More To Think About

5 Reasons I am thankful during Obama's Inauguration

HT: Leslie at Lux Venit

A Prayer for President Obama - Al Mohler

Being Pro-life Christians Under a Pro-Choice President - John Piper

A Day of Victory?

National Sanctity of Human Life Day was January 15th (Thursday of last week). Most likely the last official Proclamation like this for quite some time.

He has surely made mistakes, but I will miss having a president who took a stand for the unwanted and unborn child.

It was seven years ago that President Bush made the Proclamation:

"Let us recognize the day with appropriate ceremonies in our homes and places of worship, rededicate ourselves to compassionate service on behalf of the weak and defenseless, and reaffirm our commitment to respect the life and dignity of every human being."

I have written some here and here about the gruesome and horrific truth of abortion. The absolute sin and hatred of God it represents and how we (including the "Christian" we) have not only turned our heads but also covered our eyes and ears to avoid looking at the atrocity.

Today, as our nation celebrates the Inauguration of our 44th President, I cannot help but to grieve.

Grieve for the unborn who will never waken to a day on this earth.

Grieve for our culture that is blind to its wicked ways and has given way to the sinful desires of idol worship ... and let us not forget ... our God is jealous.

Grieve for our nation that sees a victory in the election of our new President who has a proven disregard for human life.

While certainly there is victory in the promise of progress. The progress from a nation divided over slavery and hatred to one that has begun to heal and recognize the heinous consequences of it's actions. It is not lost on me that history is being written today.

But it comes with such a price.

The celebratory manner in which people have encircled this man is a reflection of what matters most to men ... and it seldom reflects obedience to God.

I do not see a victory in the election of this President. One who speaks hope and promise while silencing the cries of the unborn. One who has been relentless in his pursuit of more freedoms for the business of baby killing.

They are facts that don't bode well on this day of "victory".

But.

We need to be reminded ... again and again.

Benjamin was born at 38 weeks gestation ...
An age where babies can be legally aborted in this country.

Another reminder...

Today we have a new president. Our country has made great changes. History is being shaped and in some ways that is exciting.

Still, some of these changes are not glorifying to God. There is a void that exists, in which only God can fill. There are Christians who testify with their mouth that Christ is Lord, but they have hardened their hearts to His commandments.

He is still our glorious King and His love endures forever.

This is our Father's World ...




This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears

All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.

This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;

His hand the wonders wrought.

A Friendly Reminder

We have already voted today, but just in case you need to be reminded, Samuel is full of enthusiasm about the election...

4 More Days

Leslie has been keeping her keyboard hot!

I won't even link one particular post, but rather her entire blog. Make a cup of coffee and plan on staying for a while. It's a political extravaganza, complete with videos, links, and a whole lot of the truth.

The complete and ugly truth.

And I agree with every single cotton-pickin' word.

7 Days Left

I am disappointed in the lack of conviction around this here bloggy world. I can find plenty of posts about cute shoes, great drapes, or even better casseroles.

But HELLO EVERYBODY! There is a rising up of people who believe counter to God's Word and what it has to say about His creation. There is a growing majority of individuals who believe that Barack Obama's plan for stealing "the redistribution of wealth" is a good idea.

I don't think things happen on accident because I serve a God who set forth plans ... plans that shall come to pass. Even something as seemingly insignificant as blogging can have purpose.

There is too much at stake to worry about whether or not a stranger might take offense in reading about abortion.

It's offensive. That is the point.

It's late and I am frustrated. I will share these excerpts with you from Randy Alcorn's blog:

Randy Alcorn responds to the question about why he doesn't care for the other needy and dying children, not just the unborn.

Here is his answer:

Actually, all the royalties from all of my books go to help the needy, including feeding and clothing and relieving the suffering of children all over the world. We give to prolife work, but far more to famine relief and development. By God’s grace, over four million dollars has been distributed for people-helping causes in the last number of years, much of it to children.

It’s curious that because I’m expressing concern about unborn children, people assume I don’t care about children who are already born. I do. But neither of the two major presidential candidates is advocating the legalized killing of already born children. However, one is advocating the legalized killing of unborn children. Since it is already illegal to kill the born, I’m talking about the rights and needs of the unborn.

I don't get the idea that it would be necessary to choose. It makes no sense.

I hate child abuse, cancer, cold weather, and horse radish.

All at the exact same time.

But if we were to govern one of those issues it would be child abuse. The government would never allow such a thing to be legal and even provide funding and assistance to those hoping to commit child abuse. We (Christians) would never align ourselves with a candidate who advocated such an act and I am certain that we would like to think that we could actually stand up and speak out and say the words, It. Is. Wrong.

Randy also addresses the Chuck Baldwin voters who are anti-McCain because of his position on stem-cell research and the exception for abortions in rape and incest cases. Here it is:

Suppose in the town you live in, there’s a lake where, for the last thirty-five years, children have been taken by parents to be drowned. Say that every day 100 children are brought to this lake.

As a town citizen, you are presented with two candidates for mayor. (You can vote for a third party, but clearly one of these two candidates will be elected.) One candidate publicly states that he believes the right thing is that the children not be brought to that lake. They should be allowed to live, except the one or two conceived by rape. By longstanding town law the 100 daily drownings are all legal, and the mayor can’t change the law. However, this mayoral candidate has publicly stated that the law should be changed, and he hopes to appoint judges who help that happen, so that 98 or 99 of the 100 children would live rather than die.

Now, the deaths of those one or two children conceived by rape should rightly disturb you. And if until now zero children had been killed at the lake, it would be evil to vote for a man willing for one or two to be legally drowned. But for thirty-five years, 100 children have been killed there each day. This man is trying to move the town in the right direction, even though he has stopped just short of a 100% reversal. No additional children will be killed if his position were in place, because those one or two children would have been killed anyway under existing law. But 98 or 99 a day would be rescued from the death they will face if his position isn’t put in place.

The other mayoral candidate believes that not one of those 100 children chosen for drowning by their parents should be rescued. He believes that the doctors holding them under the water should be allowed to do this. He is prochoice about the drowning of children. In the last twenty years there have been some limited prolife measures voted in by townspeople that have made it more difficult to drown children, saving some lives. But this candidate has promised to sign a bill that would remove all those restrictions. He would invalidate the requirement that doctors explain to parents what it means to drown a child. He would invalidate the law that requires grandparents to be notified if their children are going to drown their grandchildren.

In fact, this man has said of his own daughters, “If they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.” He would support their right to hire a doctor to drown their babies, his grandchildren, in the lake. And he promises the town’s legal drowning organization, which makes considerable money by drowning children, that he will only appoint town judges who are in favor of the legalized-child-drowning laws.

Now here is our moral dilemma. Our next mayor will either be the 98%-don’t-drown-the-children candidate OR the 100%-drown-all-children-whose-parents-don’t-want-them candidate.

We could write in someone who has no chance of winning. It would be a protest vote, showing we don’t totally agree with either candidate. However, if others who believe all babies deserve to live do this same thing, the result will be that the 98% prolife candidate can’t win, and the 0% prolife candidate will be our mayor.

If you vote for the candidate in favor of saving 98 babies, it could be argued that you would be voting for the lesser of evils, since killing one or two children is evil. But after all these years of child-killing, you see the opportunity—if the 98% prolife mayor takes office and makes those prolife court appointments, countless future children’s lives could be saved. It’s not certain, but it’s a real possibility. And what is certain is this: if the candidate in favor of legalized child-killing wins the election, due to his agreement to remove any of the town’s existing child-killing restrictions, more children will die who wouldn’t have if the other candidate takes office.

What's The Deal?

What is Obama's birthplace?

And if there is nothing to hide, then why this?

(HT: Leslie at Lux Venit)

One More Week

I am almost certain that the majority of people who read this blog will be voting next week for John McCain. I am also almost certain that the majority of people who read this blog are Christians and would consider themselves pro-life.

But just in case.

I will make this plea.

Please read Randy Alcorn's blog post, titled; "I'm not Voting for a Man; I am Voting for Generations of Children and their Right to Live".

If you are staunchly against abortion ... no matter what ... then it would not be necessary for you to watch the video at the end of that post.

However.

If you are somewhat undecided or take a position of relativism regarding the mother's health or some extenuating circumstance, then I believe it to be of utmost importance that you watch that footage.

If you think that your third-party vote will make a statement, I would say that statement is not near worth it's cost.

The footage on the video is beyond gruesome and horrific. It will make your heart race. It will make you physically ill. It will feel like you are seeing something that you should not.

Because you should not.

I made myself aware of this atrocious truth many years ago and as the images were seared into my mind they were also laid heavy on my heart.

We live in a society where we rely on images to convince us of truth.

William Wilberforce used imagery to expose the truth of slavery.



Remember Amilla Sonja Taylor? She just had her 2nd birthday. This image serves as a reminder that with God, all things are possible.

Our media loves to project images. Graphic war images of soldiers carrying small children, Darfur, Hurricane Katrina, PETA, etc.. It is with these images that we are made aware of certain "perceived" realities that we would otherwise be ignorant of.

Unfortunately, they are in control of these images and through their twisted filter we are unable to expose the horrible truth of abortion.

The video I mentioned states the following in the intro:

Here ends the apathy of ignorance.
Here begins the responsibility of knowledge.

Vote against this:

More Politics

Be informed.

Read what Al Mohler has to say about Obama and the abortion question.

Read what David Limbaugh has to say about Obama and socialism.

If you have read my blog at all, you know that my pro-life position is personal. My convictions regarding small government are the same.

We started our family at a young age and have lived through years of financial struggles. I can remember when ziplock baggies were a luxury.

Today, Chris and I are fortunate and blessed to say that we are celebrating 17 years of marriage! Our pantry is full of baggies!!!

To finally be at a place where we are able to share more of our resources is a wonderful thing. To have the government step in and decide how and where those resources be distributed is wrong.

On a lighter note, to celebrate our anniversary, we are headed out tonight for our first dinner date in a very long time. My big girl is my sitter.

Don't dare call me lucky. I have had a house full of little people. For many years, Chris worked 12-hour swing shifts and I swam in the deep waters of toddlers and babies all alone.

I have left my crew with sitters when the toilet overflowed and babies were crying at the door when I left. We oftentimes paid those sitters more money than we had spent on our night out.

The tide has turned.....and yes, it is a nice place.

It's a good thing we don't apply socialism to our household.

Then, I would have to loan out my kids to babysit for the poor unfortunate parents, whose kids are not yet old enough to stay at home alone.

That just doesn't make sense, does it?

Voting

I have heard the arguments for selecting a third-party candidate. Throwing away the vote to make a statement, only gives the opposition a clear lead.

I just don't get it.

We don't take the all-or-nothing position with other decisions in our life, so why would we do that with our presidential candidates? Because we live in a fallen world we are often in situations where we must choose best, even when best is not perfect.

John McCain was not my first choice when this race began but he is the only choice now. With him, there is an opportunity to ensure a better hope for the unborn.

A better hope. Not a sure hope. We only find that in Christ.

"And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in you." Psalm 39:7

Certainly, I would love to have more options. But under the provision of God, these are our options. I will make the choice that come closest to preserving life.

Please read Brian's post. He is a smarty-pants and we are glad to call him our teacher and our friend.

His family is pretty special to us too :)

Just in case you don't know...

In just a little over three months, we will vote in a new President of the United States of America.

Be informed.

To Vote or Crawl Under a Rock...That's the question

I am in no position to sit at my computer and try to sound like I have a great deal of understanding when it comes to the election, the candidates, or the issues.


First of all, the position that I must take while seated at my computer is an uncomfortable one since there is a human being curled up in my rib cage. Second, I am in no position because of my ignorance on so many of the issues.


Now that I have made full disclosure of my shortcomings, I will share my two-cents anyway and hopefully come away with some insightful comments.

• I know that I am a hard-core conservative.
  

• I am staunchly pro-life. Period. No government funding for embryonic stem cell research. No provision for taking a human life despite dire circumstances. I don't budge here.
  

• I support the 2nd Amendment. I have a Smith & Wesson in my Vera Bradley right now. (hee-hee)
  


• Taxes? I hate them. I loathe them. They are ridiculously high and for reasons that I cannot even begin to wrap my brain around. I want a president who sincerely wants to drastically lower taxes....and never raise them again. (whisper...Ron Paul)
  


• Healthcare? I am not very well-informed, but I do not think government is the answer. I like the idea of tax credits for insurance costs. I need more information on this.
  


• Social Security? Another hot mess that I am clueless about. Raising the limits on the 401(k) is a start. Changing the way we view our government and their responsibility is the only way true reform will ever take place. I am an adult. I want to plan for my own retirement with my own money.
  


• Education? Obviously the government and I have differing opinions on how our children should be educated. I certainly believe there should be some sort of tax credits for private or homeschooling. I am not invested in prayer during school or whether the 10 commandments should be posted in the hallway and I wasn't invested in those things when my children attended public school. Public school is not a Christian-based program.
  


• Budget, Foreign Policy, Free Trade, Environment, Oil, Corporations, Etc....I am not even remotely knowledgeable enough to form an intelligent opinion. Tell me what you think about these issues.
  

• The War. Have mercy. I love Ron Paul but I cannot find solace in his plan for our withdrawal in Iraq. Maybe there is more to learn. On other issues that are radical, he does a better job of mapping out the transition. It appears that his plan is basically just *throw it in reverse*. It just doesn't make sense.

• I want a smaller government. I have to admit that I have struggled with this in the past but no more. Let the individual citizen decide how & how much to aid their fellow man. Leslie hits the nail on the head below where I have her quoted. The responsibility of caring for the less fortunate should fall upon the church. The church has failed....is failing....and dare I say will continue to fail if there continues to be a lack of reformation....and I ain't talking about government reform.

I am talking about about church reform. I read other blogs and I have had countless conversations with other Christ-following Christians who are quick to point out that we need to serve....we need to love.....we need to give. The problem is that these characteristics do not appear naturally in our sinful nature. We are sinners. Let's start there. Preach that. Let the church be full but let it be full of those whose hearts are truly converted. Then service & love will spring forth from the only place where it is genuine...Jesus Christ.

• What about the moral values and the integrity of the president? It certainly matters. I cannot say that he *must* be a Christian, while that would serve as a positive. The problem is it is hard to know a man's true faith position through speeches that are written by someone else and handlers who guard his every word. Actions and consistency over the course of a man's life serve as a greater measure.
  

So where does that leave us? A few days ago, I was having a conversation with a friend about the whole thing. The media circus, the lack of options, the decay of the country, etc... We were discussing the job of government (what it should be versus what it is). Later in the afternoon, Leslie posted this comment on Kim's blog. It reiterated so much of our conversation from earlier in the day, I thought I would just copy her thoughts here...

I think what we need to do is distinguish the difference between a true, or a traditional, conservative and a neo-conservative. Huckabee is a neo-conservative of the worst sort. He can talk a real good game, but that's about it. His biggest problem, apart from being a neo-con, is that he does not have any standards by which he makes decisions. He just does whatever he has to do to keep from making the really tough decisions. That's not leadership. I'm really surprised that the Harris family endorses him.

I'm afraid far too many Christians are supporting him just because he wears the tag "baptist." Well, Bill Clinton was a southern baptist, too, folks. (Or was he Methodist?) So was Jimmy Carter. All of the candidates wear their own religion tag. Does that mean we should vote for them? That should not be the basis on which we choose our candidates. Investigate their policies and positions. Make an informed decision. If you don't know about something then learn about it. Listen to what the candidates are actually saying.

The idea that we are supposed to choose presidential candidates based on what they will do for the poor and defenseless is faulty. Jesus gave those mandates for caring for the poor and the widow and the orphan to THE CHURCH! The Church has given up her God-given responsibilities to the federal government.

I'm not saying the President should ignore the Bible altogether, however, the Bible does not dictate what we do as a nation. That is the place of the Constitution.

Morality is not something that comes down to us from the White House, either, and I'm sick of listening to people tell me that we need a leader who can change our culture. Our culture is sick because it is full of sinful people. Plain and simple truth. Morality is not the job of the President of the United States of America. That is the responsibility of parents and churches. Let me ask you this, how holy are the people in your church? How holy is your city as a result of your church's presence? That's not POTUS's doing.

One more thing: Welfare and the nanny state is doing more harm to poor people in this country than you realize.

Think about it.

What are our options? I mentioned crawling under a rock, but that is not much of a solution. I tried it last week when the contractors tracked drywall mud up and down my stairs. It does absolutely no good.

So where am I? I have been following Ron Paul for several months and love (love, love, love) his fiscally conservative and socially conservative stand on so many of the vital issues. His unwavering & consistent voting record is impressive, especially considering all the times he has stood in a minority position. Popular opinion has not been his compass for decision making. I love that.

But.

I have always had and still have concerns about his plan for our nation's security. I can't say for sure that he is the guy.

Huckabee and Guiliani are off of my list. Huckabee is not a fiscal conservative and his immigration track record is foul. Guiliani is not pro-life. I could write more about both but I am losing steam.

I am in the process of gathering information. I think that is by far the wisest thing we can do at this point in the process. We have plenty of time to form a truly informed decision. I need more information on Fred Thompson. I need to really research Romney's position (and his previous position) on several issues. What about McCain? He seems to waver quite a bit, especially since his run in 2000.

Certainly a man is entitled to change his mind and his heart but when that man is running for president I feel like it takes on a whole different level of inconsistency. What caused the change? The desire to gain popular approval is more often than not, the cause.

Leslie has written some wonderful posts about this election. Kim has had some questions about Huckabee and her comment section was quite fruitful that day :) One of the commenter's said this,

" I have learned to rest and pray because none of these men (or woman) can thwart the plan of God. Remember, He turns the hearts of kings to accomplish His will."

True, and what peace we have to rest in that truth. At the same time, we must make a wise and informed decision and that can't be done if we hide under a rock.

O.K.

I'm done. I did not watch the debate last night because quite frankly....I am tired. I am so tired that just a couple of days ago, I told the telephone to "come here".

Honest to goodness folks. With my children as my witness, the phone began to ring as I was reading something and without even pausing to look up I said (and quite sternly) "Come here!"

And I said it more than once.

It was Emma who gently and curiously asked,

"Momma......are you talking to the phone?"

That confession should excuse any grammar mistakes or politically incorrect statements made in this post.