Oct

One argument to vote for a candidate that is not pro life is that he or she has a better plan to provide help to the expecting mother. Well… That may be true but the question that I have is: Is there really a need for further help? Just do yourself a favor and Google Abortion Alternatives and see the 559,000 results that come up. There are hot lines, doctors, nurses, people to help pay to have the child (which is cheaper than the abortion anyway), and a variety of other resources. They will even set it up to where you have potential parents who have had back ground checks and everything waiting to adopt and take the baby to there home immediately after the birth. You don’t have to take care of it one bit once it has been delivered.

Here are just a few of the thousands of options an expecting mother has:

Counseling for Abortion Alternatives

OptionLine: 800-395-HELP

Birthright: 800-550-4900

Pregnancy Hotline: 800-848-LOVE

Bethany Christians Services. 800-238-4269

Post-Abortion Counseling

OptionLine: 800-395-HELP

Rachel’s Vineyard: 877 HOPE 4 ME (877 467 3463) or www.rachelsvineyard.org

National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing: 800-5WE-CARE

So the we need to do more to help them argument just doesnt fly with me. Sure I say help them! But many wont take the help. They will choose to punish an inocent baby for there mistakes.

If you are reading this and are considering abortion please do not do it. Your baby deserves the opportunity to have a good life. Send me an email and I will make sure you do not pay a dime for your medical care concerning this child and you will have no responcibility to the child after they are born.

According to adoption.com over 200,000 families are waiting for a child to adopt.

The Bible and Abortion: The Biblical Basis for a Prolife Position
by Rich Deem

Introduction

The Bible declares that God values all human life and that He wants all people to come to repentance to inherit eternal life.¹ The Bible explains that the entire life of a human - from the beginning to its natural end - is sacred, since God determines the length of those days.² When does human life begin? This page will examine that question from a biblical perspective.

When does life begin?

Many Christians believe that the Bible is silent in regard to God’s view on life before birth. Although the Bible does not specifically define when life begins, it does give us enough information to formulate a solid biblical position.

The sayings of Jesus

Jesus demonstrated the love of God for children often during His ministry. In one passage, Jesus took a child to him and sat with him. He said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10). Jesus tells us not to despise or look down upon the least powerful and significant (by human standards) of humans. It is ironic that the most helpless humans are those inside the womb. Of all the risks that we must face in our lives, the most dangerous place we can be is in the womb, since fully one third of all human babies are aborted in this nation - over one million every year. Greater than 98% of all abortions are done for non-medical reasons.

Old Testament law

The Old Testament provides most of the information on God’s view of life before birth, since it gives us the law. The law specifically addresses the issue of taking the life of a fetus in the book of Exodus:

“And if men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she has a miscarriage, yet there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him; and he shall pay as the judges decide. But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life.” (Exodus 21:22-23)

Therefore, the law tells us that a man who induces an abortion or miscarriage is to be punished, indicating that God values life before birth. A verse from Hosea³ says that abortion is a punishment for sin, indicating God views it as bad. Likewise, God expressed His disgust for the Ammonites, who “ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead”.⁴ When does this life begin?

Human life begins in the womb

The Bible tells us God is involved in our creation from the womb:

“Did not He who made me in the womb make him, And the same one fashion us in the womb? (Job 31:15)

Yet Thou art He who didst bring me forth from the womb; Thou didst make me trust when upon my mother’s breasts. Upon Thee I was cast from birth; Thou hast been my God from my mother’s womb. (Psalms 22:9-10)

For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from Thee, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Thy book they were all written, The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. (Psalms 139:13-16)

Thus says the LORD who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you, `Do not fear, O Jacob My servant; And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen. (Isaiah 44:2)

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself, And spreading out the earth all alone, (Isaiah 44:24)

Human vs. animal

God distinguishes between human life and animal life, since the killing of animals has been allowed by God from as early as just after the fall.⁵ It would be helpful to first define what makes human life different from that of the animals. The Bible says that God created three kinds of creatures:

1. Creatures which possess bodies (Hebrew - basar, Greek - swma) only
2. Creatures which possess bodies and souls (Hebrew - nephesh, Greek - psuchay)
3. Creatures which possess bodies, souls, and spirits (Hebrew - ruach, Greek - pneuma)

Most of God’s creatures possess bodies only. These creatures include the insects, worms, fish, etc. God defines the creatures possessing souls as being the birds, the whales, the predatory and domesticated land mammals, and human beings (Genesis 1:20-27). Creatures which possess a soul have the characteristics of having a mind, a will, and emotion. Most of us who have cats or dogs realize that these soulish creatures have all these character traits.

Therefore, the difference between human life and animal life is that, in addition to having a body and soul, we are endowed with a spirit, (1 Thessalonians 5:23), by which we can communicate with, love, and worship God. The Bible tells us that God forms this spirit within us,⁶ and we are endowed with a spirit before birth (Luke 1:15), which makes us fully human before we are born.

Prophets called from the womb

In addition, there are a number of great men of God (and Jesus) who were called to be God’s servants from the womb:

Samson:

Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, “A man of God came to me and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. And I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name. “But he said to me, `Behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and now you shall not drink wine or strong drink nor eat any unclean thing, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’” (Judges 13:6-7, see also Judges 16:17)

Jesus (prophecy):

• Listen to Me, O islands, And pay attention, you peoples from afar. The LORD called Me from the womb; From the body of My mother He named Me. (Isaiah 49:1)
• And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, in order that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the LORD, And My God is My strength), (Isaiah 49:5)
• Yet Thou art He who didst bring me forth from the womb; Thou didst make me trust when upon my mother’s breasts. Upon Thee I was cast from birth; Thou hast been my God from my mother’s womb. (Psalms 22:9-10)

Jeremiah:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

John the Baptist:

“For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine or liquor; and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, while yet in his mother’s womb.” (Luke 1:15)

Paul:

But when He who had set me apart, even from my mother’s womb, and called me through His grace, was pleased (Galatians 1:15)

In addition, the Bible tells us the wicked are estranged or enemies of God from the womb:

The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth. (Psalms 58:3)

What is murder?

All of the above verses tell us God considers us to be human before we are born, but they don’t answer the question of when we actually become so. I propose there is a way to know what God considers the latest point in development at which we must consider a fetus to be a living human. Even before God gave Moses the law, when He gave Noah and his family all the animals for food (in addition to the plants), He told them, “Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood” (Genesis 9:4). At the same time, God gave the law and penalty for murder (described as the shedding of “man’s blood”).⁷ Therefore, God considers blood to be the basis for life and the shedding of human blood, which results in death, to be murder. Science tells us that the heart of the human fetus begins to form 18 days after conception.⁸ There is a measurable heart beat 21-24 days after conception.⁹ Since blood is flowing at this point, it is likely that blood formation begins well before day 21 (I could find no reference for the date at which blood formation begins). Therefore, this represents the latest date at which we must consider the fetus to be human (according to biblical standards), which is only 7-10 days after a women would expect to begin her menses. Most women have cycles that can vary by this amount, and therefore do not discover they are pregnant until after this point. For all practical purposes, from a biblical perspective, abortion at any point must be considered murder by Bible-believing Christians.

Final words

I did not write this article with the intent to condemn those who have aborted their babies or participated in decisions to do so. Praise be to God that He has provided a way for all of us to escape the condemnation we all rightfully deserve.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

Oct

I have heard the “Christian” argument for abortion a couple of times lately that 1. “The Bible is silent on the topic.” and 2. “It is the ability to breath that seperates the living from the un-living.”

Following is and interesting article that I recently read discussing these statements.

But before we even get into all of that I would like to say that I think all abortions are wrong (especially after our experience with our son Elisha) but what if we were to simply eliminate the abortions that are a result of inconvenience, or as I like to call it selfishness and lazyness. You see when you choose your life (ie. college, job, carrear, relationships etc.) over the life (ie. actual life) of a child that makes you the epidimy of shelfish.

Acording to some statistics I was reading the other day on www.abortionno.org over 90% of abortions are a result of “social reasons” meaning because the child was inconvenient. See the note below:

Why women have abortions
1% of all abortions occur because of rape or incest; 6% of abortions occur because of potential health problems regarding either the mother or child, and 93% of all abortions occur for social reasons (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient).

I have never read in the Bible that it is ok to kill another person because there living is inconvenient to you.

Bible Defines Life:

A. Now where uses phrases “human” or “human being”

1. Uses “man, woman, child, son, daughter, baby etc.”
2. Since these terms are used for unborn children, then we have evidence that human life is present before birth
3. The Bible makes no distinction of any kind in the terms used to describe a fetus.
4. Body without spirit is dead: Jas 2:26
5. The blood is the life: Deut 12:23 fetus has bloodstream at 4 weeks

B. “Begat sons and daughters” Gen 5:3,4,28-30

1. Begat always refers to conception and fertilization

C. “children & sons in womb” Gen 25:21-22; 2 Ki 19:3; Ruth 1:11

D. “a man child conceived” Job 3:3

1. notice the difference: day of birth, night conceived see Rev 12:5 “man child born”

E. “mother” of unborn child Num 12:12; Lk 1:43

F. Rom 9:11 for though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad

G. “baby leapt for joy” in mother’s womb Lk 1:41,44

conceived a “son” Lk 1:36; Acts 7:29

Lk 1:36	Elizabeth conceived a son
Lk 1:57	Elizabeth brought forth a son

H. death of unborn= life for life Ex 21:22-25

1. There is no indication in the Hebrew that the baby was miscarried
2. Even if miscarriage is what is meant, the intent was not to abort baby but harm woman,
3. Literal translation: “Child brought forth”
4. Notice that the fetus is referred to as a “child” second most common word for child in OT cf: of Moses in Ex 2:3-10

Woman to man, “Why yes, I do use an oral birth control method…the word no!”

I. Is The Life In The Womb A Human Individual?

The fundamental question to be answered is whether or not the life that has been conceived in the mother’s womb is a human person, separate and distinct as an individual from the mother. God created only three basic classes of life, each of which reproduces after its own kind: plants, animals, and people. (Gen. 1:11,12,20-25,26-30; 5:1-4). In which of these three categories should a living, unborn baby be classed? It cannot be considered plant or animal because plants and animals reproduce after their own kind. It is the result of human reproduction, and humans are distinct from the plants and animals. Therefore the life in the womb of a human mother must necessarily be human! We next ask: is the life in the womb just a part of the mother’s body (like an appendix, so removing it is not murder), or is it a separate and distinct individual from the mother so that killing it is murder? This is the issue we must resolve. The Bible (King James Version and most other versions) nowhere uses the phrases “human” or “human being” to refer to anyone, so we cannot determine whether the unborn is a human individual simply by searching for the terms “human being.” Instead, the Bible identifies a human person by calling it simply a “man,” “woman,” “child,” “son,” “daughter,” “baby,” “infant,” etc. What we need to know, then, is whether or not the Bible refers to the unborn baby by terms that imply humanity, just as it does for other humans.

A. God’s Terms for the Unborn

• Gen. 25:21,22 In Genesis 25:21,22, Rebekah conceived twins, and “the children struggled together within her.” That which was conceived was called a “child” between the conception and the birth.
• The Hebrew word used here (BEN) is the most common Old Testament word for a child or son. When used for the physical offspring of humans, it consistently refers to distinct human individuals (see Gen. 25:1-4; 3:16; etc.). Job 3:3
• On the very night of Job’s conception it could have been said, “There is a man-child conceived.” The word for “man-child” (Heb. GEBER) elsewhere means “man,” i.e., a human individual (see Job 3:23; 4:17; 10:5; Psalms 127:5; 128:4; etc.).
• Job 3:16 Babies that die before birth are called “infants” that never saw light. This is exactly like babies that are aborted. This word (Heb. OLEL) always and without exception refers to human individuals (cf. Hosea 13:16; Psalm 8:2; Joel 2:16).
• Numbers 12:12; Luke 1:43 In Numbers 12:12, Moses describes “one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb.” If a baby dies before it is born — as in an abortion — the woman who conceived it is still a “mother.”
• In Luke 1:43, Elizabeth addressed Mary as “the mother of my Lord” before Jesus was born.
• The word “mother” (Heb. EM; Greek METER), in contexts referring to physical human reproduction, always refers to one who has procreated or formed another human individual, a separate and distinct individual from the mother herself (see Num. 6:7; Gen. 3:20; Luke 1:60). A woman who has conceived, even if the child is not yet born and even if it dies before birth, is a “mother.”
• Luke 1:41,44 Elizabeth conceived (v. 24), and the life “in her womb” is called a “babe” or “baby” (Greek BREPHOS). This is the second-most-common New Testament word for a baby. It is always used for that which is a human individual separate and distinct from its mother (see Luke 2:12,16; Acts 7:19.)
• Luke 1:36 Again, the life conceived in Elizabeth’s womb, before it was born, is called “a son.” The word “son” (Greek HUIOS), in contexts that refer to the physical offspring of humans, always refers to that which is a human individual separate and distinct as an individual from its parents. It is the most common New Testament word for a “son” (see Matt. 1:21,23,25; Luke 1:13,31; 2:7; etc.)

B. Observations on the Verses

That which has been conceived and lives in the mother’s womb from conception on is referred to by God as a “child,” a “son,” an “infant,” a “baby,” a “man-child,” etc. The woman in whose womb it lives is a “mother.” No human being anywhere in the Bible is identified by terms that are more distinctly human than these terms. God makes no distinction between born and unborn life. He uses exactly the same terms for both, therefore we should view them as having the same nature. Remember that we established from the beginning that the life in the mother’s womb is human life. The only question to be settled was whether it is a distinct individual from its mother or just part of the mother’s body. Consider the force of the evidence we have now examined: Does the Bible refer to parts of the mother’s body as “child,” “son,” “baby,” etc.? Clearly not. Nor is a woman ever called a “mother” just because she has these body parts. Why is this so? Because the terms “child,” “son,” “baby,” etc., are terms that imply a separate human individual, not just a part of the mother’s body. Consider the parallel to the Godhead. We can prove that God the Father and Jesus are two separate individuals by referring to the many passages that mention Jesus as the Son of God the Father. A person cannot be his own father or his own son. A father and his son make two separate individuals (cf. John 8:16-18). Likewise, when a woman has conceived, the life in her womb is her “son” (or “daughter”) and she is its “mother.” If God the Father is a separate individual from Jesus Christ His Son, then in the very same way and for the very same reasons a mother must be a separate individual from the son or daughter in her womb.

II. HOW SHOULD WE TREAT AN UNBORN CHILD?

The unborn life in the mother’s womb is a human individual from conception on. How should we treat this unborn life, and may we deliberately kill it? Surely we must be guided by exactly the same rules or principles we should follow in our treatment of any other “child” or “baby.” What are these rules?

A. Stewardship: Train, and Protect a Child

Abortion’s defenders often argue that, if the mother does not “want” to have the child, she may abort it. But does a mother have the right to not want her child? Psalm 127:3-5; 128:3-5 — Children are a blessing, a source of happiness and joy to their parents. Yet unborn babies are children, so parents ought to appreciate them as a blessing from God. People who have Scriptural attitudes will never kill unborn babies because they will never want to. Abortion is the grossest form of ingratitude for God’s blessing. Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4 — God has made us stewards of our children. A steward is a person who has been entrusted with something that belongs to someone else. He is responsible to care for that item and use it to accomplish the purpose of the one to whom it belongs. He will be condemned and punished by the owner or master if he abuses or misuses that which has been entrusted to him (Luke 12:42-46; Matt. 25:14-30; I Cor. 4:2). An unborn child is a particular blessing that has been given into our care just as surely as is a child that has been born. We have the same God-given duty toward an unborn child as we do toward one that has been born. If we kill them, we defeat God’s purpose for their lives. How can we “train up” and “bring up” those whom we have killed?! Abortion is the grossest form of child abuse and the most extreme perversion of parental responsibility. God will not fail to hold us accountable.

B. God Says to Love Our Children.

Titus 2:4 — Young women should be taught to love their children. But an unborn baby is a “child,” and a woman who has conceived is a mother even before the baby is born. The Bible tells us how we should act toward those we love (I Cor. 13:4-7), and this teaching definitely does not allow us to kill them (Rom. 13:8-10). We have clearly established that abortion is wrong without even (thus far) examining passages specifically dealing with murder. Abortion does fit the Bible definition of murder. But even if it did not, it would still be sinful because it is unloving, a lack of appreciation for God’s blessings, and a gross abuse of our stewardship to raise our children as God directs.

C. Respect for Life: Do Not Kill an Innocent Child.

• Many passages teach us not to deliberately kill innocent human beings. Please read Exodus 23:7; Proverbs 6:16,17;
• Revelation 21:8; 22:15; Matthew 15:19,20; and Romans 13:8-10. In addition, please consider these specific passages.
• Psa. 106:37,38 — Israel was polluted with blood because the people shed the innocent blood of their “sons and daughters.” But unborn babies are “sons and daughters.” What then is the condition of our land when over 25 million “sons and daughters” have been legally killed?
• Matthew 2:16 — Herod is considered wicked because he slew the male children in Bethlehem. Luke 2:12,16 calls such children “babes.” But Luke 1:41,44 also calls unborn children “babes,” so how can it be acceptable to kill them?
• Hosea 13:16; 2 Kings 8:12 — When children or infants are dashed to pieces, it is a great tragedy to any nation. Yet unborn babies are children or infants, and in our nation they are dashed to pieces by the millions!
• Acts 7:19; Ex. 1:16-18 — Pharaoh commanded that Israelite “sons” or “men children” be killed as soon as they were born. But these same terms are used for unborn babies. Would it have been acceptable for Pharaoh to have had abortions performed to kill the babies? Is it any less wicked if people today do it?
• Deuteronomy 27:25 — “Cursed be he that taketh a bribe to slay an innocent person.” What clearer description could be given for people who operate abortion clinics?

Oct

The baby is literally hanging on for life. For this is one of the most remarkable photographs taken in medicine and a record of one of the world’s most extraordinary operations.

It shows a 21-week-old foetus in its mother’s womb, about to undergo a spine operation designed to save it from serious brain damage.

The surgery was carried out entirely through the tiny slit visible in the wall of the womb and the `patient’ is believed to be the youngest to undergo it.

At that age the mother could have chosen to have the foetus aborted. Her decision not to, however, led to an astonishing test not just of medical technology, but of faith.

Samuel Armas has spina bifida, which left part of his spinal cord exposed after the backbone failed to develop.

The operation was designed to close the gap and protect the cord, the body’s motorway for nerve signals to the brain.

So, on an unborn patient no bigger than a guinea-pig, the operation was performed without removing the foetus from the womb.

The instruments had to be specially designed to work in miniature. The sutures used to close the incisions were less than the thickness of a human hair.

An ER-style crash-cart team was on constant standby in an adjoining room.

When it was completed, however, Samuel’s battle for survival was only just beginning. Nor would the emotional battle his parents had already endured finish quite yet.

Julie and Alex Armas had been trying desperately for a baby. Julie, a 27-year-old nurse, had suffered two miscarriages before she became pregnant with the child they intended to call Samuel Alexander if it was a boy.

Then, at 14 weeks, she started to suffer terrible cramp. An ultrasound scan was carried out to show the shape of the developing foetus and its position in the womb.

When the picture emerged, it was the moment that every parent-to-be dreads. Their unborn son’s brain was mis-shapen and his spinal cord was sticking out from a deformed backbone. He had spina bifida. They were devastated and “torn apart” said Alex, a 28-year-old jet aircraft engineer.

At that stage, and even weeks later, the couple could have decided to have the pregnancy terminated. In their home town of Georgia in the US as in Britain abortion is routinely offered. Although accurate figures are not available, many parents accept. For Julie and Alex, who are deeply religious, it was not an option.

That didn’t mean, of course, that they were not racked by pain at the thought that the child they had longed for was imperfect.

It also riddled them with guilt over whether they had effectively taken the decision to inflict their son with years of handicap, pain and suffering.

So, this being the United States, they turned to the internet for help.

Julie’s mother found a website giving details of pioneering surgery being carried out by a team at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Although the results have not yet been endorsed in medical journals, they looked encouraging to Mr. And Mrs. Armas.

Their doctor put them in touch with Dr. Joseph Bruner (it is his finger in the photograph). A race against time had begun.

Because it affects the spinal cord, spina bifida can lead to a condition that causes brain damage. Mr and Mrs. Armas were told that if they were to avoid the condition, which was not then present in Samuel, they had to act fast.

“I wasn’t concerned about a child who couldn’t walk,” said Julie, “but I want a child who knows me.”

The theory behind the surgery is that attention to he spine disorder before the baby is born prevents or limits brain damage, and gives a better chance of healing. It does not cure spina bifida, but it is said to provide a strong chance of limiting the damage through early intervention.

The risks, however, are enormous. Controversy surrounds the use of such surgery because it goes against the general medical rule that the risk should not outweigh the benefit.

Mr and Mrs Armas were fully aware that if anything went wrong, no attempt would be made to deliver Samuel by Caesarean section.

Medical science does not yet have the capability to keep a 21-week-old foetus alive outside the womb. The crash-cart was on standby for Julie, not Samuel.

“If he dies, that’s horrible for me and for us,” said Julie before she went into theatre. Wiping tears she added: “But not for him. The worst thing might be if we don’t do this, and this is standard treatment when he’s 21, and he says: “Why didn’t you know about that?” And we say: “We did, but we didn’t do it for you.”

The other major dangers were turning him in the womb to get his back in line with an inch-long cut in the wall, through which Dr Bruner would operate, and that the surgery might involve releasing the fluid around Samuel.

The movement posed the risk of sending Julie into labour contractions, which would have been fatal for Samuel.

Thus, one morning at the beginning of last month, Dr Bruner could be heard urging his team to keep quiet. “Shh!” he said. “You’ll wake the baby!”

Robert Davis, who reported on the operation for USA Today newspaper, said the lesion that exposed Samuel’s spine was found low on his backbone, decreasing the chance of nerve damage.

Although Samuel is believed to have been the youngest patient for such an operation, it was apparently routine enough for Dr Bruner and paediatric neurosurgeon Noel Tullpant to talk about the weather during the operation.

An hour later, the womb is gently eased back into place. “Beautiful,” said one of the technicians and relief swept the room.

Julie was allowed home with Alex within days. The baby is due on December 28.

He has not yet felt the touch of his mother’s skin against his own and he knows nothing of life outside her womb. But perhaps Samuel Alexander Armas will be able to shake Dr Bruner’s hand again.

Oct

Jason Davis
10.01.08
Do Hard Things 1

Based on Do Hard Things by: Alex and Brett Harris

Most people don’t expect you to understand what we are going to talk about. and even if you understand, they don’t expect you to care. and even if you care, they don’t expect you to do anything about it. and event if you do something about it, they don’t expect it to last.  WE DO.

What is expected of you as a teenager?
Clean your room?
Do the dishes?
Complete your home work?
That is all a joke compared to what you can accomplish! Is that what you want your life to be? Just barely scrapping by?

The world is ready for a generation to rise up and change the expectations of teenagers.

The average teen does not exist. There is nothing average about what you can accomplish.

Is there anything in your life that makes you feel not average? Anything that makes you feel extraordinary?

Can you think of one thing that you could change if you and your friends really believed that low expectations were ripping you off?

Any Big Movement Must Start With Big Ideas
A few basic principles:
* Your generation is getting ripped off.
*  There has to be more to the teen years than goofing off.
*  Ordinary teens can make a big difference in the world.
*  Young people can handle big responsibilities.
*  With big dreams come big challenges.
*  When you work together with like minded people the results can be amazing.

It is time for you to rise up against a cultural mindset that minimizes your abilities and responsibilities! Don’t you want more?

Have you ever read or done anything that completely changed what you believed or how you see the world?

Is everyone you know at school shackled by low expectations?

History shows that youth movements against God-established authority have generally failed. What can you do to avoid this problem.

Close with elephant story:
They hold an elephant in place by tying a line around it’s leg and driving a small stake into the ground.
The elephant could obviously get away if it wanted to.
When it was young they tied it to a tree and it could not get away so from that point on it has had a mental shackle that holds it in place.

Do you have any mental shackles that are holding you in place?

Sep

Ever have one of those friends? Yeah, you know the type. Any time you talk with them you know they are either flat out lying to you or at the very least not telling you the whole truth. Well that is the way I feel about my unkle Sam. Once my unkle was noble, faithful and even enspireing but time has changed him he has become more indifferent to my plight he has taken more for himself and left me wanting he has forced me to do things that go against my convictions and my faith. I certanly think it is time for a new name because not only has he done all of these things he has taken away my ability to reject him. His new name is big brother and look out because like Santa he is watching you but if big brother doesn’t like what you do insted of not getting preasents you just get killed or put into jail.

This bail out is the biggest power grab sense the civil war. Who owns your house? Well, soon it will be the government. Is it private property if the government owns it? How does this effect your privacy rights? I’m sure they will tell you that this will never happen but a few years ago you thought they would always have to have a court order to spy on you and they changed that!

Sep

EVIL \: morally reprehensible: sinful, wicked

2,300 abortions each day in America

4,724 of our soldiers have been killed in Iraq doing a job they voluntarely signed up for knowing war was a possibility. That is sence 2003. That is less than half the number of babies who have no choice who get killed in two days in the us.

We vote for politicians who claim to care for these voiceless children yet they refuse to take a stand that would make any kind of difference. We are made promices then when the election is over and the votes have been counted they get back to the real reason they ran for office. To make a difference, in there checking accounts.

Politicians, you want my respect? Then actually do what you promice!

Some important facts:
1. 50% of pregnancies are unexpected. 50% of unexpected babies are killed. That means that 25% of our new generations are being systematically murdered.
2. Well over 90% of abortions are an issue of convenience and are not health related in any way.
3. We were told to conciser “terminating” (killing) our “pregnancy” (child) when he had a lower urinary track obstruction. Elisha is alive and well and he is a continous testamony to the power, mercy and grace of our lord Jesus Christ.

The abortion debate is really pretty simple. Should inocent babies be killed because someone had sex and is now too selfish and lazy to take care of their responcibility?

When will we give civil rights to those who need it the most? When will we as a country decide that the weakest need protection instead of the selfish? I’m not sure if God has turned His back on us or not but i certainly wouldn’t blame Him if He has.

The truth is I believe in liberty. This makes me pro choice. I just think baby is the one who should get to decide weather it lives or dies. So far as I can tell they all want to live.

I’m interested in what you have to say about this tupic.

Sep

I was listening to a song by one of my favoriate singers the other day and thought that I would share they lyrics with you. The song is called Wash Away and it is by Joe Purdy.

I got troubles oh, but not today
Cause they’re gonna wash away
They’re gonna wash away

And I have sins Lord, but not today
Cause they’re gonna wash away
They’re gonna wash away

And I had friends oh, but not today
Cause they’re done washed away
They’re done washed away

And oh, I’ve been cryin’
And oh, I’ve been cryin’
And oh, no more cryin’
No, no more cryin’ here

We get along Lord, but not today
Cause we gonna wash away
We gonna wash away

And I got troubles oh, but not today
Cause they gonna wash away
This old heart gonna take them away

Sep

I happened to be walking through a book store the other day and ran across a book called “Conflict Free Living”. This is a book by a gal named Joyce Meyer who runs a very large company called Joyce Meyer Ministries. I was intrigued by the title…

Now understand, I have not read the book and to be honest with you the $23 price tag was a bit large for me to swallow so I wont be reading it. I am not sure what her primes is but I do know that if she has conflict free living figured out she is doing better than me. In fact, she is doing much better than Jesus.

It seams like everywhere Jesus went he ran into conflict. Just the second chapter of Mark tells of four situations where Jesus encountered conflict.

We are called to be the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). We have a basic understanding that salt preserves meat. But what you may not know is exactly how and why salt makes meat last longer. You see, when a salt solution is placed on the meat it changes the osmotic pressure which draws out moisture. So first, the little critters that make people sick when they eat unpreserved meat like Salmonella and a few other nasties require a cretan amount of moisture to live and reproduce. When that water is removed the critters die. Second, salt creates an electrolyte imbalance that is poisons to these bad little creatures and eventually it kills them. If we are to be the “salt of the Earth” we are to destroy the destroyer. It is our responsibility to remove the poisons of the world in order to bring forth true life and health.

It seems that if we are going to live the life that Jesus requires of us a completely conflict free life is impossible. In fact this is how he put it: All men will hate you because of me but he who stands firm until the end will be saved. Mark 13:13

You may also want to check out John 15:19.

I guess the point of all of this is to comfort those of you who are facing conflict in your lives. And to say if you are not facing conflict then enjoy because if you are living the Christ centered life it wont be long until it is your turn again.

So if you want the secret to conflict free living it is to not live the way Jesus commanded, don’t live to His standards and most importantly don’t ask anyone else to.

Two questions that came up in Bible study last night:

1. Salt makes the environment around it unhealthy to bad critters. Do you make the environment around you unhealthy for sin?

2. Everyone knows the difference between light and dark. They notice the difference immediately. If we are to be light in a dark world… Do people automatically notice that you are different? That you are a Christian?

Sep

I want to take a moment to mention the passing of my good friend Scott Jett. He passed away as a result of a motorcycle accident. He left four children, a wife and a child on the way. Please pray for his family, especially his wife Cori as she faces the obvious hardships ahead of her.

Aug

Well I feel that I have something to say but I really don’t know what it is. I think that a good way for me to become a better writer is to, well, write but it seems like it’s all been written and I’m not interested in wasteing anyones time with regurgitation of thought. Is there anything that is truely profound and original left to say. Even this line of mindless dribble has been jotted down a few thousand times in the last few melinia.

Perhaps this will be one of the first blogs to be written soley on an iPhone?.?.

Any ideas on post topics post em here and we will see what we get, if anything.