creative and help people understand the Bible. But I also understand the divisiveness and really appreciated the starting call out of the naysayers and pray John 17:26 over all of us that we may know, make His name known and continue to make it known so that the love of the Father for Jesus is in us all, unified by the Holy Spirit. And I wanted to comment that I especially liked the witness and the affirmation of the person who said that that the shroud is not for everybody, and that's okay. I'm in that camp. But my hope is because I'm more of a Doubting Thomas, that story speaks to me, and I recognize the snare and want to keep my mind and imagination free for the Lord to put the images in it when I read the Word and not have those seem familiar when I meet Him when He comes again. 

BROWN: And Lisa Paige Carter from Chesterfield Virginia had this to say about Mary Reichard’s interview with Dr. A.S. Ibrahim on September fifth:

LISA PAIGE CARTER: It brought such clarity to my understanding of Sharia law and helped me to see how it is not compatible with the U.S. Constitution. It was helpful to hear from someone who grew up in the Middle East, learned from Muslim primary sources written in Arabic, and has experienced how Sharia law plays out in daily public life. I appreciated how he was able to contrast those experiences with the freedoms that he experiences living in America. He gave concrete examples of how Sharia law affects legal, political, and domestic matters and contrasted it well with how those same matters would be handled under U.S. law. This gave me a renewed sense of gratitude for the freedoms that we enjoy in America, and it has informed future conversations that I may have with those in my sphere, and gives me confidence in my political stance on this issue. I am so grateful for the thoughtful, insightful questions that WORLD's journalists, like Mary Reichard, Myrna Brown, Lindsay Mast, and Jenny Rough ask in their interviews, and how they're able to get to the heart of the matter in a rational, unemotional, yet pragmatic way. They each handle interviews and reports with such professionalism and poise. Keep up the good work.

EICHER: Finally, Jeremy Bergwerff from Grand Rapids, Michigan said it was not a story but a scripture from Ecclesiastes 3 that we read at the end of the show this past Monday that made him think.

JEREMY BERGWERFF: Usually, when I'm finished and I haven't reached my destination yet, I'll switch over to the next podcast. But after listening to Nick read through the passage in Ecclesiastes, referencing the many things for which there is a proper time, I paused and was drawn to reflect. I'm in my mid-40s. I have friends with infant children. My own kids are in high school and college, and I'm seeing my parents age. I've had more than a few friends pass away from illness. Time has opened my eyes to more of the breadth of life. Typically, the scripture at the end of the pod is a bit shorter, but your extra length this morning gave me a good reminder of all the Lord has ordained for us in the length of time that we do have here. Thank you for the reminder today.

And that’s this month’s Listener Feedback. Thank you to everyone who called or sent in voice memos this month. We love to hear it–please send along your thoughts to editor@wng.org.

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