Yes I am Pro Life

The day after Scotty was born, I looked at him, and tried to figure out how he fit in my body. I was amazed at this mystery. When I had Chantel and Danielle, I spent more time enjoying their life in me. Thinking this would help me understand.
It didn’t! What I do understand is that each time I learned I was pregnant, I understood there was life in me.

A baby’s heart begins to beat 22 days after conception. A woman hasn’t even missed her period at this time, and so she won’t know she is pregnant. When she does miss her period, she will take a pregnancy test. Although, she can find out as early as 8 days after conception.

After this, development moves along quickly. Most abortions are done between 8-13 weeks.

8-13 weeks
Beating heart
Brain
Nervous system
Spinal cord
Hormone glands
Baby can wiggle limbs
Gender is confirmed
Baby can feel touch/pain

Abortion is legal and there is no doubt that we kill babies! The baby we kill can feel it’s death. The baby has a gender. The baby’s heart is beating. The baby’s brain and spine is working.

I’m tired of hearing the oppositions arguments.

Yes a woman has a right to choose if she wants to be a mom. Tell her to
choose before sex not after!

Less then 1% of abortions are done to save the mothers life.

1% of abortions are because of rape or incest

The rest are done for various reasons.

Notice my argument is void of God’s law. Done for a reason. Too many times the opposition argues to keep State and Religion separated. So I am.

Just looking at the facts as they are, we can all agree that life begins,
If not at conception, when the heart beats. Certainly we all understand that a baby feels itself dying. Clearly we understand this is a baby with a heart, brain, limbs and spine.

Abortion is legal filicide!

And if we remain quiet- we allow it to continue and stand just as guilty!

Michele Beck

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Motherhood IS a Profession

No Glenn Close, you do not speak for all women in the United States, or this world. Unlike others, I didn’t appreciate your speech, and this is why:

You said your mother sublimated herself to your father. Then in her 80’s stated she felt like she never accomplished anything. That is your mother’s experience. This may be the experience of others. This is not the experience of many of those that you, Hollywood, the government, and the press refer to as – Just A Mom!

There are many women who choose to pursue a career outside of her home; as well as have children. Please know I have nothing bad to say about you. This isn’t about you. I understand that many women have no other choice but to work. This isn’t about you either. This is about the women who do stay home and being a mom is their profession.

Just take one look at society and you can clearly see the importance of raising a child. I strongly believe that it takes both a dad and a mom to raise children. I tip my hat to those parents who make it work. I thank God for the men who support their wives so they can stay home to raise their children. I applaud the women who nobly choose motherhood as her profession. A woman who stays home works just as hard as a woman who works outside of her home. I have two daughters who are raising their children. One has two disabled children. One is a paraplegic in heart failure, the other on the autism spectrum. She also has a 2 year old. She is responsible for administering life saving, dangerous medications. Her child has a feeding tube. She has to know the correct dosage in liquid form and times to administer them. She must also keep her child fed, and the dangerous medicine away from the other children. In between this, she gets her son to ABA Therapy for school and entertains the toddler. She cooks, cleans, and does laundry. She gets no break.

My other daughter is raising her children on a farm. There is 4 of them. The farm has chickens, goats and ducks. The children are homeschooled. My daughter wakes up, tends to the farm, teachs the children, cares for her disabled father in law now living with her, and maintains her house. She drives the children to the Library and museums for field trips and her father in law the doctor. She hand made her curtains, seat cushions, pantry door, and decorations.

I’m very thankful for my two son in laws who recognize the importance of what they are doing and support them. I am thankful my daughters understand that living within their means teaches their children how to be responsible. These are billions of families out there doing the same thing. Women do choose to be moms and that is their career. A mom is extremely important to the development of her child. It is her quantity of time plus her quality of time paired together that brings about success for her child. Her decision to stay home and raise her children should be applauded. We have to stop looking down at this career choice.

The argument that Glenn Close made is that all women feel as her mom did. But that isn’t true. Many women love being moms and do that job in excellence. We have to stop telling young women that a decision to be a mom is wrong and unfulfilling. That she has two choices, abort before birth, or let someone else raise your child while you work. There are many moms who wish they could stay home with their children. We have to start to encourage and support them. Motherhood is the one of the oldest professions. Don’t let anyone talk it down- you’re important!

In closing,  Glenn Close stated her mom felt like she accomplished nothing in life. How sad. At the end of her days a mother looked at her child and didn’t consider the time she gave in raising her as an accomplishment. Even sadder is this child accepted what her mother said and looked down her nose at motherhood. Her life story with her parents isn’t a pretty picture. She left her family and the cult they belonged to (Her words) around the age of twenty two. Motherhood, like all other professions, isn’t for everyone. It is a profession, and it’s time for all of us to recognize this profession. Women who choose motherhood didn’t give up on life, they embrace it. They are visionary’s who prepare the next generation.

The top 4 holidays celebrated in the United States are: Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and Mother’s Day.

MOMS: Thats how important you are! Thank you 💗

 

 

 

 

She Has Done

She has done what she could.

Mark 14:8a

 

I’m currently an intern for a Chaplaincy program. I feel called by God to this position, and I’m learning a lot. I’m learning a lot about God, and my relationship with God. I’m discovering more about our relationship. Since this is an Internship, it’s not a paid position. For income, I work as a substitute teacher. Adding to this is taking care of my husband who has a severe brain injury, and spending time with my family. I’m very busy and love my life.

Now, with that said, there are many times in my day when I truly wonder what good, if any, that I am doing in this world. I feel like I’ve let God down. I’m distracted easily, I forget to pray sometimes, I respond snarky or am quick to attitude when I feel offended. I get this far in my self assessment when I begin to add on: I’ve gained weight, became lazy, eat too much, exercise too little. I spend too much time on Facebook and other social media’s. The more I obsess about this, the more isolated I become.

Then the other day I saw a commercial for an interactive video game. My immediate thought was, “ My dear Lord, we are being lured into isolation.” As soon as the words were said, I realized no, we are in  isolation. Now they are just entertaining us to keep our attention. So I brought this to mine and God’s attention. Actually, He knew, I was just discovering this truth. I prayed for a couple of days, until this morning. A snowed in morning with quiet reflection. I was reading Mark 14:3-9.

Jesus is visiting the home of Simon, the leper. As the men are sitting around the table a woman comes in with an alabaster box. These boxes were used to hold precious and expensive ointment. She broke it, that is, she broke off the long neck of the box, so she could get to the ointment. Then she poured the ointment on Jesus’s head. Immediately she is hit with criticism. Jesus tells her critics to leave her alone, for she is doing all that she can.

We go around this world, our lives, carrying imaginary alabaster boxes. We gather everything that is significant to us. Some is good, some is bad. We have our joys and tears in that box, we carry accomplishments and failures. We hold on tightly and protect it, for we know the price we paid for the contents.

Take note that she is bringing it to Jesus. Jesus isn’t in a Synogague or a Church. In fact, Jesus is in the home of a leper. No one would willingly go to this home, but Jesus did, and so did she! She went there because Jesus went there. Are we willing to go where Jesus is? Seeing Jesus, she breaks the neck of this precious stone, to release the ointments. Are we willing to be broken before Jesus? She pours out the ointment on Jesus. Are we willing to be poured out on Jesus? When critisicm arises Jesus says, “leave her alone, she has preformed a good service for ME! She has done all she could.” Can we say the same?

That woman is me. Here I am today, all out of energy, no more zip in my step, I feel as useless as a 2 dollar bill. So I made myself pancakes and threw in the towel. I’m in the mood to stay in pajamas, eat, and watch television all day. God had plans. Today He called out to me. He silences my own self criticism, and He reminds me that He does know the cost of the oil. Have I given Him all I can? Have you?

 

 

Praise God

BREAKING>> Pastor Andrew Brunson has been freed by the Turkish court! Praise God!

BREAKING >>123 Missing Children found in Michigan Sex Trafficking Operation! Praise God!

 

God is on the move!

Now this is the way we wrap up a hard week!

Priase God for Whom all blessings flow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Can

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil. 4:13

This morning I awoke singing “High Hopes”! This is the song about the ant who moves the rubber tree plant. Odd, I know. So I crawled out of bed, and went before God. This is when He brought to my mind Philippians 4:13.

Now if you’re anything like me, you read that verse and focus on two words – all things. Then you try to wrap your brain around it. Really all things? What does all things include? As I tried to reason with God that while all things are before me, I don’t do all things. I’m not trained or educated for all things. This is when the emphasis fell off of all things and landed on- I can.

Just what made that little ole ant, think he could move that rubber tree plant? He had high hopes. So do I, my Hope is in Jesus. I can because through Jesus I’m given the strength which is needed. An ant can lift up to 10-50 times their own body weight. I struggle lifting my grandchild. However, I have great eternal strength in Jesus. So do you. You just have to have High hopes.

I know life is difficult, trust me, I know. There are days when I feel so weighted down with responsibility and struggles. I don’t even ask anymore when it will all end. I pretty much threw in the white flag. Resigned myself to believe, this is as good as it will ever get. I sat down and poured some wine to have a pity party. I moved from one struggle to the next. The two words, all things, taunting me.

Then this morning I woke up singing a song.

I CAN make it through, I can thrive, I can start over, I can rise from ashes, I can do all these things because Jesus strengthens me. I can! So can you!

 

Resting in God’s decisions

Genesis 3:1

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “did God really say ‘you must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”

 

This morning as I spent quiet time with God, we went over this 3^rd chapter in Genesis. This is how it came about.

My husband’s anniversary for his brain injury just passed. It has been 7 years. When his injury first occurred, many people told me to leave him and move on. He would never know. In the last 7 years I hear this often. I haven’t and I won’t. I know that many of these people say this because they know how badly Gary is damaged and understand that we don’t have a marriage. I am his caretaker and this is a lonely life. They want me to be happy. I want to be happy too but at what cost?

We are all familiar with this story. Adam and Eve are in the Garden, and God is in fellowship with them. It is a unique and precious relationship. In this Garden, they can eat from all the trees but one, and that is the tree that the devil is tempting them with. (Genesis 2:15-16) The devil knows what he is doing.  It is his intention to get the woman to doubt God’s goodness and provision.  As he approaches the woman he knows just how to tempt her. He knows how to get her to mistrust God. So he says, ‘all the trees’. Bait tossed and Eve takes it.

God knows Gary has a brain injury. God knows I’m his caretaker. God knows it’s been 7 years. Does God really want me to be alone? Well what if He does….God really didn’t want Adam and Eve to eat from the tree. God withholds from us those things we don’t need. We may want them, we may never need them. The tree had good fruit and came with a benefit-knowledge. Why would God want to keep that from Adam and Eve? Is He mad at them? Is He selfish? Is He uncaring? Is He unable to provide for them?  No, no, no and no! It is because He loves them He asks them not to eat of this fruit for their sake not His. From the moment they bite it, they realize they are naked and they feel something they didn’t feel before-shame. Shame is not from God-shame is from sin and sin is from the devil.

I’m not always thrilled about being a caretaker. Yes, at times it is lonely. That is why I am especially thankful for my family and friends. Still I would like a closer relationship and God does know that. However, now, God is not changing my situation. So I am resting in His decision. For me to take a boyfriend, would be telling God that He cannot provide for me or that He doesn’t know what is best for me. That is what Adam and Eve’s actions told God. The result? Separated from the relationship they once shared with God. I am not going to risk that!

The devil always wants us to think badly of God. We blame God for all the evil in our lives. We blame God for all the fun we believe we are missing. We blame God for withholding good things from us. We blame God for our sick and dying loved ones. We blame God for our struggles. We justify blaming God in this, we think if He is God and  good then why isn’t my life filled with good? This is the lie the devil has us all believing. This is how the devil trips us up and causes us to sin against God. We sin when we try to answer our own prayers by taking what we want and not waiting for God to give it to us. We argue that maybe God won’t give it to us. I can go the rest of my life a caretaker and not a wife. This is not what I want. It is the life God has given me. I’m not about to overstep God and take what He isn’t offering.

The next time you find yourself in a spot where you really want something and God isn’t allowing it. Think about what you are asking for and rest in His decision not to answer just yet. God does love us and He has an eternal purpose for our lives. We see the current page. We can trust God, we can always trust God.

It Is Written

Read: Luke 4:1-13

1-2-Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was lead by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them He was hungry.

I was having one of those days today. I was asking God over and over why others get a dream, and I get a nightmare. Ever feel that way? Like everyone around you is doing something, succeeding at something , excelling at something. Then there you are, just trudging along in your broken life, that is a hot mess? This folks is our pity party, where’s the cake?

I laid down in the hallway and really cried that first paragraph out to God.

Then He lead me by His Spirit to today’s verses.

What about this passage did God want to show me? When Jesus was at His weakest, the devil comes around and tries to trip Jesus up. Three times the devil tries to prove to Jesus that His Father can’t or won’t provide for Him. Instead of a dream life, Jesus is caught up in a nightmare of a hot mess life.

Then three words ran through my brain: It Is Written!

It is written that God will and does provide for us. It is written that we are to worship God alone. It is written that God can save us from death or harm. It is written that He loves us, forgives us, redeems us, restores us, claims us and calls us. The devil wants us to believe differently so he can have power over us. We need to learn how to confront this spiritual warfare with the Word of God.

Well I got this far and up off the floor and to my computer to type this out. You know the days that are like today, when you’re feeling like your life is a hot mess. Fall before God and let Him know. He is there waiting for you.  Then God will remind you that those feelings are not true. What is true is His Word. He does love us and if we take the time to look around we can see the blessings among the mess. My life might not look like I think  it should. I’m sure a desert wasn’t Jesus’s first vacation spot either. Jesus teaches us that His Father can provide, shelter and restore us. We don’t have to accept second best from the devil. We may not get what we want, but in the end we get what we need. And all we really need is Jesus.

It Is Written: For God so loves us that He gives us His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  (John 3:16)

 

 

He is Alive

John 20:11-18

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

He is risen!

I cannot tell you how many times I have wished to be Mary Magdalene. The very first person to see the Risen Lord. The very first person to announce His Resurrection. Then as soon as I think that God reminds me, you are. For each time we present this message to a non believer we are the first person to them. How crazy is that! The one woman I want to be, I get to be!!!!

He is Risen…He is Alive…just as He said He would  be…Hallelujah

 

In The Garden

John 17

VS 1: After Jesus has spoken these words, He looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son so that the Son may glorify You.

How many of us live to glorify God? I know a lot will say, “I do!” But really?  I know we all want to. I know some might, but really not a lot. Most of us live for our own comfort and glory. We all want to be someone or something in this world. We want to make a name for ourselves.

This is why it is so important for us to read John 17, and understand fully all that Jesus did for us. We read in Matthew 26:39 that Jesus is grieved over what is about to happen. He asks His Father to remove this cup from Him. Then in complete surrender He says to His Father, “Yet not what I want but what You want.”

O my Lord, on this night when Your Son prayed in Gethsamne, He prayed for me. I thank You Father for Your Son. I thank Jesus for His prayer. I ask Father that I will learn from Your Son how to give myself completely surrendered to You. So that the rest of my days I will always say to You the same as Jesus, “not what I want, but what You want.” Let it be done to me. I pray in Jesus Name.

Here Comes Jesus!

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea,  to Bethlehem the town of David,  because he belong to the house in line of David.  He went there to register with Mary,  Who is pledge to be married to him and  was expecting a child.  While  they were there,  The time came for the baby to be born,  and she gave birth to her firstborn son .  She wrapped him in close and placed him in a manger because there was no guest room available for them .

 Luke 2:4-7

 

There  is a popular song  titled, “ Here Comes Santa Claus.”   Everyone knows it!  In fact there are many Christmas songs that speak about Santa coming on Christmas Eve night.  All of us who are parents understand how excited our children get.  I’m not judging anybody here.  I’m a grandmother myself, and my grandchildren are waiting for Santa too.  It’s just that the older I get the odder this all seems to me.  Christmas Eve is the night we celebrate the very birth of our Lord God Savior. It is a Holy night. God gives us the greatest gift His Son Jesus!  So it makes sense that we would want to give gifts to our children as well.  But and you did know a but was coming, there is also a downside to this. Santa has become the star of this night !

No I’m not the grinch!  I’m not suggesting that we do away with anything that has to do with Santa.  I would just like to share these thoughts.

Many of you become extremely offended by others who will not say Merry Christmas.  You find it appalling  when someone says happy holidays.  You ram down the throats  of all who say it- Jesus is the reason for the season.  Then you go home and wait for Santa.  This is why the world calls Christians hypocritical.

If we want the world to take us seriously, then we seriously have to take back from the world our Holy holidays!  We can’t expect them to take our holiday serious when we join in their folly.  At some point we have to teach this world the truth about Jesus.  We have to let them know  that waiting for Jesus surpasses the joy of waiting for Santa!  We have got to let them know why the birth of Jesus is celebrated!

So here is what I would suggest.  The next time somebody says happy holidays to you.  Say thank you, then say back – happy holidays to you as well; and may peace, joy and love be yours this coming year, I guarantee this will open a door up. If they pour  out their heart, listen attentively. Then offer to pray for them. If they smile and thank you, return their smile and be genuine. If they scowl at you, brush it off and walk away smiling. You did all you could.

This is something small, and easy to do. This is something we all can do. Jesus is the reason for this season, so don’t let Santa steal the show.

Here comes Jesus!