A Selfless Hero In an Age of Throw-Away Children

I had fully determined to write my blog today about tomorrow’s deadline by the Obama Administration forcing Catholic organizations to provide free contraceptives and abortifacients to their employees. However, another story reached out and grabbed me by the throat. I have to write instead about a little Chinese woman who is one of the most amazing heroes I have read about in a long, long time.

Lou Xiaoying is 88 years old. She is suffering from heart and kidney failure and will most likely die soon. She is a tiny, frail woman, but her life has had an immense impact upon the lives of at least 30 children. Now she has left her mark upon me as well.

I talk a lot in this blog about saving the life of the unborn. I am blessed to be able to be a part of a place that has rescued many children in the womb. However, doing so has personally cost me very little. Lou Xiaoying gave her whole life and all her meager resources to rescue those who were abandoned.

Lou told the Daily Mail how it all began: “The whole thing started when I found the first baby, a little girl back in 1972 when I was out collecting rubbish. She was just lying amongst the junk on the street, abandoned. She would have died had we not rescued her and taken her in.“

Lou and her husband lived in poverty, making their living searching the garbage for recyclables which they could sell. That is how she found the children, for they had been thrown away to die. One line which Lou said really pierced my heart: “I realized that if we had strength enough to collect garbage how could we not recycle something as important as human lives.“

How, indeed? How can we as a nation teach our young people that almost anything is more important than a human life? Unborn babies are thrown away everyday for such things as careers or education or just plain convenience. If a Chinese woman who must dig through the garbage to stay alive can take in the abandoned and the lost, what is our excuse?

I found it interesting that even the very pro-abortion Huffington Post ran this story. It was also interesting to note the difference between their coverage and LifeSiteNews.com. The Huffington Post mentioned nothing about the Chinese abortion policy, in spite of the fact that it is impossible to separate the two.  Why else were these parents throwing their babies away?

The Chinese government is finding it more and more difficult these days to cover up their crimes against unborn children. In this day of cell phones, photographs of almost full term children lying dead, sometimes next to their grieving mothers, have leaked into the West. Last week, a baby girl was found thrown away in the trash in a plastic bag with her throat cut. She was discovered in time to be saved, but how many are not?

In the United States we may not force women to only have one child, but we have guilt of our own. Many of the women we see everyday at the AAA Center for Pregnancy Counseling feel lots of pressure to end the life of their unborn child. Either the man in their life does not want to commit or denies the baby is his, or her parents are pressuring her to end the pregnancy out of embarrassment or shame, or people just tell her she is a fool to make sacrifices in order to have a baby.  If ObamaCare is allowed to stand, there will be a day in the near future when abortions will be free, and then we will give the Chinese a run for their money. God have mercy!

As I read Lou Xiaoying’s story, I feel very convicted. What more can I do to stop the slaughter of the innocent? We need to rise up and do something to change the hearts and minds of our society. That may take time. In the meantime, we can work to change the law. Babies need to be legally protected so they don’t end up in the garbage heap.

Between now and the election (and even beyond) I will keep my eyes open for ways in which we can all get involved. I know that I am going to find a way to get involved in getting the candidates that I care about elected. Change has to come in November, and then the real work can begin!

Keeping it true!  Barb

Obama’s Love Affair With Planned Parenthood: What Do You Want For Your Daughter?

Last Friday, Tonya Reaves, a 24-year-old woman, entered a Chicago Planned Parenthood to have a second trimester abortion. That means that she was at least 12 weeks pregnant. At that stage, her unborn child would have had all the organs and body parts in place and just needed time to grow. Tragically, neither Tonya or her baby would survive their abortion ordeal.

Tonya died of heavy bleeding, which was deemed the result of her cervical dilation and evacuation abortion (it is just like it sounds: the cervix is opened and the baby is evacuated, piece by piece.) Planned Parenthood declares up and down that these “procedures” are completely safe. Tell that to Tonya’s grieving family.

Early this week, even before Tonya was buried, President Obama called for more tax funding for Planned Parenthood. He told a crowd in Portland, Oregon: “Mr. Romney wants to get rid of funding for Planned Parenthood. I think that’s a bad idea. I’ve got two daughters. I want them to control their own health care choices.” In response, Troy Newman of Operation Rescue stated, “When Tonya Reaves walked into that Planned Parenthood … last Friday, she completely lost control over her ‘health care choices’ as well as her life. She did not choose to die. Planned Parenthood took that choice from her.”

I highly doubt that either of the Obama girls will ever step foot into a Planned Parenthood. Nor should they. It is not a place I would want to see anyone’s daughter going to for ‘healthcare’ or anything else. In case you are wondering why, let me spell them out for you:

1. Of course, for me the most important reason is that Planned Parenthood is the number one abortion provider in the United States. In 2010, they did 329,445 abortions, which provided 40% of its income.

2. Groups like Live Action have caught Planned Parenthood personnel counseling minors how to lie about their over-age boyfriends; assuring pimps that they would “take care” of their sex slaves without reporting them to the authorities; instructed women on how to procure a sex selection abortion and on and on and on. Bottom line: performing abortions is more important to them than the law or the rights or safety of the individual.

3. A rising number of former employees have come forward stating that Planned Parenthood is guilty of cheating Medicaid out of millions of dollars. Friends, that is money right out of our pockets!

4. As for “comprehensive healthcare,” one will not find it at Planned Parenthood. Most of their offices do not have a physician present during normal business hours. They mostly provide screenings, sending anyone with any symptoms on to centers which truly provide “comprehensive” care.

The bottom line is that if it is birth control or abortions that you want, Planned Parenthood is the place for you. Of course, that is if you don’t care about things like integrity or truth. Or obeying the law. Or about scruples. Or anything else good or noble for that matter.

Do you consider yourself pro-life? Are you still wondering who to vote for in November? Here are a few facts about our president that I think you should consider:

- In 2011, the state of Indiana decided to stop providing state funds for Planned Parenthood. The Obama administration told the state that unless they restored the funding they would pull $4.3 billion in Medicaid funding from the state.

-Later in 2011, New Hampshire voted to remove funding from PP. The Obama administration directly sent them the funds (your tax money!) to make up for what they lost from the state.

-In March of this year, Obama pulled $30 million in Medicaid waiver funds from Texas after the state legislature voted to defund PP.

-This month, the Obama administration did the same thing in Tennessee as they did in New Hampshire: they provided government money to make up for the funds which the state had just voted to remove from PP.

- Also this month, Governor Christie of New Jersey vetoed state funding of PP. Again, the federal government swooped in with our money and gave PP $3.1 million.

-And, third time being a charm, just this week the Obama administration gave PP of North Carolina $426,000 in federal grants to make up for the funds which that state had just denied them.

Troy Newman, of Operation Rescue, made a comparison between Tonya Reaves and Trayvon Martin, the young African-American who was shot and killed in Florida, and for whom such an outcry was raised: “Apparently for Mr. Obama, a Black man who is killed by a white man is worthy of justice, but a Black woman killed by a campaign contributor (PP has given millions to Obama’s campaign) is something that we should give no regard.” He makes a sobering point.

Personally, I have never felt such an urgency to see anyone removed from office as I do with President Obama. He is a radical supporter of abortion on demand. If he is acting with such boldness with an election looming in November, what will he be like without the restraint of public opinion? I am terrified at the thought. Fortunately, I know that God is on the throne and that prayer is a powerful weapon against such evil.

Believe me, I am praying with fervor and diligence. Are you?

Keeping it true!  Barb

Heroism in an Age of Self: Sacrificing Yourself to Save a Life

It was horrifying, wasn’t it, to hear about the shooting in the movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado last Friday? My adult children have often gone to the midnight premiere of big blockbuster movies. I could see in my mind the young, fresh faces, settling in with popcorn to experience a movie joy ride.

When the tear gas went off and the bullets began to fly, how surreal that must have been. When the unexpected happens, especially something as horrifying as this, it takes awhile for the brain to switch gears. During moments like this, our basic human instincts kick in. The impulse is to flee and rightfully so. However, for at least three young men, their first thought was the protection of those they loved.

Jon Blunk (pictured here with girlfriend, Jansen Young), Matt McQuinn and Alex Teves all pulled their girlfriends down flat into the space between the seats and placed their bodies over them in protection. As a result, all three men died while the women they loved lived. Where does that kind of courage come from?

Jon Blunk had served in the Navy, but otherwise there was nothing in the backgrounds of these young men which set them apart? Did their home life and the teaching of their parents have something to do with it? It is mentioned that Blunk was raised by a single father, but none of the other families are mentioned. Neither is it noted if they were men of faith. So, what makes one person react with selfless courage while another person would not?

By contrast, there was a story in the news this week about a 21-year-old man in Indiana that had impregnated a 15-year-old girl. He had already been arrested last April when authorities found him with the girl in a Missouri motel room. Now, in order to cover up his sexual misconduct, the man had his mother drive the young woman to an abortion clinic in Illinois in order to have his unborn child killed. His mother has been arrested and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and conspiracy to commit identity theft (since she gave the minor girl a fake ID in order to obtain the abortion.)

No, no matter what one’s opinion is of abortion or pre-marital sex, I don’t think there is anyone who would hold the second young man’s behavior up as an example of courage or manliness. Not only did he commit statutory rape with a minor, but he used his mother as a means of covering up his crime. As a result, she faces two felony charges and possible jail time, the girl faces a lifetime of living with the consequences of abortion, and his child is dead.

It breaks my heart to see the number of young men who are growing up with very few healthy examples of what it means to be a man. Far too many boys are being raised with no fathers or grandfathers in their homes at all. The numbers rise every year of the number of children born and raised in households led by single mothers. How is a boy to learn to be a responsible man if all the males in his life follow a reoccurring pattern of leaving their children to the care of others?

Am I saying that a man raised by a single mother cannot be courageous? Absolutely not! Some of the bravest people I know are women who have raised their children by themselves. Day in and day out they sacrifice their own happiness to give their sons and daughters a good life. I wrote a book about one such woman. Soft Like Steel tells the story of how my grandmother raised eight children after my grandfather abandoned her. She is one of the greatest heroes of my life!

I am just concerned that we are making it very hard for anyone to act with courage these days.  People are told that they should put themselves and their happiness above all other considerations when it comes to sex and parenthood. If they find themselves pregnant, it is “better” to destroy that child than to have their lives be inconvenienced. And yet, isn’t sacrificing yourself for the good of someone else the very definition of courage?

I admit that I have a fascination with this topic. I hope with all my heart that if a day comes when my life is on the line that I will respond with bravery and do the right thing. The book of Revelations tells us that those who give their lives for their faith will be the most revered of all in heaven. Fortunately or unfortunately, I think we are on the brink of discovering how truly courageous we are in this nation as far as standing for the truth. Just look at what is happening with Chick Fil A.

Let’s encourage one another to stand for what is right. I am just as tempted as anyone to heed the call of comfort and ease. I don’t like it when people dislike me, no matter the reason. I just pray that, like those young men, we can find our courage when we need it.

Keeping it true!  Barb

Promising New HIV Drug: Is It Too Expensive for Obamacare?

Recently I noticed an article which was titled, “Pill to help prevent HIV in healthy people OK’d.” I was intrigued by this so I read on. A line that caught my eye stated that the drug is so expensive ($14,000 a year) that it would not be available to many people without health insurance. My immediate thought was that under government mandated insurance (ObamaCare) that its cost would probably make it impossible to obtain, insurance or not.

Why do I think this? Well, first off, reports have been flowing out of Great Britain for a number of years concerning people being unable to access expensive, but life-saving, drugs because the government-run healthcare system has deemed it too expensive. The same is true for Canada.

Case in point is a drug called Zytiga, which has been hailed as a “breakthrough in extending the lives of men with late-stage prostate cancer.” In spite of that, the National Health Service in England determined that it was too expensive for use. It  fell outside the criteria that had been set for drugs that could be used for “end-of-life drugs.” In other words, there is a panel in England that determines which drugs will and will not be allowed, resulting in certain people being allowed to fight for life and others being left to die. If that is not a ”death panel,” then please explain to me what is?

Just as in England, there is fear that medication in the United States will be either allowed or not allowed based on a determined criteria of expense versus a quality of life. First, a decision will need to be made as to who is worthy of receiving drugs to fight for a few more months of life. Then a formula will be determined to figure out if the cost of certain lives is just too high. The ramifications of such a panel, filled with men and women who come to the table filled with their own set of prejudices and pre-conceived ideas, is terrifying to consider.

The world of health and science is already politically consumed and incredibly biased. Supposedly prestigious organizations, such as the National Cancer Institute, continue to deny that there is any link between breast cancer and abortion, even though there have been hundreds of reputable study clearing showing that women who abort have an increase chance of contracting the insidious condition. As a result they have chosen politics over protecting the health and lives of women. Why would we think that government led healthcare panels would do any less?

Actually, the new HIV drug would probably fall into the category that would retain its funding. Don’t get me wrong, I would like there to be a breakthrough with AIDs, especially on a world-wide basis. However, it fits in that category of drugs which allows the continuation of dangerous sexual practices without consequence. These drugs, along with contraceptives and abortifacients, will most certainly retain their funding, no matter the expense.

I have a friend who works in intensive care. They are stockpiling certain expensive, life-saving medications since they are already getting more difficult to obtain. These are for babies born with debilitating conditions, another group which will undoubtedly be targeted (along with those in the womb.)

My guess would be that if ObamaCare is allowed to stand that less and less research will be carried on to discover new breakthroughs in treatment. Why would they, especially if the time spent in development necessitates a higher cost for the drug? In a government-run system, such drugs will either be rejected or underpaid. If researchers are going to lose money with their research, they will not continue.

Hannah Krening is a cancer survivor who is terrified at the prospects of what might lie ahead. She blogs that she is now in remission, but always lives with the possibility that it could re-occur. The medication used to bring her cancer under control was very costly.

Hannah writes: “Under ObamaCare, health care will be doled out to me by government permission. My treatment will not be chosen by my doctor and me based on his recommendations, my decisions, and our agreements, but by a committee of bureaucrats looking at statistics such as my age, my odds, and my needs as weighed against the needs of others.”

Her last paragraph is chilling: “Until government gets out of the health-care business and starts protecting rather than violating the rights of providers, patients, and insurers to contract voluntarily in a free market, my greatest fear is not that I might need treatment in the future. That I could deal with. My greatest fear is that if I do need treatment, I won’t be permitted to receive it.“

I don’t know about you, but for me, the overwhelming price of the loss of freedom and autonomy far outweighs the cost of health insurance.  Right now, people might not be able to afford insurance, but they are never denied the care they need, even if it goes beyond their means. If things don’t change in November, you may have to prove that your life is worth the cost before you can receive the treatment you need. Do you really want a government bureau making that decision for you?

Keeping it true!  Barb

Unborn Babies: Miracles, Non-Human Cells, or Alien Parasites?

George Lakoff is a “cognitive linguist” who taught for many years at U of C in Berkeley. Since the early 90′s, he has been instructing politicians on the power of words in swaying the minds of voters. Recently he wrote a piece entitled, “The Sacredness of Life and Liberty,” in which he states that the terms “baby” and “unborn child” should be replaced by the word “cells” in describing children in the womb.

Lakoff declares that the state of Texas was using political word games when they spoke in terms of stopping abortions at 20 weeks because the unborn child might feel pain. How can a “cell cluster” feel anything? (I might also ask how a “cell cluster” can have arms and legs and fingers and toes and look just like they do when they are born, but he never answers that question.)

He is very much against even using the word “abortion.” His reasoning goes like this: when scientists “abort a mission,” they are bringing something that has been organized and planned to an end. However, most pregnancies that are aborted have not been planned. The term he prefers is “development prevention.”

A second article I read this morning was based on an article found in Slate Magazine. This is an online publication which makes no bones about its pro-abortion stance. Recently, they invited their readers to discuss why they have made the decision not to have children. Wow! I found the vehemence in their response rather disturbing.

Heather Gentry wrote a piece entitled “No Kids for Me, Thanks: I Don’t Enjoy Alien-Parasites.” It makes you wonder what has happened in her life that she would call pregnancy “unnatural and abhorrent,” and to ask why she would “have my body distorted beyond recognition for an alien-looking creature to live there for nine or 10 months and use up my food and energy storage.” My guess is that she’s either had some abortions or abuse in her past. Sad.

I am not saying that a desire not to have children can only be the response of something traumatic. People have the right to make that decision, as long as a child doesn’t have to lose their life in the process.

That, sadly, was outcome for Margaret Ganong’s pregnancy(s). In her piece in Slate she “thanks her lucky stars that abortion was available in the 1970s so that she could avoid the consequences of her youthful sexual adventures.” She continues: “Without them (Planned Parenthood and abortion on demand) I and countless others would not have had the opportunity to discover our bodies and ourselves without paying the high price of young parenthood, diminished expectations and diapers.” So nice for you. How about the high price your child had to pay?

It has been discovered that women often justify their abortions by de-humanizing the children whose lives they chose to destroy.  Once that child becomes human, all rationalization is lost. That is why the unborn have to remain cells and aliens: anything which resembles a person makes the debate impossible to win.

Like many of the people in the article went on to mention, children really can seem to mess up your life when they are young. They are messy and noisy; they have wills of their own and defy your authority at every opportunity; they consume massive quantities of food and seem to make it their mission to destroy your property. Dreams often have to be put on hold when raising a child. Many of the writers in Slate Magazine scoffed at the fools who would allow anyone to mess up their narcissistic little lives.

As much their demeaning rhetoric angers me, I also have a lot of pity for these people. Yes, raising our four children was hard, hard work. I put my pursuit of publishing a book on hold until they all left home (although I actually managed to write two books when they were little!)  We struggled financially and counted every penny. Sometimes (especially in the teen years) I thought they would drive me insane. However, I do not know what I would do without them.

These years in our lives are very sweet! Our children are grown and are all amazing adults. They are our biggest fans and supporters. They are the first ones we contact when we need prayer about something. My husband and I are reaping so much more than we ever sowed.

One of the individuals who wrote into Slate stood in stark contrast to the others. He wrote: “The mother of my children visited her 97-year-old self-described ‘maiden’ great-aunt in the hospital. This bedridden great-aunt looked up at her and asked tearfully ‘Why did I live?’ As a parent and grandparent I have an answer that satisfies me.”

Now to those who are single or childless (or even those with children,) a life of fulfillment comes from Jesus, not from children. However, if a choice not to have children stems from desire for fun or success or selfishness, think carefully: regrets may come when it is too late. I have friends that I know regret their choice to not have children. I see it in their eyes as those around them now discuss the joys of grand-children.

We also need to be on our guard as the pro-abortion forces attempt to change the rhetoric. As ultrasound brings life in the womb to the forefront, I expect there to be a greater effort to deny the humanity through the words that are used. They’ve already tried that with their focus on ‘women’s health.’ I will watch for it and bring it to your attention as I find it.

Keeping it true!  Barb

Penn State, Healthcare and the November Elections: Why We MUST Protect the Innocent!

A report was just released this morning which will undoubtedly rock Penn State to its core. Eight months ago, the university hired Louis Freeh, the former director of the FBI, to do an in-depth study of the school’s possible cover-up and complicity with their former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, and his sexual abuse of underage boys.

The report did not mince words: “In order to avoid the consequences of bad publicity, the most powerful leaders at the university- Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley- repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky’s child abuse.” To reach this conclusion, the university spent over $500,000 a month and more than 430 current or former school employees were interviewed.

The line that got to me the most, however, was this: “The report also singled out the revered Penn State football program – one built on the motto “success with honor” – for criticism. It says Paterno and university leaders allowed Sandusky to retire in 1999, “not as a suspected child predator, but as a valued member of the Penn State football legacy, with future `visibility‘ at Penn State’,” allowing him to groom victims.” In other words, these other men may not have directly abused the children, but by their honoring Sandusky and refusing to speak up, they paved the way for him to use his reputation to garner new victims. In that regard, they were almost as guilty as he.

One of the highest mandates that God gives us is to protect the innocent. I believe with all my heart that we will all be judged according to what we have done for the “least of these.” This includes feeding and clothing the poor, but it also includes what we have done for the most vulnerable of all: the unborn. None of us are innocent bystanders. We know full well that hundreds of thousands of unborn babies are slaughtered every year. If we do nothing, aren’t we just as guilty as the men at Penn State?

The House of Representatives voted to repeal ObamaCare yesterday. Most of the press scoffed at them, stating it was a futile and political effort. Nancy Pelosi called it “the useless bill to nowhere.” In fact, it was the 33rd time since Republicans reclaimed control of the House that they have voted to “chip away at, defund, or repeal” the law. As far as I am concerned, they can do it every week.

The Healthcare bill is an evil bill. As I’ve stated many times (and will continue to proclaim!) it will result in full insurance coverage for abortion and we will see a holocaust of unborn lives unlike anything we have seen before! Beyond that, we will be forced to foot the bill.  Families will also be refused coverage for handicapped children which were diagnosed in the womb. It will be a nightmare!

The only way that this travesty can be completely overturned is to vote in November to remove our president and the Democrat-led Senate from office. That is the bottom line. It must be done if anything is going to change.

For those of you who sympathize with the present administration because you think they are the best ones for caring for the poor, let me ask you a question: do government programs save people or entrap them in poverty? Consider that question long and hard. Statistics clearly show that many more people live in poverty now than when Obama took office. As believers, we need to face the facts.

If you would counter by saying that Christians do not do enough to feed the poor, I would agree with you. In fact, I would state that we have given over what is clearly our responsibility to the government. This needs to change. The first step would be to realize that we have a major problem in our nation and vote to radically change it, as well as changing our hearts.

In the same way, we cannot leave the protection of the unborn totally in the hands of the government. One by one, babies are saved everyday, as well as the hearts and lives of their mothers. We see it here at the AAA Center for Pregnancy Counseling. Those like Vital Signs Ministries, see women turn away as they lovingly speak to them outside the abortion clinic doors. As individuals, we can see women in our own lives choose to carry their child when we lovingly provide our care and support.

To be honest, I hate politics. Maybe you do too. It is ugly business and it is difficult to know who to trust. Unfortunately, I know without a doubt that the things that happen there have a big impact upon life and death in the womb. Voting is something we all can do. It is a major and privileged part we are allowed to play by living in this nation.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to stand before God and have Him ask me what I did to protect innocent children. It will be worse on that day than it is for the Penn State officials right now. So, let’s take action and do all we can before it is too late!

Keeping it true!  Barb

Photoshopping Unborn Babies Onto Mom’s Pregnant Belly: Fun New Trend or “Bad for Women”?

Let me start out by saying that I am not a big fan of the whole “expose your pregnant belly” trend. Of course, I had my kids back in the stone ages, when we wore over-sized maternity shirts instead of skin-tight tops to accentuate the obvious.  So I have mixed feelings about women having ultrasound photos of their unborn child photoshopped to their bellies for family photos.

Now, as my children will tell you, I do not have a problem using ultrasound pictures. Two years ago I included an 4-D ultrasound portrait of my then unborn grandson, Gabe, on our Christmas card. I just hated the thought of leaving him out! I guess that it has also become a trend to set up Twitter accounts for unborn children and to post their sonograms for all to see. I think that type of pre-birth excitement is totally understandable and even cute. (It is the whole naked belly thing that I’m not so crazy about- but that really has nothing to do with this blog.)

There is one aspect of this trend, however, that has me excited. It is just one more thing that is bringing the humanity in the womb to the forefront. And the pro-abortion movement hates it!

Allison Benedikt from Slate, wrote that the ultrasound images “got us thinking about how the more we treat fetuses like people- including them in our family photo shoots, tagging them on our Facebook walls, giving them their own Twitter accounts- the harder it will be to deny that they are people when the next, say, personhood amendment comes up, with legislators and activists arguing that ‘the unborn child’ inside a pregnant woman’s womb should have the same rights as the living among us.”

Yes, Ms. Benedikt, that is very true. When you look at a picture from the womb and compare it to the child once they are born (like the one at the top of this blog) it is not only difficult, but impossible, to deny that it is the same person. Nothing has changed as far as their humanity is concerned except for their place of residence. It is like saying that if I move to Indiana that I am a different person than I am here in Nebraska. It is absurd!

As I’ve mentioned many times before, ultrasound is the greatest weapon there is against abortion. As women see their unborn child on the ultrasound screen, even if there is nothing more visible than a beating heart, the bonding process often begins. The lie that there is nothing more in the womb than a ‘clump of tissue’ is dispelled. It is difficult to say that a tiny person with little arms and legs, moving all around, is not one of us. Because, in fact, they are!

The title of the Slate article quoted above was, “Photoshopping a sonogram onto your pregnant stomach isn’t just tacky, it’s bad for women.” I kind of agree with the ‘tacky‘ part, but the only way it is ‘bad for women’ is if one believes that the humanity in the womb needs to remain hidden. However, I’m pretty sure that ultrasound is here to stay, with the technology improving all the time (unless, of course, Obamacare is allowed to continue and funding is cut off because the system is broke!)

So, I am going to overcome my prejudice against bare bellies and state that whatever brings the humanity in the womb to light cannot be all bad. It was always an impossible task to keep this truth a secret because life truly does exist from the moment of conception! (Just please don’t send me your belly photos. Thanks!)

Keeping it true!  Barb

Do Politics Belong in the Church? Michelle Obama Says So and I Agree!

Speaking to the African Methodist Episcopal Church’s 49th general conference las week in Nashville, TN, first lady, Michelle Obama told the crowd that there is no better place than church to talk about political issues.  “To anyone who says that church is no place to talk about these issues, you tell them there is no place better- no place better. Because ultimately, these are not just political issues, they are moral issues. They’re issues that have to do with human dignity and human potential, and the future we want for our kids and our grandkids.”

There are not too many issues that Michelle Obama and I agree upon, at least not politically. However, on this issue I agree with her 100%. I believe with all my heart that the church is one place that NEEDS to speak about some of the main issues we are confronting this fall. For, like she said, they are, first and foremost, moral issues.

Abortion is, simply put, the deliberate slaughter of human beings in the womb. It is not mentioned specifically in the Bible, however the Word of God is full of references to the sacredness of life, even from the moment of conception. Sadly, abortion has become politicized to the degree that many pastors are afraid to mention it from the pulpit. Some even fear that they will jeopardize their non-profit status by mentioned the word. However, whose role is it to stand up against the murder of millions of innocent children, if it is not the role of the Church? To be honest, Catholics put the rest of us to shame.

Obama is the most pro-abortion president that we have ever had. It is allowable under the rules for non-profits to inform people about issues and voting records. Pastors just are not allowed to tell people who to vote for (although liberal churches seem to do it all the time with no repercussions.) I think Christians need to know that when he was a congressman in Illinois, Obama voted against a bill which would have mandated doctors to give babies which had survived abortions necessary medical care.  Our president has fought against every bill which would restrict any type of abortion. He also has very close ties to Planned Parenthood (the number one abortion provider in the nation) and refuses to allow any state to cut off their funding.

Besides abortion, another area that I feel the church needs to address is its responsibility to the poor, instead of leaving it in the hands of the government. Many people I know, some of which are solid believers, are sympathetic to the present administration because they are convinced that we need an expansion of welfare in this nation. Don’t they understand that welfare traps families into an unbreakable cycle of generational poverty, driving the men from the home and crippling the ability of individuals to break free and become productive citizens? I think churches should let their people know the full scope of the dire situation that welfare has brought us to.  Instead, as believers we have allowed the government to do that which is our responsibility. It is easier to vote than to actually sacrifice so that we can feed others.

I could go on and on. When was the last time you heard a message of sexual purity from the pulpit? I can’t even begin to tell you how many young women come to us at the AAA Center for Pregnancy Counseling who are faithful church-goers but see absolutely nothing wrong with sleeping around. There lives are a mess and, yet, their pastors haven’t offered them the truth that could set them free. It is tragic!

So, do politics belong in the church? Since we have politicized all of the major moral issues of our day, then YES! If we don’t, things will never turn around. The church of Christ needs to wake up! And it needs to happen now.

Keeping it true!  Barb

 

 

Did You Know?

The great majority of physicians dread ObamaCare. Estimates are that many will resign rather than face a nightmare of increased Medicare paperwork and dwindling income.

Dr. Marc Siegel sums up the concern of many: “ObamaCare’s Independent Medicare Advisory Board and other regulatory committees and mandates will make it more and more difficult for doctors like me to practice and to order the tests and treatments we feel our patients need. We will require more staff hours to deal with all the red tape. As more of us drop out and no longer accept insurance, another unconstitutional mandate will become necessary to compel doctors to participate again.”

How will we get good, quality care if there are no good, quality doctors?

Just  food for thought!  Barb