MUSLIM, by Hank Hanegraaff

This is an informative and educational book about the Ialam. The author, Hank Hanegraaff, allows Robert Spencer, author the the book JIHAD WATCH, to do the Foreward for this book. Then he writes a long 13 page Introduction. It has under 200 pages of actual text. This text is spread across six chapters. It contains 74 pages of notes for each chapter. Hanegraaff follows the text with an Afterward, an Appendix, a Glossary, Suggestions for Further Reading, Acknowledgements, the 74 pages of Notes, a general index, a Scripture index, a QUR'AN index, and an author bio. Hanegraaff is the President of Christian Research Institute. has written more than 20 books, hosts THE BIBLE ANSWER NAN and is honored as one of the top Christian thinkers.

This book is all that I have expected. I found it a well-researched, factual, educational, and Christ-centered book. Because of the subheadings, I could stop and start at will and I appreciated that. Mr. Hanegraaff's solidly conservative worldview comes through from cover to cover. Mr. Hanegraaff contends that Islam is not a "religion of peace" and backs this up with quotes from the Qu'ran. In no uncertain terms, he names and calls out multiple politicians and who contend that Islam is a "religion of peace" in the name of political correctness. I was and am appalled and sickened, at many specific examples of brutality and barbarism on the part of Muslims, especially on Muslim women. And Mr. Hanegraaff makes his case for how the Qu'ran advocates these depraved acts in the name of obideience to Allah. And he also argues for how the Christian God and the Muslim Allah are diametrically different.

I recommend this book for every Christian. It is absolutely essential to educate ourselves about Islam and what actually drives terrorism. Islam is now the fastest growing religion, especially in the West. By Islam there is no intention to denigrate Muslims but the religion/political ideology which many are born int and raised in. I also recommend this book to Muslims who are disillusioned with Islam and are desire to look into something different. I received a complimentary copy of this book through BOOKLOOKBLOGGERS in exchange for my honest review of this book. I was not required to give a positive review of this book.

Give A Child A Gift That Gives All Year

What Is the Problem With This Time of the Year?

It is that time of the year, the time when those of us parents are hitting the stores to buy our children the gifts they may have wanted all year long. In this digital age, we parents are buying our children, at ever-younger ages, devices like iPods, iPads, cell phones, even Smartphones, tablets, even laptop computers. We want them to have all that their peers have! After all, our children may wail, "But Mom and Dad! All the other kids have one! Do you want me to be left out?" We don't want our children to be left out! Aside from the safety issues of getting these devices (aside from regular cell phones) in light of them running data that can make minors vulnerable to predators, there's the sheer material this all teachers our children. Yes, my spouse and I can relate to this, as we are dealing with these same pressures to get "the best" for our daughter.

What Can We Do About This?

This past week, at our worship service, the sermon topic was titled, "It Isn't Your Birthday!" In other words, we behave as though this time of the year were our birthday (I'm not talking about those who DO have birthday at this time or on Christmas Day). It's reflected in how, with astounding frenzy, we hit the stores in search of the best deals. There's nothing wrong with wanting to show our love for family or close friends by giving them gifts. But don't we take it too far and get into materialism when we lavish our money on family or friends, giving our children toys or items they may enjoy today but be bored with tomorrow? In last week's sermon, we were challenged, "What is on Jesus' wish list? What kind of gifts would make Him happy?" I do not think any of us who have even a casual knowledge of the Person of Christ or the Bible, would have trouble answering that question. In Scripture and in the life of Jesus, God reveals Himself as a giving God and that He wants us to give, every day of the year. At this time of the year, this means that He wants us to focus on what we can give, give, and give.

How Does Helping Fight World Poverty Figure In?

As many of us parents, guardians and others in in North America and Europe seek to lavish gifts on our children to give them what our culture has convinced us, is "a Christmas they must have," there are countless children throughout Asia, Africa and other parts of the world whose only thought is to survive. Many times, they don't have access to clean drinking water. This leaves people, especially children, vulnerable to deadly diseases of all kinds. So many of these people don't know if they will have anything to eat today, or if they can feed their children. Fathers often can't provide for their children, and can't send them to school. Women often can't read and can't get any pre-natal care during pregnancy. Celebrating on birthdays or holidays with festivities or gift-giving, is often unthinkable. Precious children start out with hopes and dreams, which their harsh circumstances soon cruelly crush to hopelessness. That is, if many even survive. Many children don't even live to see their 5th birthday. As most of us know but feel uncomfortable thinking about, many of these children die of starvation before them.

How Can Child Sponsorship Combat World Poverty?

When we sponsor individual children, this allows relief workers to focus on a sponsored child's physical, social, emotional, and developmental needs. The child gets an education and is motivated and empowered to become a responsible and contributing member of his or her community and giving back far more than has been poured into them. Child sponsorship also helps the child's family and entire community as child sponsorship nonprofits serve their sponsored children's families and communities. When we sponsor a child, he or she is given hope, help and knows that they are cared for. This empowers them to much better development and their families are given hope in knowing that often tremendous struggles to provide for their own child are being assisted by others who also care. The family and community of the sponsored child also get help as an extension of the help being provided to the sponsored child. Reaching out in love to a child in this way is a wonderful way of showing a child and his or her family that someone truly cares.

What Is So Special About Compassion International Child Sponsorship?

We all know that there are many child sponsorship nonprofits, and you no doubt have seen many TV and Internet ads appealing to you to sponsor a child, with displays a pictures of individual children and contact information for the nonprofit. Aside from the sad fact that funds donated to too many of these nonprofits may be mismanaged and that many of them may not even reach those children, many seem to focus mostly on basic physical needs. That is better than no help for these suffering children. Compassion International is unsurpassed not only in their financial ethics and accountability, in my opinion, they focus on the complete development of their sponsored children: physical, social, material, emotional and spiritual. Compassion also serves the child's family and whole community. If you feel moved to share your love with a child in need at this time of year and give a gift that gives all year long, I encourage you to consider Compassion child sponsorship. If you simply are curious about this or want to spread the word, visit here.

The above images are courtesy of Compassion International.

Marriage Equality and Religious Liberty

          Without a doubt this will be the most controversial topic I have ever blogged about to date but this ought to be talked about because it is one of the topics that many of our politicians are debating about it. It strikes at the core of the values of the two opposing sides of the debate, the Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender (GLBT) community and their advocates/allies, and the Religious Liberty community, which includes people of all faith and worldviews who do not endorse GLBT marriage. The GLBT side values equality, tolerance, privacy and the acceptance of all people. The Religious Liberty community values principle, truth, morality, and the traditional family. But both sides value one thing: free speech.
          Currently, marriage equality has dominated the national headlines. If you follow the news, you no doubt have seen footage of many people marching at Washington, D.C., holding banners declaring their rights to legal and equal traditional marriage, with all the legal protections that have traditionally be given to husbands and wives, including in the even of divorce or death. The other side, those who support traditional marriage between husbands and wives only, also had their opportunity to protest the proposed marriage equality based on the belief that God established marriage to be between a man and a woman. Currently, during my time on Facebook, I have seen one person after another change their profile pictures to a red banner that may be solid red or have stripes or other inner images. Since I originally wrote this blog, over a year ago, I have learned of one heartbreaking story after another of displays of hate toward people based on their sexual orientation. I have learned of more stories of LGBT bullying that has driven even more victims to end their lives. It seems that the majority of those in my network that take a position on this heated issue, usually sympathize or even are hard-core advocates for marriage equality, regardless of sexual orientation. Most in my network remain silent on this issue and only a few oppose marriage equality, always on the grounds that it is against God's plan for marriage to take place between husbands and wives.
          Now I know full well that at any time, anyone reading this can be an advocate/ally of GLBT marriage or may even be GLBT yourself. And so I must say: On behalf of those on the Religious Liberty side who have or do not understand the grace (underserved favor) and forgiveness of God, you deserve apologies and restitution for the horrific and inexcusable things and "hate crimes" which have been done to many of you throughout the ages, but especially in these days when you have "come out of the closet" or may not be GLBT but just not fit the male or female stereotype. All of the "hate cimes," the "anti-gay" protests and counter-protests at "gay pride" rallies and even at military funerals, and the GLBT bullying, are all anti-God, anti-Bible and anti-Christ. These things go against God's image of perfect love and Jesus' compassion that was modelled in the Gospels. The anti-gay sites on the Internet and on social networks are plain wrong. It's shocking, sickening and heartbreaking how GLBT bullying has become such an epidemic and how so many victims have been driven to bullycide through it. My guess is that one big reason that this targeted GLBT bullying has grown so bad today is that even in schools, students are "coming out of the closet" and living as openly GLBT. In my growing up years and before that, there was a definite code of silence about GLBT issues, just as there was about so many other things that we talk about today. So such bullying was not known and if it happened, there was no awareness about it.
          We have definitely come a long way from the time when society frowned on homosexuality and on homosexuals. Today, they and anyone with sexual orientation differences are a protected minority group. I will boldly say that today it is less of a stigma to "come out of the closet" about being GLBT than it is to "come out of the closet" about invisible disabilities like many mental illnesses, autism, epilepsy and about other misunderstood medical or neurological conditions. I'm sure that this is because GLBT groups and individuals have tirelessly lobbied those in power, gaining influence; many celebrities have also added their voices to the effort. Today, it is "homophobia" that society frowns on but I fear that this word as well as the term "hate speech" are used to crush any civil and rational debate on this topic.
          We can blame many of our problems encouraging gay marriage as an alternative, to the failure of so many heterosexual marriages and families, along with a high divorce rate, domestic violence, child abuse and rebellious children. But heterosexual unions aren't to blame for these social evils; growing up without learning empathy and self-control are. Abuses of a good thing does not mean it is bad, or has become bad. Just because heterosexual unions have been widely abused does not make traditional marriage bad. The Religious Liberty side views all of this with grief and dismay and finds it easy to overreact and to view GLBT marriage as the threat to religious freedom. And GLBT people likewise see the other side as a threat to their cause. This means war!
          The media have a lot of power in shaping our opinions. And so much of the media tell os half-truths or give us the news as based on their biases. So we hear much about what the GLBT community suffer at the hands of those who are identified with the Religious Liberty community. And let me make one things clear: There are many, many people who do not identify themselves either with GLBT people are with Religious Liberty people, so the majority of people are largely silent on this matter; it is not their priority either way. And there are many denominations which do openly support or tolerate GLBT lifestyles. This is my observation.
          Today it's politically correct to cry foul whenever anyone dares to challenge alternate acts or lifestyles, whether they are GLBT, co-habitation (living together without being married), premarital sex, abortions or anything else that has become accepted in society but which goes against the core values of those in the Religious Liberty community. It's usually the unstable, emotionally immature but also stable, mature but opinionated people, who let discussions on controversial topics deteriorate into name-calling, shouting matches, bullying, personal attacks and even worse. Such individuals, who often make the headlines, give many in the religious Liberty community, who truly care about people, a bad name. Worse, they hurt God's Cause on earth. Sad.
          The Religious Liberty community hold the Bible to be God's inspired Word to us. In it God says that He made us male and female so He instituted marriage so we can reflect His image. This is at the core of the Religious Libery's side of this debate. Yes, it's true that lots of evils have come out of male/female marriage but this isn't the fault of such marriages but of the people's failure to learn empathy or self-control. Yes, I know that this may not be a good enough reason for those who value other matters but this is God's reason. Those who oppose marriage equality out of deeply-held religious convictions are not narrow-minded, intolerant or hateful. If they understand God's grace and forgiveness and love, they love and accept all people, do not force their beliefs on anyone, and welcome anyone, including GLBT individuals, and love them as valuable creations of God.
          It is not that God and the Religious Liberty people who understand God's love and grace, don't value tolerance, acceptance, privacy or equality. It's just that this community values truth and morality as most loving and in the best interests of all. And in all the talk about acceptance and tolerance, there is often no tolerance for or acceptance of Religious Liberty people who "come out of the closet" in both a loving and truthful way, about their beliefs. They are vilified as "homophobes" and "hatemongers" and worse. Tolerance and acceptance should be extended to both sides. And what is "homophobia"? It is the fear of anything GLBT. Talking about GLBT issues or challenging them as a lifestyle are not homphobia if this is done in a caring and loving way.
          In both the Old and New Testament, God is silent on sexual orientation itself and on homosexual thoughts or feelings. He only grows vocal about acting on these just as He condemns hating or not accepting any peple, which includes GLBT people. God's words against GLBT lifestyles doesn't mean that God is homophobic or encourages homophobia. It's only through male/female unions that we can naturally procreate future generations and keep the human race going. This has been God's plan from the beginning and this has not changed. In gay marriage, unnatual forms of reproduction must be done to procreate.
          What about the matter of whether GLBT people are "born that way" or at one point in time, made a conscious choice to adopt same-sex orientation as a lifestyle? This is not an easy topic to sort through, as sexual orientation is very complex. It seems, according to testimonies of so many GLBT people, that they struggled with their thought and feelings even as young children, many as long as they can remember. So it is not a simple matter of making a conscious choice of adopting a lifestyle. I see no easy answers to this one and I can understand why so many GLBT people decide to embrace their sexual orientation as a difference, just like having a different skin color or having disabilities. The only trouble with that is, in both the Old AND New Testaments, God does not view GLBT lifestyles as "just another difference." I have provided the verses below; these are the words of a much Higher Authority than I.
          Be assured that God, in the Bible, does NOT single out homosexuality as the only misuse of sexuality. He comes out against many other misuses of sexuality, including prostitution, incest, rape, premarital sex, adultery, bestiality, and more. And He comes out against divorce in male/female marriages over and over and as often about adultery. But what would be His position on legalized gay marriage? I think that He realizes that GLBT issues are an established fact in this culture that while it is NOT His ideal, that He has other priorities, such as our coming to know and love Him and to love others. It seems to me that He would tolerate legalized gay marriage more than He would much of the other social ills of this day. What about homosexuals adopting children? I think it is much better to grow up in a loving, stable home of a GLBT couple than with cold, unloving, abusive heterosexual parents. But God's ideal is for children to grow up in a loving, stable male/female union.
          Are GLBT relations the business of society? I agree that it is NOT our business what our neighbors do in the privacy of their bedrooms and that as long as the people involved are not hurting or bothering us, we should leave them alone. But God also made GLBT people (and all of us) and what they (and we) do is His business. So no one can tell Him, "What I do in the privacy of my bedroom or anywhere else is any of Your business."
          What about those who are sick and tired of the GLBT lifestyle, are trying to escape it and what about those who are trying to help and assist them in this most difficult process? Again, if we want to see tolerance and acceptance toward those in the GLBT community, we should have tolerance and acceptance toward this community, also a minority. What we need is tolerance and acceptance toward all people. When controversial topics spawn hate and intolerance toward opposing sides we do not have this.

Scriptural verses that are uses in the GLBT/Religious Liberty debate:

Genesis 1:27--The purpose of marriage-Image of God in us as male and female as shown in marriage.
Genesis 2: 18-25--  " "

Genesis 1: 28 God's plan for natual procreation in marriage

Leviticus 18:22 God's words about homosexuality as a lifestyle (NOT a sexual orentation)

Matthew 19: 4 Jesus' words about God's plan for us as reflecting HIs image as male and famale in marriage
Mark 10: 16  " "

Romans 1: 26-27 God's words about homosexuality as a lifestyle (NOT a sexual orentation)
1 Corinthians 6: 9-11 " "

http://christiansnswers.net/
This is a website that is run by a pastor who lived a formerly homosexual lifestyle and found his way out of it. This site contains stories by men and women who lived formerly GLBT lifestyles and have found their way out. This pastor answers questions with faithfulness to Scripture and truth but also with sensitivity and compassion, as one who has been there.

http://courageerc.net/
This is a social networking site of members who are or have lived GLBT lifestyles and who want to escape. The site is run by Catholics who provide articles and posts which are marked by compassion and love as well as being true to Scriptural principles.
      

Good Friday to Easter

          Whether you observe the Easter holidays, the Passover holidays or don't observe either, I'm sure that you're aware that many people of faith observe a holiday season known as "Holy Week," which includes Good Friday and climaxes with what is commonly known as Easter. You may know or not know what Good Friday and Holy Saturday are all about the focus on the death of a Person known as Jesus, the Son of God, though you may or may not know what this means.
          Why is Good Friday called that, anyway? This is the day that Christian tradition has set aside specifically to focus on the the Person of Christ, God the Son, the second Person of the Holy Trinity and to focus on the events surrounding His death. And His death was by a method called crucifixion. Today, the cross is a lovely symbol for countless churches and is a pretty emblem on countless necklaces and earrings or is often used as a symbol in countless other ways in the arts. Historically, though, crucifixion on a cross was the most horrific, painful, degrading method of execution known to humanity. It was reserved in Bible days for the worst of the worst of criminals and anyone who was executed this way was counted as "cursed."
          What does this mean to you? you may well wonder.
          First of all, let's get into the most comforting truth that the events surrounding His death show how completely God, because of Jesus, is so able to identify with anything and everything we may have suffered in life. He may not have suffered your specific trial but he has experienced the range of feelings that go with what you may have or are going through. For example, have you been misunderstood? All of us have. Many of us, because of how we are wired, because of our experiences, or because of what we do, are more subject to being misunderstood than others and know all too well the pain of knowing that people don't "get" us. God in Christ knows exactly the feeling of the sting and loneliness of being misunderstood, even by those closest to Him. The Jews of His day expected a Messiah Who would be warlike, pompous, political and to overthrow their oppressors, establishing an earthly kingdom. Generally speaking, most of the Jews didn't "get" Jesus in His day. They didn't, at all, "get" a Person who claimed to be God but who was peaceful, gentle, ordinary-looking, unpretentious and Who stressed that He came not to be served but to serve and to set up His Kingdom, spiritually speaking, in people's lives and hearts. How dare this Jesus claim equality with God the Father? This was why they (with the full co-operation of the Roman authorities of that day) had Him crucified in the first place! And when they saw and participated in all the events leading up to His death, they certainly didn't, at all, "get" a God Who would allow Himself to be arrested like a criminal and then to die the most horrific form of death then known to man, crucifixion. They saw Him hang in between two criminals and remain on that cross until He put Himself into His Father's hands. What kind of a God would do these things? So if you are one who lives with the feeling that people can't or won't "get" you, God, because of Jesus, knows just what that feels like. And then some.
          Have you been betrayed by someone you once trusted and invested much in? God in Christ has experienced this fully. One of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, betrayed Him to the authorities who arreested Him and had Him crucified. Judas, like the other 11 disciples, has the wonderful privilege of being physically close to God the Son for several years. He got to interact with Jesus in countless different ways, saw His miracles, His acts of love and compassion for people and the the clearest, most accurate expression of God in human form. Judas must have been initially devoted to and loved Christ or else he would not have followed Him in the first place, leaving his home to follow a man who claimed to be the Messiah and adopt the life of a homeless person. But in the course of time, his experience in being the group's treasurer and his access to the group's funds, tempted him to greed and he eventually succumbed to the love of money. Sadly, greed eroded what faith Judas had and then he betrayed Jesus. And because of Jesus, God can feel the devastation of being "burned" by betrayal.
          Human trafficking? We have been becoming more and more aware of the different forms of the way that humans are trafficked, whether into sex slavery, black market adoptions, domestic servitude, bride trafficking and more. Because of Jesus, God knows what it's like to be sold like a commodity. In Christ, He was sold for 30 pieces of silver to the authorities, Unspeakable depravity! So if you are an advocate against human trafficking and are even a survivor, God can, because of Jesus, fully understand you.
          Rejected? God in Christ knows all about the awful experience of being rejected. All of us have experienced rejection in some form or other. Some of us have experienced more of rejection than others, because of the people we have dealt with, because of how we are made or because of what we do. Rejection comes in all shapes and sizes but it always hurts. Feeling rejected has motivated countless suicides and crimes and is behind countless forms of addiction and mental health and emotional problems. Jesus was rejected, especially during the final years of His earthy life. The Jewish people shunned Him because He didn't, as I already mentioned, fit their criteria for a Messiah. They were livid that He hung out with and cared for non-Jews (bear in mind that at that time, the Jews were not marginalized like now, but were seen as the superior race), corrupt and immoral people, sick or disabled people, the poor, children, women and others who were counted as "rejects." The events of and surrounding His death, by definition, are the ultimate form of rejection. They wanted to have Him eliminated. Because of Jesus, God knows all about rejection.
          Verbally abused? The old saying "Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me" is false. We all know that words can and do hurt and that often, they can scar us for life, emotionally. God in Christ, throughout His last years on Earth as a human, experienced terrible verbal abuse. He was called a "liar," an "evil person," a "glutton," a drunkard," a "foreigner," the "devil," "Satan" and much more. His enemies, the Jewish religious leaders, often said nasty things to him or about Him to others. They lived to make His life hellish. He was cursed, taunted and trashed. So many of us have had things said to us and about us, things that, even when forgiven, can never be forgotten and that will stay with us throughout life. Because of Jesus, God knows what this is like. And more.
          Physically abused? Upon his betrayal and arrest, God in Christ was hellishly abused beyond imagination. People spit on Him to show their total contempt for Him. They put a crown of thorns on His head for mockery and to maximize His pain before He even made it to His execution. They hit His back, over and over, with whips. Long before He made it to His cross, He was in excrutiating physical pain, lost much blood and His body was much weakened by all this hellish abuse. He was forced, at least part of the way, to carry His cross. And wood is heavy, as you probably know. And then nails were driven through His hands (or wrists) and feet (or ankles) to make for excruciating physical pain beyond human imagination. He suffered physically in every way and then experienced death, the ultimate in abuse.
          Sexually abused? Statistics tell us that countless children, both boys and girls, are sexually abused and often families don't report it or when it is reported, law enforcement haven't been helpful. And there are all the adults that experience sexual abuse. And sexual abuse doesn't include only forcible rape but comes in many different forms. Because of Jesus, God knows what this feels like. He hung on His cross totally naked and in public and was taunted throughout. His dignity was totally stripped from Him during those hours. Because of Jesus, God knows what it is like to be violated and degraded and shamed.
          Falsely accused? He Who was totally innocent and without the slightest fault or sin, was accused of the ultiimate evil, that of treason against His people and blasphemy, all because of His claim to be the Messiah and because He didn't fit the people's criteria for what their Messiah should be like. He was treated like the worst of all criminals and was executed in the worst way of that time. Many of us have been falsely accused of things we never did and many have been wrongfully charged, prosecuted, imprisoned and even executed for crimes. Many parents and other caregivers have been falsely accused of abuse and have lost children by court order or have been sent to prison. God in Christ knows fully what it's like to be falsely accused of crimes that He never did.
          Lost a child? Because of Jesus, God knows the unimaginable pain and tremendous pain of losing a beloved child. He suffered this loss when His Son was dying on a cross; He can fully identify with all of those among you who have been unfortunate enough to have lost a child.
          Do you fear death? God in Christ actually died a real death. But, unlike every other person, He fully pre-meditated, planned and orchestrated His own death down do the smallest detail.one of the events in His life, including those surrounding His death, took Him by surprise. He did it all willingly and on purpose. And why did He do all this? Well, God is infinitely holy, according to the Scriptures. Compared to His holiness, all of us are, in His sight, sinners. He could not just let us off. Someone had to pay our debt. That's where His Earth-visit, in Christ, comes in. So, instead of punishing us and destroying us outright, He, in Christ, came to our Earth at one point in time, was conceived as a fetus, was born a baby, and then lived the perfect human life that we could never live. Then He died in our place to satisfy His own demands of justice so that each of us who wants a relationship with Him, can come to Him by means of Christ.
           But this isn't the end! He came back to life. This is what Easter is all about. The Scripture provides stories to illustrate that Jesus rose in the same body that He walked in before His death with details and evidence that would hold up in any court of law. If you have time and access to the Scriptures, I recommend checking out at least some of the material below to see for yourself.
        
  If you have a Bible or access to one, you can read about it more:

Matthew 26:47 to Matthew 27:66 and Matthew 28: 1-20
Mark 14:43 to Mark 15:47 and Mark 16: 1-20
Luke 22:47 to Luke 23:58 and Luke 24: 1-50
John 18 to John 19:42 and John 20: 1-50 to John 21: 1-25.
  

Political Issue or Human Rights Issue?

This year, as in no other recent year, what are known as "life issues" vs. "choice issues" have been brought before us as has not been seen in recent campaigns for re-election, and now, in President Obama's second term in this year 2013. You know this if you follow the news. The issues I'm talking about are those that seem to be viewed by many as the "central" battleground life or choice" issues. I'm talking about mainly abortion and, to a lesser degree, euthanasia or physicial-assisted suicide (lesser because there is somewhat, I think, less controversy surrounding end-of-life issues than beginning-of-life issues). It began last year, last summer, during the primaries when some candidates called for legislation that would make contraception illegal and for the mandating of vaginal-probe ultrasounds for women considering abortion. I know that there is very strong emotion wrapped up in these issues on both sides and that differences are seen as personal attacks. I find this quite unfortunate. But, with the possible exception "marriage equality for LGBT people, nothing divides us more than the issue of abortion. Just this past week, there were demonstrations in Washington, DC, including the annual March For Life.

How is it that abortion and euthanasia came to be seen as the cental "battleground" life issues, especially the former? I don't think that abortion would ever been politicized and become so polarizing had it not been for the Roe vs. Wade ruling by the US Supreme Court in 1973 and became legal. And since then, the Church of the people of faith and many nonprofit organizations have seen ending abortion as the "primary moral or "life" issue of the day and everything else has been seen as only secondary. The argument has always been, "We are talking about our right to life in the womb and unless this right is kept safe for all of us, all the other rights we want and cry out for become meaningless." These hard-core "right-to-life" advocates do have a point, that our lives as unborn humans must be kept as safe and sacred as our lives outside the womb should be. My question is that are our lives outside the womb actually so sacred or so safe anymore, either? I wonder. Our murder rate is the highest of any country in the developed world. Many born children die daily, from things as varied as card accidents, drowning, serious childhood illness and even murder at the hands of adults or peers. This is not to mention all the other deaths that occur daily of teens and adults that are untimely and unnatural. Why does not anyone talk about being "pro-life" about these most serious matters? And poverty typically breeds crime, including murder. And it causes much hunger and illness and lack of access to health care and all of thse can kill. Why do we not use the word "pro-life in reference to poverty and related issues like access to health care for all?

I know what the argument is by confining abortion as the life issue of focus. The argument is: "The most vulnerable person is the unborn because he or she is totally helpless and totally unable to speak of for self." This is true, that the unborn are 100 percent unable to advocate for themselves. The argument that hard-core "right-to-life" advcates give for not treating the lives of others as top priority is this: "At least they are alive and are able to cry out for themselves." Well, up to a point they can. But we know that society makes it very hard to "find your voice" if you lack money or social connections. I am seeing this firsthand as I daily struggle to gather signatures for my petition for a group of people whose needs, in many ways, are going unmet because of ignorance and lack of resources. My frustration is that, to support a certain candidate and political party, and support the life issues that they oficially stand for, we have to withdraw support for the other candidate and for the life issues that they support. To stand for conservatives, we protect the unborn and infirm, dying people. But we withdraw support for the protection of the lives of everyone else from birth to old age. To support liberal candidates, we protect human life from birth to old age. But we withhold support from the protection of unborn human life and from those who are infirm or dying. I find this most frustrating and confusing. It has made me just want to stay at home on Election Day. I find it almost impossible to choose, pitting some lives against others.

I happen to belong to a Church body that, like so many others, has implicitly, if not explicitly, sent a strong message that to be true to God and His teachings, we should be "conservative" and this implies that we vote conservative. And to do that means to vote for Republicans and to support Republican "values." We are told in such church bodies, "Protect the unborn with your votes." Well, which party is oficially "anti-abortion"? The conservatives in the Republican party (there are liberal Republicans who support abortion just as there are conservative Democrats who oppose abortion). Those in the Republican party have, especially since 1973 and Roe vs. Wade, made the lives of the unborn their central life issue through for calling for restrictiong abortion, even criminalizing it. The official stance of Democrats has been to safeguard all life from birth to death, through government programs and funding of vital services for the public's protection. Those who are "pro-choice" (whether democrats or Republicans) are more convinced that life in the womb may be "potential life" as opposed to "actual life" and therefore, that the expectant mom should, in crisis situations, have "choice" available. Even hard-core "pro-choice," liberal Democrats are NOT "pro-abortion" in the sense that they affirm this procedure as the best "choice" for anyone. They simply, for the most part, believe that this "choice should be available" for those who find themselves in difficult or crisis situations. Yes, there are hard-core "abortion-on-demand" proponents but I see them as being in the minority. Even "pro-choice" people merely see abortion as an unfortunate "choice" of last resort. As I read it in my Bible, I see that the lives of ALL people, at all stages of development, are equally vluable and sacred to God. So what does this mean for electing candidates where we have to pit some lives against others? And God, unlike "pro-choice" advocates, definitely sees unborn human life not as potential humanb life but as ACTUAL human life.

In the Church body to which I belong, the life issues espouses by the Democrats are seen as "secondary issues." The "primary issue" as seen by my Church body, is ending abortion and defending the unborn. We should be doing this! But what about all those other lives that are just as important and sacred to God? This question was posed to a prominent Christian leader who appeared on a major news network. The Host asked this Christian leader something like,"What about the Republican attempts, through their proposals, to cut back on services like firefighters, law enforcement, teachers, veterans, the elderly and the disabled?" His response to that was, "Those are secondary issues." The main issue? "We need to defend traditional marriage and defend the lives of the unborn." For purposes of this post, I will NOT be going into GLBT issues but only into the "life issues." Who is to determine what lives are "primary" and which are only "secondary"? I know that Catholic nuns and others who call themselves "progressive Christians" have been speaking out against the Ryan budget plan which calls for cuts in essentail services which we need and which benefit all of us, especially the most vulnerable among us: the poor, senior citizens, veterans and those with disabilities. But I see the almost TOTAL silence on the part of those among "conservative Church bodies, Christian leaders and pastors about the Ryan plan, as disturbing and depressing. It seems that most in conservative "religious right" circles are refusing to see the moral big picture and see it reduced to just two issues: protecting the unborn and safeguarding tradional marriage. We ought to do this, I fully agree! But what about all the other moral issues that are embraced by "liberals" such as poverty, justice/injustice, education, ending corporate greed and political corruption, health care for all, and the other important issues? Must thse go begging if we embrace one set of moral values? Why must we choose?

I find it most unfortunate that abortion is seen along political party lines, with Republicans being officially "against abortion" and Democrats being "proabortion," with Republicans being "prolife" and Democrats being "prochoice." Many years ago, I was listening to a denominational radio show where the talk show host was taking live phone calls. One person was discussing abortion and was saying, "We should not call the proabortionists prochoice; we should call them pro-death." At a former congregation where my spouse and I had attended, a member had a bumper sticker which read, "Friends do not let friends vote Democrat." For one things, many people, including in politics and who are Republicans, lean toward "prochoice" views. And many people, including in politics, are Democrats who lean toward the "prolife" view. So the stereotype of either party being for one view or the other is most unfortunate. So is lumping all "prolife" people as those who do not like women, think their only role is in the home and should keep being "barefoot and pregnant." Nor should all "prochoice" people be lumped together is being "anti-family people who desire to put  all children in day care centers, destroy families and trash men, and stop population growth.

I have heard it proposed that abortion be removed from the political arena and placed in the human rights arena. I agree with this totally. As long as this keeps being seen as a hotly divisive political issue, I do not see that the "culture wars" surrounding it will ever end. I know that there are very strong feelings on both sides, one being a people group's right to full, private autononmy over their lives and bodies, the other people group's right to life even when the person (the mother or her family) does not want to let that happen. As long as both sides, the "life" side and the "choice" side continue to declare how right they themselves are and do not listen the the concerns and objections of the other side, there will always be a bitter debate. When abortion comes up for discussion, especially on TV or in politics, one cannot help but see how each side is screaming about how right I am and how wrong you are and you better listen to me! Each side has very valid points that the other side needs to consider. The unborn have the right to live and their human right needs to be defended from those who would take it away. Their mothers have the right to be offered all the support and guidance they need so that they are not even tempted to go to the most available abortion clinic because they could not find support and resources to not only complete their pregnancies but for years afterward. And the "hard cases" of rape and incest? I would not wish on anyone a a rape, much less one that results in conception! Those who advocate that babies conceived of sexual assault also deserve to live are correct, but one politician was not only scientifically incorrect but offended many when he said, "During a legitimate rape, the female body has a way of shutting that whole thing down." Putting our feet in our mouths when engaged in controversies like this does nothing for such debates.

So, when I went  to the polls on November 2, as always, I was be torn and conflicted. I know that many people fall solidly on the side of liberal or conservative and that, if they exercise their right to vote, their minds will be made up. In fact, many of such people may already have their minds made up at this moment. That is fine. What is NOT fine is when people, whether individuals, Church bodies, Christian leaders or organizations tell me how I "should vote." I do not tell anyone else how they should vote and they should not tell me how to vote. And how can Christian leaders or Church bodies make any claims that God has any monopoly on any political party, that He is Republican or Democrat? Oh, they never come out and say it like that; they just say, "But Biblcal values are consistent with what Republicans stand for." That is true of SOME of the things that this party stands for. But this same things can be said about SOME of the things that the Democrats stands for. And There are things about BOTH parties that are not consistent with Biblical values. Call me biased, but I see most of the hate and nastiness, whether you talk about the political campaigns or their supporters, as coming from the "Tea Party" element of the Republican party.

As I stated in an earlier post, someone in my social networks saw a past status update of mine and told me to state my political party for all to know. I will go on the record as saying that I am what some would call a Pro-life Democrat, a moderate, and an Independent who supports many Democratic values. I believe that we should shout out about what we are FOR, as the Bible does, whether than scream about what we are against. I see far too much screaming and railing, from politicians and from so many in "real life" and online. Even the nicest and most rational and proper of people can, if they get on political or politicized issues like abortion, find themselves engaging in nasty, uncivil, bullying, hateful and bullying behaviors. This is the reason why abortion needs to stop being seen as a political issue and instead be seen as a human rights issue, with the human rights of both the mother and the child being equally as important. This same holds true of any other "life issue." And I want to shout for what is called a "consistent life ethic" that upholds and affirms ALL life, starting from concetion to death.

Consistent Life.
This website is set up for a nonprofit of people who seek to pull together all life issues and to unite people from all poltical viewpoints and to declare all life as sacred. This site is full of information, it educates and links to other helpful resources.

Which of the Presidential Candidates is Truly Pro-Life?
This article examines how both the past Presidential candidates actually relate to life issues, especially abortion and gives perspective. Photo Courtesy of MorgueFile.com Photo by Alvimann. This photo can be found here.

The Fiscal Cliff

Months ago, as I have been doing more often, I logged into Facebook and was reading and examining the day's posts that had streamed into my Newsfeed. I read one post where the person expressed frustration with those in this person's network who were "spewing hate toward" and "discriminating against" millionaires and billionaires. The poster of this status exhibited concern that we were mentally categorizing people into categories, like rich and poor, and that wealth wasn't evil and that possessing it did not make anyone evil. Comments the person received in response indicated that that others agreed that the entitlement mentality is frequent among both those with wealth and among those facing poverty but especially among the "haves." I know that there is, statistically speaking, a small but substantial minority who, according to polls, oppose increasing taxes on anyone making $250,000. There are hardcore Conservatives in politics who oppose any tax increases on anyone who is wealthy, even millionaires or billionaires. The reasoning? "It is their money; they should be able to keep it and it is wrong to punish success. And they are the job creators."

I agree with the poster of that status that wealth is morally neutral, not good or evil, that wealth itself does not make anyone wrong or evil and that we have the moral obligation to value and look at every person based on who they are and not on personal qualities, including wealth or poverty. And I agree with those who commented that wrong attitudes toward money are found among both the "haves" and the "have nots." The Bible makes it clear, from cover to cover, that money itself is not evil but the love of it is the root of all forms of evil. Money and wealth can be terrible traps and sources of temptation. Greed for riches can sink people into the deepest kinds of human depravity known to humanity, not to mention that it can make is vulnerable to scams and even crime, whether as participants or as victims. And poverty doesn't make anyone immune to greed. Should the wealthy, who have $$$ to spare and would not miss these $$$ in the first place, be able to keep their "excess" when we as a country are on the verge of financial ruin? Asking them to contribute their share to prevent our country from going "under" and protecting those among us who are vulnerable, does not constitute "punishing success" in my book. It is only justice. Economic justice. Human rights.

In terms of discrimination, though, the Bible is far more concerned about discrimination against those facing poverty than "reverse" discrimination against wealthy people. This is because the "have nots," by definition, are much more vulnerable because of they have many more needs and have far fewer options, than those who have money and wealth. As for a "middle-class," this seems to be a modern cultural construct and the Bible seems to see only "haves" and "have nots." As for wealth, it usually brings with it power and prestige and the means to lay hold of countless opportunties which can only be accessed by money or capital. Those fortunate "1 percent," of course, are just as likely to face illness, sorrow, death, and other losses just as much as anyone else, for many tragedies are also "equal opportunity destroyers." However, high-income people usually have many more options, tools and resources with which to deal with what they and their families may face. A wealthy person who has a missing loved one, for example, usually has the money, the social connections and the prestige that are essential to gain media exposure and awareness for that loved one and this greatly increases the odds for that loved one being found. Families without wealth have limited options and money for awareness and must deal not only with the nightmare of a missing loved one but with struggling to gain and keep awareness for their loved one. And a wealthy person, diagnosed with cancer, can usually access far more and better health care options, like state-of-the-art and cutting edge cancer care treatments. Superior health care greatly increases their chances for survival and for their cancer to remain in remission. The "have nots," however, have not only the devastation of a cancer diagnosis but the worry of how to obtain and keep getting cancer treatment, and the worry of out-of-pocket costs. Many do not have insurance at all. It's a well-known fact that health care providers often treat private pay patients better than those with insurance, especially if it's government-funded. And the quality of and access to health care will probably affect the outcome of any cancer patient.
This brings me to the twin proposals to continue tax breaks for the millionaires and billionaires while at the same time making proposals for spending cuts on programs and services that can have devastating effects on the middle-class and the poor. These spending cuts would be made to education, grants for needy college students, domestic violence protection and shelters, rape crisis centers, law enforcement, health care, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, disability services, postal services, and other vital services that are vital to our lives and well-being. We all should be deeply concerned about and angry at the sheer injustice of tax breaks (and hefty ones at that) for millionaires and billionaires while spending cuts are being proposed that could force so many less fortunate people to have to sacrifice even more than they are already giving up! Supporters of these tax cuts for the "super-rich" have long argued that the "haves" are the job creators on whom the entire economy hangs and that tax breaks provide incentives for them to create jobs and rewards them for stimulating the economy so they will continue to create jobs and hire more people. Supporters have also contended that all this should "trickle down" to the rest of us. And they argue that wealth and success should not be punished. These arguments seem to make sense until one looks deeper. Years of tax cuts have not induced these "job creators" to generate more jobs and they haven't prevented massive lay-offs, an economy on the brink of ruin, or "trickled down" to most of the rest of us. These tax cuts have not done what they were supposed to do! Why should the government take from the middle-class and the poor when most can't afford to lose $$$ out of their pockets, and give even more $$$ to the super-wealthy, who don't need it in the first place?! Shouldn't those who have profitted from a way of life, as President Barack Obama asked earlier in the year, be asked to pay more? Isn't this only fair? Aren't we yet sick and tired of the simmering anger, frustration and even rage at a government that most have lost trust in and respect for?

The case for millionaires and billionaires being required to pay, percentagewise out of their gross incomes, as high a tax amount as the middle-class already pay, is that of moral obligation and the Biblical principle that "From him to whom much has been given, much will be required." So I find the arguments of the supporters for the "Bush tax cuts" to not only be in conflict with Biblical principles but also violate common sense. None of us who oppose tax cuts for the "super wealthy" wants to punish wealthy people, especially all those who have gotten their wealth from talent and hard work. It's just that we are living in a time when many, even most people are are being hit hard by this economy. Many are losing their jobs, losing their homes, surviving on fixed incomes or low-paying, dead-end jobs and many more fear unemployment, homelessness or losing access to government programs that they need to survive. And they are being asked to bear even MORE costs through spending cuts? It is wrong, unjust and cruel to require struggling and hurting middle-class and poor families and individuals to bear the devastation of spending cuts that would hurt them and AT THE SAME TIME sustain give even MORE $$$ in tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires!
Over and over, I have been confused, frustrated, disturbed and angry at the apparent lack of concern about and outrage over the proposed continuing of tax breaks for the wealthy and spending cuts that would affect the rest of us. Several times, when I have circulated petitions on Facebook calling for an end to tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, I have actually gotten negative responses to the petitions. Recently, one person, vehemently, commented in the comment area under my petition, that the rich are the "job creators," that taxing them more would hurt everyone else, that this person came from a family of successful people who got their success through hard work and how dare petitions like mine seek to punish families like this person's? All I know is that such an attitude is in stark contrast to that of the US President, Obama, who has gone on record as saying that he is willing to have his own taxes be raised and that all those, like him, who possess more wealth than most should pay more taxes to level the playing field for all of us in the arena of sacrifice.

Lest we forget, the hostility to ending tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires is in stark contrast to the attitude of God in His Son, Jesus. Christ, the richest Being in the world, with access not only to all Heavenly wealth and the worship of all the angels but Who also is the ultimate owner of all things on this Earth, at one time, became poor for all of us. He left Heaven and came to our Earth. He grew up in a poor family and as an adult, he was homeless and faced hunger and thirst and a humiliating death on a cross to save us from sin and its punishment. Then He was rewarded with a historical, bodily resurrection. Friends, whatever the outcome is with the proposed spending cuts and the co-proposed continued "Bush tax cuts," we can be assured that the God of the Bible identifies with the middle-class and the poor and that He truly feels our pain.

In the meantime, we ought to stand with President Obama, whatever we feel about him and unite behind him in his advocacy on behalf of those "99 percent of us" who are among the middle-class or even facing poverty. Only a united country can be healed from its ills. If we continue to be polarized we will continue to see our epidemics of all the evils that continually make the news, including violence, crimes of all sorts, unemployment, poverty, and so much more. If you have not hear the President's April 3 speech, you can do to this link and get an idea what it was about at this link: http://www.cbpp.org/. Or do a Google search for the April 3 speech from earlier this year.

Anyone who follows the news should be aware of the "fiscal cliff" debate that has been raging for months. In a nutshell, the "fiscal cliff" is a comprehensive package of across-the-board spending cuts and tax increases that would, more or less, hurt every person in the US with the exception of millionaires and billionaires and those with substantial savings. All of these hurtful spending cuts and tax increases are set to take effect by Tuesday, January 1, 2013, if Congress does not act promptly and come up with a deal. My hope is that they will arrive at some kind of deal within the next few days for the good not only of the US but of our allies all over the world who look up to us and whom we trade with. What will it take to finally unite both Houses of the US Congress and us as a country? When will we wake up?

Our Hearts Cry Out

Dear God and Father:

You know the terrible things that have happened today and that have ruined many lives forever;

You know the extreme trauma of everyone who has been in many way affected by the mass murders and shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School;

Those of us who follow the news have been made painfully aware of the many details of this terrible unfolding horror that continues to deveop;

We cannot help but ask ourselves (and maybe You) where have You been when that MONSTER went into that school to accomplish his SICK deeds?!

But we know that while this kind of SICK CRIME is even more repulsive to You as a Holy God than to us sinful humans, that You choose to honor people's choices;

You respect our sinful choices even when they are totally contrary to everything that You are and to everything that You value;

While we may feel relieved, even happy, that the gunman is dead because apparently he killed himself, he is a person who was at one point, a cute little boy himself; he grew into a twisted individual who committed an act which killed innocent people including 18 children!

Our hearts are broken and with Your love which is perfect and infinite, Your heart is even more broken than ours!

We ask when will there EVER be an end to all these horrible tragedies (crimes actually) where so many innocent lives are taken so senselessly?

The root of this problem actually is centuries old and since Eve gave Adam the fruit which he ate in the Garden of Eden. You so clearly declare that SIN is to blame for all evils and certainly for horrific acts like this.

Over and over mass shootings like this and all "cases" ought to show us just how steeped in sin all of us are and how much each of us needs a Savior to deliver us from sin, its consequences and its power;

Already I am hearing debates on "gun control" and You know that while the easy availability of guns is a BIG contributing factor in shooting crimes of all kinds, that there are multiple causes starting in the human heart;

Every time something like this happens, we cry out that SOMETHING needs to be done and that new laws need to get passed; however, You know that the solution (s) to this is complex and starts in what happens in the human heart were no laws can touch or change;

We are asking what can we do to help? First of all, we are to talk to You about this and lift up EVERYONE affected by this awful mass shooting;

For the 27 families who have lost loved ones in such a devastating way (20 children and 7 adults), wrap Your arms of love and compassion around them especially throughout the holidays and well after; surround them with all the resources, guidance, support and comfort they will need from Your people and from the community-at-large, to get through this horror;

Help these devastated families, whose lives are forever ruined and who will carry the scars from this for life, to slowly heal. For the children who have survived this and whose innocence has been ripped from them, I pray that they especially will be given all the support, care, guidance and love they will need for healing and wholeness. I pray this for all the other survivors of this horror, including the first responders llike law enforcement and other emergency persons;

For all the other directly affected, who were in that building, I pray that You will reach them, each one of them. Help each of them heal; give them all the resource, support and care they will need to heal from this trauma and as long as they will need it;

For those who have sustained physical injuries and who are receiving medical treatment, touch them with Your healing power in body, mind and soul and also fill them with Your peace and Your hope;

For the family of the shooter and of any others involved, please help them especially in light of public suspicion and the stigma of being so closely linked with the MONSTER who did this; heal them and give them the courage and grace to allow justice to be done for the families of the victims and the survivors and help them deal with what are doubtless feelings of much grief and also guilt;

I know that as hated as this shooter is, that he too is a person Whom You sent Your Son Jesus to die for and that if he calls on You to save his soul and to forgive him, that he can be saved by the same grace that saves all of us who are united to You by faith;

We all ask, Why did he do it? when awful crimes like this are done, but You know that it all starts in the human heart, when anger, hate and jealousy are held within and are not dealt with; if we humans are honest with ourselves we all are forced to admit that the seed of these emotions exist in us and that it is what we DO with them that counts;

The national discussion on laws like more effective gun control, have already begun but we know that even with tougher gun laws, that the root cause (s) would not be addessed; help us do as the President has said, to "Come together and take action";

But the kind of actions he was no doubt referring to are not enough; help us all to reach out to others with empathy, kindness, campassion and care so that those in our lives will be less likely to feel desperate enough to do rash things like what was done today that ruin lives forever ad that CANNOT be undone;

Give us parents, grandparents and teachers and others who work with or care for children, the guidance, motivation and courage to help our children to heal from this national trauma and to grow into people of responsibility, empathy, compassion and character;

Give law enforcement and others involved in the ongoing investigation of what actually happened, all the time, resources and privacy they will need to do an accurate, thorough investigation for the sake of the survivors and the families and to bring the person (s) responsible to justice;

For all of those survivors and families affected by past school shootings who no doubt are being retraumatized by what happened today and as it all unfolds, I pray that You give them the grace and the strength to deal with their emotions;

Sadly we know that what happened today will probably not be the last shooting but give all of us the motivation, guidance and the courage to do our parts to make this a more caring, welcoming world where people will be much less likely to feel driven to "snap" in these horrific ways;

We thank You that in spite of all appearances to the contrary and though it now seems like evil and the bad guys are "calling the shots," that You are in control and one day the victory and the vindication will be Yours and justice will reign; thank You that You are able to bring good even out of bad things. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Wishes

What do you want for Christmas or Hanukah (or whatever you observe the holidays as)? you may ask of others. Many of us parents may, for greater ease of reference when holiday shopping, request that our children make out their "wish lists." True, especially if we have limited financial resources to work with or are on budgets, we have no intention on getting everything, even most of the items, we see on such wish lists. A couple of years ago, when my nephew who is close to our daughter, was asked to create his wish list, he wowed us with his list. For it was so long and contained so many items that he took a number of sheets of paper and taped them together! Of course, we could grant only a few wishes on his list and he understood that. A well-known nonprofit organization has been built on and named after granting wishes, year-round, for terminally ill children. We often hear people, normally adults, frame their holiday wishes to underscore their year-round passions or things we should all be wishing for. And what is so special about one time of the year that we should want something that we would not want at any other time of the year?

There are many people whose life circumstances are such that their desires have become singular and focused, even though they want many things. But they have a focused desire; they want "one thing." It is the thing that they care most about, whether because of tragedy or because it is something that they have invested much of themselves in.

What do people with all kinds of severe, chronic, or terminal illnesses, want? Physical health, healing and life. Their suffering, pain and the uncertainty of their very existence has reduced them to this passionate, all-consuming desire.

What do military troops and their families, who are often physically separated by being in different countries or even continents and who may wonder if they will even see each other again, want? They want to be re-united. The loneliness and agony of separation has focused their desire on this one thing that can end all this.

What do people living with addictions want? Though it may seem to them and to us that they want to satisfy their addictions, whether to drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, food, or other addictions, what they really want is to be free of their addictions and to be free to deal with and to be healed of the underlying issues that fuel their addictions.

What do families of victims (especially murder victims) and victims and survivors of a host of crimes want to see? They yearn for justice, answers and vindication. The sheer agony and pain of what has happened to them and which never should have happened in the first place, has made their hearts cry out for this as their single heart's desire.

What do people of faith, worldwide, who face severe persecution because of their faith, desire? They want to be empowered to serve their God. Even more than religious freedom, they want the support and resources that the free world can provide, including Bibles and other Christian or equivalent literature or resources. The very reason for their persecution being their passion and devotion to serving their God, this has reduced such heroic individuals to desiring to be empowered and supported above all else.

What do people hungry people, especially those living with severe and even life-threatening hunger, want? Food! Of course. But the sad and tragic fact is, especially in areas like Africa, millions die of starvation without this all-consuming desire being met!

What do thirsty people, especially those living with severe and even life-threatening thirst or who have no access to safe drinking water, yearn for? Water! Of course. But here too, the sad and tragic fact is that, epecially in Africa, millions likewise die of dehydration or from the effects of unsafe drinking water and this all-consuming desire is not met!

What does an unborn child, especially one conceived to an abortion-minded or abortion-vulnerable family, yearn for? Life! Reasearch shows that, during abortions, especially late-term abortions, the unborn child will fight mightily to live. The video by Dr. Bernard Nathanson, "The Silent Scream," is sound evidence of this fact. This makes abortion not only a trauma for those left behind but a human rights abuse of the unborn child.

What does an abused child want? To be free of abuse! The sheer helplessness and hopelessness
of their situations has reduced them to this singular yearning. Ideally, the yearning is that those who are the only ones they know, would stop the abusing. Child removal is traumatic but should a child remain with abusive parents who will not reform their ways?

What do families with missing loved ones want? Above all things, they want to see their loved ones come home; they want answers! Even if the outcome is not what they yearn for, they yearn even more for answers. Ideally, they want to see their loved one come home safe. But the sheer uncertainty and agony of not knowing drives them to crave this one thing above all else. Even a proper burial and seeing their loved one be honored and remembered as well as knowing what has happened to them, in preferable to remaining in limbo.

What do couples struggling with infertility and the effort to bear children, want? Children. The anguish and the emotional pain of not being able to obtain what so many others gain without any effort on their part, has reduced these couples to this one focused desire.

What does a homeless person want? A roof over his or her head. The indignity and fear and the drive just to survive every minute, makes their hearts cry out for one thing. But it will not come to them through handouts but by the hand that provides them with life skills and job skills training as well as job opportunities and education.

What do many aging people, especially in our free world, want? Respect. The rudeness, insensitivity and even abuse that so many are treated with in our youth-worshiping culture, has caused many of our seniors to yearn for the respect and honor that most of them deserve.

What do many pastors want? Unity in their congregations. Gossip, inner dissension and infighting, divisions and church splits, cause pastors heartbreak. Their anguish causes so many pastors to yearn for this one thing.

What do people with special needs of all ages and their families want? Acceptance and support from others. More than for cures, treatments or therapies, people with disabilities and their families yearn for one thing, acceptance and to be and feel welcome. The intolerance, stigma, misunderstanding and lack of accommodations most deal with make their hearts cry out just to be welcome and accepted and to be seen as people who can and do contribute to others.

If you are regularly online on Facebook and your settings, default or otherwise, have not blocked my posts from your view, you have seen my posts telling you that my Christmas wish or holiday wish is to see new signatures and ongoing promotion of my Change.org petition calling for comprehensive services for those with suspected or diagnosed autism spectrum disoders in the US. This is my single holiday wish because there is a pressing need for such services and because I am one individual who cannot make this petition's success happen on my own. For any petition to be successful, many people need to proactively circulate it and promote it among their own contacts so it will gather more and more signatures above and beyond what a petition creator can do. This is what I would like to see happen with my petition.

There are no doubt others who want "just one" thing" not covered here, but for the sake of space and because they are not coming to mind now, I will not cover them here. But what does God want? It would be easy to say that He wants world peace. And He does. But more than anything else, He wants us to be at peace with him through coming to know Him through His Son, Jesus. He wants us to ask Him to forgive us for our wrongs and to trust Him to save us through what Jesus has done for us in coming to Earth, being born as man, living a perfect life, dying for us and returning to life. By being at peace with God, we will be at peace with each other and this will bring about world peace.

Have you granted God's wish?

Have you granted another person's wish?

You can help grant the wish of families with missing loved ones to bring their loved ones home by visiting:
http://lostnmissing.com/
http://missing-and-unidentified.org/
http://www.doenetwork.org/start.html

You can grant an abused child's wish to be free from abuse and visit:
http://www.childhelp.org/

You can grant a desperately poor child's wish for a better life and visit:
http://worldvision.org/
http://www.compassion.org/

You can grant the wish of the persecuted for resources and support so they can serve their God by visiting:
http://www.persecution.com/
http://www.persecution.org/

You can grant a seriously ill child the resources and support needed for healing and recovery by visiting:
http://www.stjude.org/
You can help a cancer patient in your life increase their odds of healing and recovery by visiting this site and the referring them:
http://www.cancercenter.org/


You can help show your care and give people in emotional distress hope by visiting:
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

You can grant autistic people's desire for acceptance and understanding by visiting:
http://www.grasp.org/

You can grant a soldier's wish for support by visiting:
http://www.thankasoldier.net/

You can grant my wish for support for my autism petition by visiting: http://tiny.cc/mrsahw

An Election Prayer

Dear God and Father, You know that like many many other people, I am watching the election returns to see who the projected winner is and how apprehensive I am;

As I cast my votes for each person and issue put before me at the ballot box, I know that my votes may have safeguarded the best interests and even many lives of those in some people groups, but my votes have failed to safeguard the bests interests and even the lives of those in other people groups;

I wonder what You see when You see us cast our votes, knowing that no matter who we vote for, each side may be consistent with Your values in some ways, but each side violates Your principles in some ways and there is no way to deny that;

I thank You that, first of all, for the human right to vote, a right for which many people have risked or have given their lives;

I thank You that we live in a media age where even those in power are not above the law and are easily called out for actions and behavior that violate Your principles;

I thank You that we live in a country where we are free to disagree with and even criticize those in power us, and for this freedom of speech;

However, You know that in our sinfulness, we so often abuse this freedom of speech and that is why we have so much vilifying and dishonoring of our President as well as anyone else in power;

We know that Hurricane Sandy, that devastating hurricane, may be a deciding factor in this election and I praise You for how this tragedy has shown us that our polticians can set aside their differences, even sharp ones, and work together for the higher good of their country;

I'm sad and angry that it seems to always take tragedy to unite us, to underscore that we are "all in this together" and that we have more in common than we think;

No matter who wins the White House and the open Congressional seats, may this President address autism and may my supporters and I get his attention;

Many issues and the welfare and even the lives of many in each person group are at stake in this election; whoever gets in I know that there will be trade-offs;

Yet I know that if we read Your Word correctly, I know that You care about the lives and best interests of those in all people groups and in all the issues that are at stake in this election;

I pray in advance for all the winners in this election at every level, that they will, their elation realize their tremendous responsibility to their constituents; grant thse winners Your grace that they will reach out to those who are not voiting for them;

Grant each of these winners Your grace and Your wisdom that they will be filled with gratitude and not pride, at their victories, gratitude toward You and to all of those whose votes have put them in power;

Give to each of thse winners the grace, the wisdom and the courage to be able to "reach across the aisle" and to work with those whom they disagree with, even sharply so;

I pray in advance for all those who will be losing the elections, knowing that this will be for each of them a bitter defeat after all the time, energy and resources that each has poured into their campaigns;

Give to each one of them Your grace, Your wisdom and Your courage to accept their defeat without bitterness and, and as hard as it is, to view their defeat as a learning experience; grant them the wisdom to move forward;

I pray for all of us voters, that You grant each of us Your grace and Your wisdom to support whoever wins the White House and the Congressional seats even if these are candidates whom we have not voted for;

Grant to all of us whose candidates of choice will win the White House and Congressional seats, the perspective and the grace to not gloat and to realize that though we like the election's outcome, that there will be consequences that we must live with and that not all the winner's policies and worldview are in line with Your principles;

Grant to all of us whose candidates of choice will lose in this election, Your grace and Your prespective to not become bitter or cynical over the outcome and over voting itself; help us to see that You are able to work through those in power, even if we do not like them or have not voted for them;

I understand that some people are still standing in line, waiting to vote; give them the endurance to continue to stand in those lines until they are able to vote and let nothing hinder any of them from being able to exercize this right;

You know that most of us have basically lost our faith in and respect for those in power or who seek to be in power, given what we have seen or heard about their unethical, immoral or even criminal actions and practices in public and even in their personal lives;

I praise You that, in spite of those in power, that You are in full control and that all Your purposes, Your desires and Your will are going to ultimatey be done and that Yours will be the victory though it seems now that evil people are winning.

I praise You that in Your order of things, all things are reversed and what we value--wealth, fame, success, money, appearance, athletic ability, talent, and so forth--are not so valued by You and are not Your priorites;

I praise You that You are the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords and give to us Your people  Your courage, Your grace and Your power to live in all aspects as though we really believe this. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

My Faith....Where I Stand Today, by Melissa Fields

I was born Catholic....and I grew up hating God.
Because i felt like he was just like all the stern priests and nuns
and that He was just like my mean stern and abusive father too.
Then i met a family who further turned me off on religion
because they also taught me that God was stern and that He wanted me to suffer too.
They taught me that it was not okay to question and analyze
that God would even take away my TV if He wanted to
these were Charismatic Catholics who also told me
that if I didn't speak in tongues that i was not a real Christian and that i would go to hell
Every time it seemed that whenever God's word was read to me
it was always presented to me as a thing all Christians *HAVE* to do
much like taking your daily medicine..it doesn't taste good, but you have to do it
so it is no small wonder that i have always felt a such a displeasure and disinterest at reading the Bible
for one thing, it all takes place in Medieval times, for another,
God's word has always been used on me to tell me what to do,
how to think, and don't do this, do that
Even so, i tried.
Since I hated Catholicism, I began attending a Southern Baptist church
and tried things their way--I even got baptized by full immersion
but i just found more in the way of the people there judging and condenmning me so harshly that i left
there feeling so discouraged, like i would never be able to please God
Next, I went to another Charismatic church, this one was nondenominational
and i came to embrace the Holy Spirit there
even so, i was going through alot of trauma at that time,
so i was acting out, having alot of meltdowns....some of the people there
got afraid and then i got ousted from there....told that i had a demon inside of me!!
On, did that ever scare me!!!
I went home that day and ripped all of my rock posters
of Metallica, Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Rob Zombie, etc, off my bedroom walls
But i still listened to those bands because i still loved that music
i still tried though...I watched Trinity Broadcasting Network,
went to more prayer meetings, and another Chrismatic church....
and then a Christian singles group....where, finally, i did find
a nice group of very kind real friends
people who did seem to really accept me
i was happy in the singles group
and then it went downhill as more cliquish people came in
i have been to a few more churches since then
But most of the Christian people i have met,
either want to fix me, or pray my autism away
or else they want to ignore me completely
today, i pray so hard that God will give me the means
to finally be able to move from here, and have my bucket list of dreams and places i so want to see.
but even as i know i still believe in God...maybe i still see Him as this mean cold stern God
who does not accept me as I am...whose word makes me feel even more judged and
condemned....
and maybe it is because so many people have let me down and walked away and given up on me
and it is the reason why now, when i see a word of Scripture, i turn away
because it reminds me of church and all those churchy people who tell me
that i can't cuss, or watch certain TV shows or listen to rock music, etc.,
that makes it all so unpleasant for me, and i don't want to hear or read it anymore.
The owner of one of these businesses here, is a Christian....
yet he wrote me a hateful email, condemning me for my yelling...he refused to understand
*George* ...was a Charismatic Christian, and so was his friend, *Michelle,* who also disliked me
who also would not welcome me into her heart, even though she too, has an autistic teenage boy
Most of my own family has even disowned me and left me to fend for myself.
Where does this leave me?
It leaves me doubting myself. Over and over again.
It leaves me doubting my faith, and even that God really loves me.
It leaves me doubting my very salvation.
It leaves me feeling weaker and weaker everyday.
This thing with *George*...almost killed me.
I still have awful nightmares about him.
He was very frightening when he was in his bad moods.
He did abuse me mentally, emotionally, and financially
when he was in his bad moods.
I don't know how long i still have on this earth
but as long as i have breath and am conscious, I am going to vent and write and vlog.
But i know this, i do hope that if i die because of my health issues
that God, in His infinite mercy, will be a God of love and mercy....
and that He will spare my soul.

By Melissa Fields  Re-printed With Permission
*George*  Name change by blog owner
*Michelle*  Name change by blog owner

Depression and Suicide

     Suicide. It seems to be seen as an answer by more and more people as the solution to life's problems. Suicide has always been with us but it seems that more and more people, of all ages, think of or actually turn to suicide as the answer to their problems. Now don't get me wrong. I'm the first to concede that life is often difficult, sad, confusing, disappointing and plain no fun. It doesn't always seem to be worth it. When we feel like that, it is easy to lose the will to live and become depressed. And by depression I don't mean just having a bad day and having "the blues." We all feel that way sometimes. And, when sad things happen, like the loss of loved ones, jobs or other losses, it is normal to feel grief and sadness. The depression I'm talking about here is when people lose interest in living and in the things they normally enjoy and their daily functioning is hindered; it is related to other mental health or mood disorders (and some personality disorders).
     Today, a post directed me to a link; I visited the news story, which covers a young girl who was found to have hung herself. According to the report, there were no outward events in this girl's life that would have motivated her to end her life. She never reported ever having been bullied, to her parents or to her teachers. According to the report, she was a loner and, though asked to share what was bothering her, she never did. This makes me want to cry out, Why? Why? Why? Will her family ever find answers? I can only hope and pray that a thorough investigation will be done that will uncover what would drive another young girl to end her life in this fashion. Though her parents blame bullying, there is no evidence. But whatever actually gave her the motive to end it all, it was something that was real to her.
     Depression, if left untreated or unaddressed, can lead to suicide. I know that many people think that they know how to handle depressed people and that if they can motivate such individuals to "behave their way" out of it, then their depression will "lift." They will "snap out of" it. What are some of the things often said to even deeply depressed people?
     "Get over it."
     "Think positive thoughts."
     "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Others have problems."
     "What do YOU have to be depressed about?"
     "Be thankful for what you have."
     "Shame on you for being depressed. If you keep complaining, God will give you something to really cry about."
     "Mind over matter. Tell yourself you're not depressed and good feelings will soon follow."
     "Count your blessings."
     "Think about others' problems. There are others who are less fortunate than you."
     "Think about the starving children in Africa and your depression will vanish."
     "Help others and you will forget about yourself."
     "Chin up: Others don't want to hear about your problems. They have their own."
     "Life sucks. Forget about it and move on."
     "Oh, it isn't so bad; stop being so negative or thin-skinned."
     "Stop talking like that! You know you don't mean it; I don't want to hear it."
     "You think about yourself too much; get busy and you won't have time to get depressed."
     "Oh, things CAN'T be THAT bad!"
     "Have faith and pray. Christians in God's will do not yield to depression."
     And then medication is often seen as addressing depression. In many cases, it may indeed do that. Psychiatric drugs are typically used to treat not only depression, but other mood disorders. Too often, though, I have seen that they have not helped and may even make things WORSE. As I (and my family) have learned through VERY nasty experience, drugs and drug interactions can INCREASE depression and other mental health issues! I fully sympathize with people who fully oppose ANY use of psychiatric drugs to treat depression or other mood disorders but I think they are being extreme. In many cases, good drug treatment intervention can mean the difference between being in a residential home and being fully independent, between homelessness and being employed and living a full life.
      Why is it, though, that suicide is so often being seen as the solution to suffering? Many people will blame it on social networks or on the economy, that life is just harder for people today than it was ten years ago or twenty years ago. It's true that because evildoers have more tools to work with, that their power to hurt and harm people is geater. It's true that a sagging economy does drive people to do desperate things. But, with all our awareness and talk about tolerance and openness, suicdes and other tragedies are not getting better and show no signs of going away. I saw a post the other day that, since this school year has begun, four children have already taken their lives because of school bullying. It seems that awareness, as great as it is, does not seem to be ending suicides among people of all ages.
     As I have already said, suicide has always been with us. And maybe it just SEEMS to be getting worse precisely because we are more aware of it and are hearing more and more about it when people take their lives. It has been surmised that many people, especially the young, feel that they have no where to turn, that this is even worse now because of the lack of family support. I'm sure there is a lot of truth in that. But may I suggest another factor? In past years, we had more of a fear of God and the deep-down knowledge that death is not the end, that following death we will have to stand before our Maker and give an account of evey area of our lives. Many of us had it drummed into us that suicide may, indeed, be the "unpardonable sin" because there is no chance to "repent" of it following death. No, I do NOT think suicide is the "unpardonable sin" that Bible mentions, which is willfully rejecting God's forgiveness. But this fear of committing the unpardonable sin as a motivation in not ending our lives, mistaken as it was, had the fortunate effect of saving many lives! And it is forever true, that people thinking of suicide need to know: Death is not a state of nothingness and it is not the end. If we believe the Bible, upon death each of us will have to stand before our Creator and give an account of our lives. This should scare us. This is what "the fear of God" means. It is meant to drive out other fears. I don't want to sound preachy, though I know some will see it this way. It is just something to think about if we imagine that death is the end.
     This past week, I have seen more suicidal posts in my Facebook Newsfeed, more talk about ending it all. It is often not easy to know how to respond to people who talk about wanting to die, especially if repeated attempts to help them seem to not to improve their outlook on life or get them to change their minds and see that life may be worth living, after all. I have seen a few posts by one such person the other day and, gathering sufficient information on this Facebook user, I brought this to the attention of the Facebook Team. However, when I logged into Facebook the following morning, I saw a couple more of such posts by this same person and followed the same steps to bring the posts to the attention of the Facebook Team. I know that others have also been reaching out to this same person and my hope is that the person will get badly needed help.
     I remember, once, hearing that the people group who are least likely to experience depression are the Amish. The Amish people, as most of us know, shun much of modern life as a metter of their religious faith. They, generally speaking, subscribe to old-fasioned values of following God and putting Him first in their lives, are peace-loving and "rough it," rejecting many modern conveniences. Now, I don't advocate that we adopt the Amish way of life to deal with our depression and prevent suicide. But we can learn from the Amish people, in many ways. It's true that they aren't perfect, as is indicated by a memoir by a former Amish person who has written about things done "behind closed doors" by some Amish people. In spite of their imprefections, we can learn from them, to simply life and to put first things first, God and family and to not make an idol out of technology.
     Do social networks make us more depressed or do they just bring out what is already there? I have always maintained that they are neutral and that because social networks are the people that are behind them, that they bring things out in us. There is indeed such a thing as "Facebook depression" and the main reason we experience it is not the social network itself, but the people who are behind it. I know that there is a popular banner that says: "If you have a problem, face it. Don't Facebook it." Another banner says: "Upset? Use your tissues, not your status update." What's the message? People on social networks are generally online to have fun and not to deal with others' problems. And then there is a sarcastic post, rather lengthy, with the message: "Breaking news: Get over it. Deal with it. Everyone has problems. Stop whining. Get over yourself." Yes, there is truth in sayings like these, but when people are truly depressed, that is not the time to say things like this. To tell people, who are hurting from the past or present traumas, to "Get over it," is simply callous and shows ignorance of the human heart. Truth be told, we don't really "get over" the past. It makes us what we are today, depending on how we work through it.
     So what should you do whether, in-person or online, a person indicates that he or she wants to end it all? I have often been confronted with such persons, both in-person and online and I know that this week will not be my last time. In my church, on the front table, are little cards bearing the classic banner and number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It is always upsetting and scary to be confronted with someone who talks about ending it all. It make us responsible and the person's life is, in a sense, in our hands. In times like this, the ordinary rules of privacy give way to doing what is needed to get the person out of harm's way, even if it meams calling local authorities at 9-1-1 or contacting a suicide hotline. And what if you yourself are the one having suicidal thoughts? As one who is encountering and hearing about suicidal people, more and more, I have to provide resources for you, for this means that you are possibly dealing with more of it also.
     Suicide, like other human problems, is everyone's business.
    
    
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
This is the comprehensive website for a nonprofit that is dedicated to the awareness of and prevention of suicide among people of all ages and from all walks of life. Upon visiting the site, a suicidal person will find a live chat feature that has daytime hours. There are helpful links to other resources, all over the USA and other parts of the world, where people can turn to for suicide prevention and crisis counseling. There are links to resources where suicidal content seen on populat social networking sites can be brought to the attention of authorities, or those in charge of these social networking sites. They have a hotline that is available 24/7, with trained crisis counselors:
1-800-273-TALK (8255).

http://facebook.com/help/?faq=103883219702654
This is Facebook's comprehensive list of resources, inside and outside the USA, that deal with suicide awareness and prevention and provide practical help for persons in crisis in their local areas.

http://www.facebook.com/facebook.com/help/contact/?id=305410456169423&refid=22
This is the form where we bring to the Facebook Team information about suicidal content that we see posted on Facebook.