The Wild and Free Pigs of Okefenokee Swamp
by Steve Washam based on a telling by George Gordon
As school districts dangle more and more corn in front of homeschoolers in the form of vouchers and charter schools, please remember this parable. After all, government schooling is just educational welfare!
Some years ago, about 1900, an old trapper from North Dakota hitched up some horses to his Studebaker wagon, packed a few possessions–especially his traps–and drove south. Several weeks later he stopped in a small town just north of the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia.
It was a Saturday morning–a lazy day–when he walked into the general store. Sitting around the pot-bellied stove were seven or eight of the town's local citizens.
The traveler spoke, "Gentlemen, could you direct me to the Okefenokee Swamp?"
Some of the old timers looked at him like he was crazy. "You must be a stranger in these parts," they said.
"I am. I'm from North Dakota," said the stranger.
"In the Okefenokee Swamp are thousands of wild hogs," one old man explained.
"A man who goes into the swamp by himself asks to die!"
He lifted up his leg. "I lost half my leg here, to the pigs of the swamp. "
Another old fellow said, "Look at the cuts on me; look at my arm bit off!"
"Those pigs have been free since the Revolution, eating snakes and rooting out roots and fending for themselves for over a hundred years. They're wild and they're dangerous. You can't trap them. No man dare go into the swamp by himself. "Every man nodded his head in agreement.
The old trapper said, "Thank you so much for the warning. Now could you direct me to the swamp?"
They said, "Well, yeah, it's due south–straight down the road. "But they begged the stranger not to go, because they knew he'd meet a terrible fate.
He said, "Sell me ten sacks of corn, and help me load them into the wagon. "And they did.
Then the old trapper bid them farewell and drove on down the road. The townsfolk thought they'd never see him again.
Two weeks later the man came back. He pulled up to the general store, got down off the wagon, walked in and bought ten more sacks of corn.After loading it up he went back down the road toward the swamp.Two weeks later he returned and, again, bought ten sacks of corn. This went on for a month. And then two months, and three.
Every week or two the old trapper would come into town on a Saturday morning, load up ten sacks of corn and drive off south into the swamp.
The stranger soon became a legend in the little village and the subject of much speculation. People wondered what kind of devil had possessed this man, that he could go into the Okefenokee by himself and not be consumed by the wild and free hogs.
One morning the man came into town as usual. Everyone thought he wanted more corn.
He got off the wagon and went into the store where the usual group of men were gathered around the stove. He took off his gloves.
"Gentlemen," he said, "I need to hire about ten or fifteen wagons. I need twenty or thirty men. I have six thousand hogs out in the swamp, penned up,and they're all hungry. I've got to get them to market right away. "
"You've WHAT in the swamp?" asked the storekeeper, incredulously.
"I have six thousand hogs penned up. They haven't eaten for two or three days, and they'll starve if I don't get back there to feed and take care of them. "
One of the old timers said, "You mean you've captured the wild hogs of the Okefenokee?"
"That's right. "
"How did you do that? What did you do?" the men urged, breathlessly.
One of them exclaimed, "But I lost my arm!"
"I lost my brother!" cried another.
"I lost my leg to those wild boars!" chimed a third.
The trapper said, "Well, the first week I went in there they were wild all right. They hid in the undergrowth and wouldn't come out. I dared not get off the wagon. So I spread corn along behind the wagon. Every day I'd spread a sack of corn.
"The old pigs would have nothing to do with it. But the younger pigs decided that it was easier to eat free corn than it was to root out roots and catch snakes. So the very young began to eat the corn first.
"I did this every day. Pretty soon, even the old pigs decided that it was easier to eat free corn, after all, they were all free; they were not penned up. They could run off in any direction they wanted at any time.
"The next thing was to get them used to eating in the same place all the time. So, I selected a clearing, and I started putting the corn in the clearing.
"At first they wouldn't come to the clearing. It was too far. It was too open. It was a nuisance to them.
"But the very young decided that it was easier to take the corn in the clearing than it was to root out roots and catch their own snakes. And not long thereafter, the older pigs also decided that it was easier to come to the clearing every day.
"And so the pigs learned to come to the clearing every day to get their free corn. They could still subsidize their diet with roots and snakes and whatever else they wanted. After all, they were all free. They could run in any direction at any time. There were no bounds upon them.
"The next step was to get them used to fence posts. So I put fence posts all the way around the clearing. I put them in the underbrush so that they wouldn't get suspicious or upset, after all, they were just sticks sticking up out of the ground, like the trees and the brush. The corn was there everyday. It was easy to walk in between the posts, get the corn, and walk back out.
"This went on for a week or two. Shortly they became very used to walking into the clearing, getting the free corn, and walking back out through the fence posts.
"The next step was to put one rail down at the bottom. I also left a few openings, so that the older, fatter pigs could walk through the openings and the younger pigs could easily jump over just one rail, after all, it was no real threat to their freedom or independence–they could always jump over the rail and flee in any direction at any time.
"Now I decided that I wouldn't feed them every day. I began to feed them every other day. On the days I didn't feed them, the pigs still gathered in the clearing. They squealed, and they grunted, and they begged and pleaded with me to feed them– but I only fed them every other day. Then I put a second rail around the posts.
"Now the pigs became more and more desperate for food. Because now they were no longer used to going out and digging their own roots and finding their own food, they now needed me. They needed my corn every other day. "
"So I trained them that I would feed them every day if they came in through a gate and I put up a third rail around the fence.
"But it was still no great threat to their freedom, because there were several gates and they could run in and out at will. "Finally I put up the fourth rail. Then I closed all the gates but one, and I fed them very, very well. "
"Yesterday I closed the last gate and today I need you to help me take these pigs to market. "
The price of free corn was freedom.
The parable of the pigs has a serious moral lesson. This story is about federal money being used to bait, trap and enslave a once free and independent people.
Federal welfare, in its myriad forms, has reduced not only individuals to a state of dependency; state and local governments are also on the fast track to elimination, due to their functions being subverted by the command and control structures of federal "revenue sharing" programs.
Please copy this parable and send it to all of your state and local elected leaders and other concerned citizens. Tell them: "Just say NO to federal corn. " The bacon you save may be your own.
© 1997, The Idaho Observer. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for non commercial purposes in entirety including this notice.
Showing posts with label national sin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label national sin. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Ahh, There's the Common Sense
I love the way that Walter Williams puts our economic situation in easy-to-understand no-bull terms.
If European governments and the U.S. Congress ceased the practice of giving people what they have not earned, budgets would be more than balanced. For government to guarantee a person a right to goods and services he has not earned, it must diminish someone else's right to what he has earned, simply because governments have no resources of their very own.
To read the whole article, go here.
So many people seem to think that the federal government (or other civil governments) has money (or something of value) of its own accord. Granted, it can manufacture more at the factory right down the road from where I live (which is very interesting to tour if you ever have the chance). But all that does is devalue the money you have in your bank and your future earnings. All of the money given to various people by any form of government is taken by force from other people. A possible exception might be rentier states. In that case the money given out by the government still comes from other people, but the people are from outside the country who rent our buy something of value from the country and all the citizens get a share.
Anyway, Dr. Williams' quote reminds me of one from the Ten Commandments. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
If European governments and the U.S. Congress ceased the practice of giving people what they have not earned, budgets would be more than balanced. For government to guarantee a person a right to goods and services he has not earned, it must diminish someone else's right to what he has earned, simply because governments have no resources of their very own.
To read the whole article, go here.
So many people seem to think that the federal government (or other civil governments) has money (or something of value) of its own accord. Granted, it can manufacture more at the factory right down the road from where I live (which is very interesting to tour if you ever have the chance). But all that does is devalue the money you have in your bank and your future earnings. All of the money given to various people by any form of government is taken by force from other people. A possible exception might be rentier states. In that case the money given out by the government still comes from other people, but the people are from outside the country who rent our buy something of value from the country and all the citizens get a share.
Anyway, Dr. Williams' quote reminds me of one from the Ten Commandments. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Happy 4th of July (a little early)
I wanted to share with you an article by Thomas Sowell called "July 4th". In it, he reminds us that July 4th is the day that the Declaration of Independence was first publicly read. Here are some quotes from it to encourage you to read the whole thing.
Some clever people today ask whether the United States has really been "exceptional." You couldn't be more exceptional in the 18th century than to create your fundamental document -- the Constitution of the United States -- by opening with the momentous words, "We the people..."
More than a hundred years ago, so-called "Progressives" began a campaign to undermine the Constitution's strict limitations on government, which stood in the way of self-anointed political crusaders imposing their grand schemes on all the rest of us. That effort to discredit the Constitution continues to this day, and the arguments haven't really changed much in a hundred years.
I think that people who find the Bible irrelevant because it is old also find the Constitution irrelevant because it is old. I also think that God never changes, human nature hasn't changed, and limited government is still a good idea.
But we have gone far from our roots in this country. We used to be a people governed by the Holy Spirit from within or at least by common sense rooted in His Word. We used to know that God set up various governments (family, church, civil) and that each had its own authority. I encourage us all to fall before the Lord and confess the sins of our nation. If you would like to join others in doing this, you can go here to see congregations across the country that will be having a special time of prayer on July 3rd called Call2Fall.
Some clever people today ask whether the United States has really been "exceptional." You couldn't be more exceptional in the 18th century than to create your fundamental document -- the Constitution of the United States -- by opening with the momentous words, "We the people..."
More than a hundred years ago, so-called "Progressives" began a campaign to undermine the Constitution's strict limitations on government, which stood in the way of self-anointed political crusaders imposing their grand schemes on all the rest of us. That effort to discredit the Constitution continues to this day, and the arguments haven't really changed much in a hundred years.
I think that people who find the Bible irrelevant because it is old also find the Constitution irrelevant because it is old. I also think that God never changes, human nature hasn't changed, and limited government is still a good idea.
But we have gone far from our roots in this country. We used to be a people governed by the Holy Spirit from within or at least by common sense rooted in His Word. We used to know that God set up various governments (family, church, civil) and that each had its own authority. I encourage us all to fall before the Lord and confess the sins of our nation. If you would like to join others in doing this, you can go here to see congregations across the country that will be having a special time of prayer on July 3rd called Call2Fall.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
How important are beliefs?
I am not sure how to go about describing my dilemma so you may have to be patient with me as you read. In the churches I attended growing up, there was much emphasis on believing biblical truth especially when it came to how assemblies are conducted and the basics of turning to Jesus for salvation. But there was little emphasis on reaching out beyond the walls of the building. There was little emphasis on life transformation. Someone was considered a "faithful Christian" (as opposed to someone who had fallen away) if they attended the assembly regularly (preferably 3 times a week) and if they agreed with the aforementioned truths.
Of course, there was much fighting over some of the "truths". The most ridiculous one I can remember was when we lived in a small town in Iowa. One tiny congregation refused to meet with the bigger (but still small) congregation because the bigger congregation refused to agree to stop wearing gold based on I Peter 3:3. "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes."
Then a shift occurred. A movement started that was in many ways a breath of fresh air. It started emphasizing "salvation issues" as the truths and basically shucked all others in an attempt to create more unity. With this movement there came a realization that some verses (truths) could be interpreted different ways by rational people (like I Peter 3:3) and there could still be unity among them (you don't have to agree on everything in the Bible to get along). Without common belief in other truths (Jesus died a literal death and rose again in 3 days), unity would be pointless.
Yet, to most people that I know, unity simply means sitting in the same auditorium listening to the same sermons, giving money to the same collection, and possibly supporting the same missionaries. If I start talking about unity, I will get off the main point of this post, but I believe there is more to it than that.
The church I currently attend is the best church I have ever been to. There is an emphasis on letting God transform your life. The congregants are encouraged to get out of the church building and go on mission trips or help tutor kids in low income neighborhoods. These things are sadly missing from most churches I am familiar with. This church also tries to allow for freedom in the small truths. They call it being grace centered. I do not think you would be ridiculed for not wearing gold, but insisting that everyone do so would not be tolerated.
When we first started attending (5 years ago), I had little knowledge and gave little thought to world views. I had never thought about what the Bible had to say about economics or civil government. I never thought much about the dangers of the postmodern idea that people get to decide what is true. I never realized the depth of evil that springs from replacing God the Creator with billions of years of evolution. My own worldview has become stronger over the years. I can see more clearly the destructive fruit of an unbiblical worldview.
So now I am growing more and more concerned that the leaders of my congregation do not share my worldview on many issues (evolution, economics, civil government, etc.). Now my dilemma is: How much does their worldview on these issues matter? How far should one go along to get along? And what about other issues. There is no platform to make concerns known. There is no platform for dialogue and debate. There is no platform to share new ideas gleaned from scripture. There is no fellowship in the Word only the dissemination of information and the acceptance of it by the masses.
So I would love to hear your thoughts (and the scriptures to back them up). Thanks so much.
Of course, there was much fighting over some of the "truths". The most ridiculous one I can remember was when we lived in a small town in Iowa. One tiny congregation refused to meet with the bigger (but still small) congregation because the bigger congregation refused to agree to stop wearing gold based on I Peter 3:3. "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes."
Then a shift occurred. A movement started that was in many ways a breath of fresh air. It started emphasizing "salvation issues" as the truths and basically shucked all others in an attempt to create more unity. With this movement there came a realization that some verses (truths) could be interpreted different ways by rational people (like I Peter 3:3) and there could still be unity among them (you don't have to agree on everything in the Bible to get along). Without common belief in other truths (Jesus died a literal death and rose again in 3 days), unity would be pointless.
Yet, to most people that I know, unity simply means sitting in the same auditorium listening to the same sermons, giving money to the same collection, and possibly supporting the same missionaries. If I start talking about unity, I will get off the main point of this post, but I believe there is more to it than that.
The church I currently attend is the best church I have ever been to. There is an emphasis on letting God transform your life. The congregants are encouraged to get out of the church building and go on mission trips or help tutor kids in low income neighborhoods. These things are sadly missing from most churches I am familiar with. This church also tries to allow for freedom in the small truths. They call it being grace centered. I do not think you would be ridiculed for not wearing gold, but insisting that everyone do so would not be tolerated.
When we first started attending (5 years ago), I had little knowledge and gave little thought to world views. I had never thought about what the Bible had to say about economics or civil government. I never thought much about the dangers of the postmodern idea that people get to decide what is true. I never realized the depth of evil that springs from replacing God the Creator with billions of years of evolution. My own worldview has become stronger over the years. I can see more clearly the destructive fruit of an unbiblical worldview.
So now I am growing more and more concerned that the leaders of my congregation do not share my worldview on many issues (evolution, economics, civil government, etc.). Now my dilemma is: How much does their worldview on these issues matter? How far should one go along to get along? And what about other issues. There is no platform to make concerns known. There is no platform for dialogue and debate. There is no platform to share new ideas gleaned from scripture. There is no fellowship in the Word only the dissemination of information and the acceptance of it by the masses.
So I would love to hear your thoughts (and the scriptures to back them up). Thanks so much.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Great New Book
I recently received Paradise Valley by Dale Cramer from Bethany House to review. It was one of the best books I have read in a while. I chose it as a book I would like to review because I really respect the Amish. This book is based on events in the 1920’s when the state of Ohio jailed some Amish dad’s for not sending their kids to the government run consolidated school. As a result, some of the Ohio Amish community seek freedom to raise their kids in the Amish way by moving to Mexico. Mr. Cramer shows how they stick to their beliefs and are willing to sacrifice for them. He shows their love of family and their willingness to work hard. After reading this book, I respect the Amish even more.
The story is focused on one family- The Benders. The Benders have been blessed with 13 children (one dead and one mentally challenged) but not all are equally fleshed out in the story. It focuses on the father, Caleb, and his 15-year-old daughter, Rachel. Though these two are the focus of the story you get glimpses in to the thoughts of many of the other characters.
One thing that I liked about the writing was Mr. Cramer’s truthful style. Strengths and weaknesses are given to all of the characters. He doesn’t sugar coat the harsh realities of the struggles the Benders face, yet this isn’t a heavy book that weighs down the soul. It is almost as though he has opened a window to Paradise Valley as it really was.
This is a first book in a new series about Caleb Bender’s daughters. I read the whole thing in a couple of days. I cared about the characters and wanted to see what happened to them. I also wanted to learn why they made the choices they made. I am really looking forward to the next one!
The story is focused on one family- The Benders. The Benders have been blessed with 13 children (one dead and one mentally challenged) but not all are equally fleshed out in the story. It focuses on the father, Caleb, and his 15-year-old daughter, Rachel. Though these two are the focus of the story you get glimpses in to the thoughts of many of the other characters.
One thing that I liked about the writing was Mr. Cramer’s truthful style. Strengths and weaknesses are given to all of the characters. He doesn’t sugar coat the harsh realities of the struggles the Benders face, yet this isn’t a heavy book that weighs down the soul. It is almost as though he has opened a window to Paradise Valley as it really was.
This is a first book in a new series about Caleb Bender’s daughters. I read the whole thing in a couple of days. I cared about the characters and wanted to see what happened to them. I also wanted to learn why they made the choices they made. I am really looking forward to the next one!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Two Trailers Worth Watching
Today I came across two trailers that are worth looking into. The first is for an independent movie called BloodMoney. I can't embed it so you will have to actually follow a link to watch it. It is a documentary about the abortion industry from a pro-life perspective.
The second trailer is for a DVD series called Resisting the Green Dragon. Here is the blurb from the website.
And here is the trailer:
The second trailer is for a DVD series called Resisting the Green Dragon. Here is the blurb from the website.
And here is the trailer:Saturday, February 13, 2010
Birmingham Planned Parenthood on One Year Probation
This news article made me glad/excited and sad/angry at the same time. It is an article about the video below (by Live Action) and the state of Alabama's reaction to it.
According to the article,
After the tape was released last year, state health inspectors reviewed clinic records and found that nine minors, ages 13-15, had received abortions without proper verification of parental consent since November 2008.
In one case, health officials said, a 15-year-old received an abortion even though the person claiming to be her mother did not appear to be and presented questionable records, including an expired Alabama driver's license. Inspectors said Alabama birth records show a different person as the girl's parent.
There were also concerns about reporting child abuse. One of the 13-year-olds who received an abortion reported starting having sex at age 12 and having three partners in the previous year. She was back at the clinic for another abortion four months later and said she had now had four sexual partners in her life.
"A reasonable person would suspect abuse or neglect of this 13-year-old child, based on the above," inspectors wrote. "Neither the Registered Nurse, the Medical Doctor, nor any other Center staff reported the suspected abuse or neglect to the authorities as required by law."
According to the Code of Alabama, minors must present clinics with a consent form and verify that the signature on the form is that of their parent or legal guardian. The code requires the minor to sign the form as verification, but the clinic's forms don't have a space for that.
I am glad that Live Action's Mona Lisa Project is making an impact. I am glad that the state of Alabama is taking action (though I think it should have been harsher than a 1 year probation).
But the thought of all these rapers of young girls not being brought to justice brings me to tears. The thought of a 13 year old having 2 abortions is so sad.
Please join me in praying prayers of confession and repentance for our nation.
According to the article,
After the tape was released last year, state health inspectors reviewed clinic records and found that nine minors, ages 13-15, had received abortions without proper verification of parental consent since November 2008.
In one case, health officials said, a 15-year-old received an abortion even though the person claiming to be her mother did not appear to be and presented questionable records, including an expired Alabama driver's license. Inspectors said Alabama birth records show a different person as the girl's parent.
There were also concerns about reporting child abuse. One of the 13-year-olds who received an abortion reported starting having sex at age 12 and having three partners in the previous year. She was back at the clinic for another abortion four months later and said she had now had four sexual partners in her life.
"A reasonable person would suspect abuse or neglect of this 13-year-old child, based on the above," inspectors wrote. "Neither the Registered Nurse, the Medical Doctor, nor any other Center staff reported the suspected abuse or neglect to the authorities as required by law."
According to the Code of Alabama, minors must present clinics with a consent form and verify that the signature on the form is that of their parent or legal guardian. The code requires the minor to sign the form as verification, but the clinic's forms don't have a space for that.
I am glad that Live Action's Mona Lisa Project is making an impact. I am glad that the state of Alabama is taking action (though I think it should have been harsher than a 1 year probation).
But the thought of all these rapers of young girls not being brought to justice brings me to tears. The thought of a 13 year old having 2 abortions is so sad.
Please join me in praying prayers of confession and repentance for our nation.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Last Night's Elections
Shane at Caffeinated Thoughts has a great summary of the political events of last night. While I was glad of the GOP victories, the thing that gave me more hope was "gay marriage" being defeated in Maine by 53% of the voters. I mean Maine is not a bastion of conservatism, yet they see the value of marriage being one man and one woman. One quote from the article mentioned above struck me.
Five other states have legalized gay marriage -- starting with Massachusetts in 2004, and followed by Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Iowa -- but all did so through legislation or court rulings, not by popular vote. In contrast, constitutional amendments banning gay marriage have been approved in all 30 states where they have been on the ballot.
How far away from the people of these states are the courts and law-makers? I don't know, but it would be interesting to see all of these states put the question to a vote.
I still want to see if red-light cameras have been banned in College Station.
Five other states have legalized gay marriage -- starting with Massachusetts in 2004, and followed by Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Iowa -- but all did so through legislation or court rulings, not by popular vote. In contrast, constitutional amendments banning gay marriage have been approved in all 30 states where they have been on the ballot.
How far away from the people of these states are the courts and law-makers? I don't know, but it would be interesting to see all of these states put the question to a vote.
I still want to see if red-light cameras have been banned in College Station.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
No-fault Divorce
Michael Craven of Center for Christ and Culture wrote a good article about the evil of no-fault divorce. I will share a few clips here, but encourage you to read the whole thing.
No-fault divorce is much more than just divorce; it is a legal tyranny that denies the fundamental right of due process to a defendant. Prior to no-fault divorce, the party seeking divorce (plaintiff) was required, by law, to demonstrate cause on the part of the other party (defendant) prior to dissolving the marriage, dividing the family’s assets, and destroying the two-parent structure essential for children. These measures provided strong legal protections—primarily to women and children who might otherwise find themselves abandoned by husbands and fathers who simply sought “greener pastures.” (You might think me overly hard on men here. Granted, both men and women can be guilty of abandoning marriages; however, statistically speaking, women and children are most often the victims.)
Under the system prior to no-fault divorce, the state was limited in its actions and intrusion into the private affairs of the family except in those cases in which one of the parties committed a legally recognized offense against the other. In the wake of no-fault divorce, the state has been given unprecedented access into and unconstitutional authority over what was previously sacrosanct: the family. Historically, the law regarded the family as a preserve of privacy that was largely off-limits to the government. It was what Supreme Court Justice Byron White (1962–1993) called the “realm of family life, which the state cannot enter.”
No-fault divorce is a social and legal atrocity that needs to be abolished both for the sake of families and children that have, for too long, been subjected to the tyrannical actions of family courts, and because it has encouraged, through law, radical selfishness on the part of narcissistic, self-indulgent spouses. What must be understood by Christians is that no-fault divorce functions as a direct enemy of the gospel of the kingdom by opposing the in-breaking reign of God and his desires for the family.
You can also learn about the myths surrounding no-fault divorce here.
No-fault divorce is much more than just divorce; it is a legal tyranny that denies the fundamental right of due process to a defendant. Prior to no-fault divorce, the party seeking divorce (plaintiff) was required, by law, to demonstrate cause on the part of the other party (defendant) prior to dissolving the marriage, dividing the family’s assets, and destroying the two-parent structure essential for children. These measures provided strong legal protections—primarily to women and children who might otherwise find themselves abandoned by husbands and fathers who simply sought “greener pastures.” (You might think me overly hard on men here. Granted, both men and women can be guilty of abandoning marriages; however, statistically speaking, women and children are most often the victims.)
Under the system prior to no-fault divorce, the state was limited in its actions and intrusion into the private affairs of the family except in those cases in which one of the parties committed a legally recognized offense against the other. In the wake of no-fault divorce, the state has been given unprecedented access into and unconstitutional authority over what was previously sacrosanct: the family. Historically, the law regarded the family as a preserve of privacy that was largely off-limits to the government. It was what Supreme Court Justice Byron White (1962–1993) called the “realm of family life, which the state cannot enter.”
No-fault divorce is a social and legal atrocity that needs to be abolished both for the sake of families and children that have, for too long, been subjected to the tyrannical actions of family courts, and because it has encouraged, through law, radical selfishness on the part of narcissistic, self-indulgent spouses. What must be understood by Christians is that no-fault divorce functions as a direct enemy of the gospel of the kingdom by opposing the in-breaking reign of God and his desires for the family.
You can also learn about the myths surrounding no-fault divorce here.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Priorities
I learned yesterday that Texas likely got its new booster seat law idea from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The NHTSA claims that if all states followed through on this about 450 kids would be saved from moderate to fatal injury per year across the United States. (Note this number includes kids that might be hurt and kids that might die.)
Now let's look at how many kids (babies) would be saved if the nation implemented an ultrasound policy that required the mother be offered a chance to listen to the babies heart and see an ultrasound before making a decision to abort. Focus on the Family claims that 63,000 babies have been saved during the past four years of their Option Ultrasound campaign. What would the results be if this was available to every woman in America? I don't really know. But my guess would be that abortion rates would drop 15-25%. Let's say that I am wrong and it would only be 10%. That is 100,000 babies' lives a year in the United States.
So my question is this: Why did the booster seat law make it into law and the Texas ultrasound bill never made it to the final vote? Actually I know the answer. The dang Democrats filibustered about voter ID so that the ultrasound bill (and several others) could never make it to the final vote before the session was over. Maybe a better question is this: What does this say about our priorities as a nation?
Now let's look at how many kids (babies) would be saved if the nation implemented an ultrasound policy that required the mother be offered a chance to listen to the babies heart and see an ultrasound before making a decision to abort. Focus on the Family claims that 63,000 babies have been saved during the past four years of their Option Ultrasound campaign. What would the results be if this was available to every woman in America? I don't really know. But my guess would be that abortion rates would drop 15-25%. Let's say that I am wrong and it would only be 10%. That is 100,000 babies' lives a year in the United States.
So my question is this: Why did the booster seat law make it into law and the Texas ultrasound bill never made it to the final vote? Actually I know the answer. The dang Democrats filibustered about voter ID so that the ultrasound bill (and several others) could never make it to the final vote before the session was over. Maybe a better question is this: What does this say about our priorities as a nation?
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Obama's "Responsible Fatherhood" Means Changing the "Heteronormative"?
According to LifeSiteNews. . .
A member of Obama's Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships advisory board (Mr. Knox) has stated that one of the main challenges in promoting "responsible fatherhood" in America will be to dismantle a perception that fatherhood is "heteronormative" - i.e., that heterosexuality is the norm.
Mr. Knox stated this opinion on a PBS show. You can watch the interview at the PBS website.
How can purposely raising children without a mother and a father be considered a model for responsible parenting? I understand that sometimes raising a child with only a mother or a father is unavoidable as in death or an unwanted divorce. But too often in this country we accept unwed parenting and homosexual parenting as a suitable alternative. It flies in the face of every God wants for our childern. It is a very sad time in America. I hope that the sadness of the time will drive us to our knees.
A member of Obama's Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships advisory board (Mr. Knox) has stated that one of the main challenges in promoting "responsible fatherhood" in America will be to dismantle a perception that fatherhood is "heteronormative" - i.e., that heterosexuality is the norm.
Mr. Knox stated this opinion on a PBS show. You can watch the interview at the PBS website.
How can purposely raising children without a mother and a father be considered a model for responsible parenting? I understand that sometimes raising a child with only a mother or a father is unavoidable as in death or an unwanted divorce. But too often in this country we accept unwed parenting and homosexual parenting as a suitable alternative. It flies in the face of every God wants for our childern. It is a very sad time in America. I hope that the sadness of the time will drive us to our knees.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Call 2 Fall
If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that national confession is important to me. So I was excited to hear of the new movement Call 2 Fall. It is encouraging people and churches to fall to their knees and ask the Lord for forgiveness and heal our land. They are encouraging a nation-wide effort on July 5th.
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14).
I encourage you to sign up at their website and encourage your church to sign up. I will try to get my church to sign up, but at a megachurch it is hard to get anything going that didn't come from the top. I will try to post if I make any progress.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
National Day of Prayer
I am glad that our country still has a National Day of Prayer. I would like to encourage you all to pray a prayer of national confession today. National confession is simply coming before the Lord and admitting all of the wrong that we have done as a nation whether we have participated in the wrong as individuals or not. Here is an example:
Lord of all creation, I come before you today confessing that as a nation we have glorified the creation via extreme environmentalism instead of you the Creator. We have glorified killing innocent babies instead of godly mother and fatherhood. We have glorified greed and materialism instead of generosity and charity.
Especially troubling to me, O Lord, are the millions that die and have died before they had a chance to breathe their first breaths. God, we have become so desensitized to the killing. Help us to care enough to act. Help me care enough to act. Help your church be involved in the prevention of abortion through prayer, abstinence education, and godly parenting. Help your church support those who choose parenting or adoption instead of killing. Help your church bring healing to those that made a bad choice and are now mourning the loss of their child.
Another thing that is heavy on my heart is the disregard many Christians have for the complete authority of Scripture. It shows up in combining evolution and creation. It shows up in agreeing with same sex "marriage". Help us know that truth is found in Your Word. Help us trust that you are telling us the truth. Help us know that the Bible is a miracle not the mere work of men.
I ask all of these things in the holy name of Jesus.
Zechariah 1:3-4 Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the Lord Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the Lord Almighty. 4 Do not be like your forefathers, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.' But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord.
Lord of all creation, I come before you today confessing that as a nation we have glorified the creation via extreme environmentalism instead of you the Creator. We have glorified killing innocent babies instead of godly mother and fatherhood. We have glorified greed and materialism instead of generosity and charity.
Especially troubling to me, O Lord, are the millions that die and have died before they had a chance to breathe their first breaths. God, we have become so desensitized to the killing. Help us to care enough to act. Help me care enough to act. Help your church be involved in the prevention of abortion through prayer, abstinence education, and godly parenting. Help your church support those who choose parenting or adoption instead of killing. Help your church bring healing to those that made a bad choice and are now mourning the loss of their child.
Another thing that is heavy on my heart is the disregard many Christians have for the complete authority of Scripture. It shows up in combining evolution and creation. It shows up in agreeing with same sex "marriage". Help us know that truth is found in Your Word. Help us trust that you are telling us the truth. Help us know that the Bible is a miracle not the mere work of men.
I ask all of these things in the holy name of Jesus.
Zechariah 1:3-4 Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the Lord Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the Lord Almighty. 4 Do not be like your forefathers, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.' But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Bravo, Sen. Coburn
Senator Tom Cobrun (R) of Okalama has a special interest in Pres. Obama's "review" of the "conscience clause". He is also an OB/GYN. Here is a quote from a CNSNews.com article.
[He] told CNSNews.com on Friday that many medical practitioners, including himself, will go to prison before agreeing to engage in medical practices they morally oppose, such as abortion.
“I think a lot of us will go to jail,” Coburn told CNSNews.com when asked what would happen if the administration reverses the policy. “Let’s see them prosecute the first one of us for not doing that.”
By that comment, Coburn meant that doctors, himself included, are willing to defy the law before agreeing to perform medical procedures that violate their conscience, a Coburn spokesman clarified.
So bravo, Sen Coburn. I hope that medical professionals are prepared to do just as you said.
[He] told CNSNews.com on Friday that many medical practitioners, including himself, will go to prison before agreeing to engage in medical practices they morally oppose, such as abortion.
“I think a lot of us will go to jail,” Coburn told CNSNews.com when asked what would happen if the administration reverses the policy. “Let’s see them prosecute the first one of us for not doing that.”
By that comment, Coburn meant that doctors, himself included, are willing to defy the law before agreeing to perform medical procedures that violate their conscience, a Coburn spokesman clarified.
So bravo, Sen Coburn. I hope that medical professionals are prepared to do just as you said.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
40 Days for Life Spring Campaign
40 Days for Life is not doing a Spring Campaign in Fort Worth this year. :( I still plan to spend time in prayer against abortion during the next 40 days.
The campaign starts today and goes through Easter. There are 135 towns participating this time. You can click here to see if yours is one of them. I was really glad that I participated in the one during the fall. Go public and spend some time praying for abortion to end in your community.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Movies
My husband and I recently watched Fireproof. The DVD was a gift from my mother. It was really great. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend that you do. In the bonus features, was a clip that really caught my attention. It was for a movie called Come What May. I had never heard of this pro-life movie until I saw it in the bonus features. I am excited to purchase the movie when it comes out in March. Here is the story line from the website.
The Story
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." (Psalm 139:13)
With his mother a lawyer and his father a professor, Caleb Hogan has grown up understanding the importance of stating his case, backing it with facts, and choosing what's right ... Come What May.
This ability has served him well in his internship at his mother's law firm and it has guided him to the college with the best Moot Court team. But has it prepared him to deal with the collision-course elements of the most important legal issue of our time?
When does life really begin?
Coming face-to-face with the realities and legalities of the abortion issue—both in preparation for the National Moot Court championship and as his mother prepares to argue a high-profile case before the Supreme Court—Caleb must decide what he truly believes.
Wherever he lands will have consequences. If he takes the pro-life argument, he stands to lose the most important competition of his life—and the support of his mother. If he follows his mother's lead, he could win the coveted title ... but lose the heart of his teammate Rachel in the process.
Along with her professor and classmates, Rachel not only understands the strength of the pro-life arguments, she believes them to her core. Life, from its beginning, exists to honor God. For Rachel, that plays out in her Moot Court arguments and in her daily life.
Can Caleb find that same conviction? Can he win the heart of Rachel in the process? While compromise might be the easiest solution, it could also be the most dangerous.Come What May is a vivid reminder that choosing what's right is never easy ... but it's always worth the cost.
It doesn't hurt that this movie is set in Patrick Henry College. Now I have never been there and graduated from college a long time ago. But from what I can tell Patrick Henry is an awesome college that is bent on producing Christian leaders in areas that many people think are worldly such as law and journalism.
The Story
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." (Psalm 139:13)
With his mother a lawyer and his father a professor, Caleb Hogan has grown up understanding the importance of stating his case, backing it with facts, and choosing what's right ... Come What May.
This ability has served him well in his internship at his mother's law firm and it has guided him to the college with the best Moot Court team. But has it prepared him to deal with the collision-course elements of the most important legal issue of our time?
When does life really begin?
Coming face-to-face with the realities and legalities of the abortion issue—both in preparation for the National Moot Court championship and as his mother prepares to argue a high-profile case before the Supreme Court—Caleb must decide what he truly believes.
Wherever he lands will have consequences. If he takes the pro-life argument, he stands to lose the most important competition of his life—and the support of his mother. If he follows his mother's lead, he could win the coveted title ... but lose the heart of his teammate Rachel in the process.
Along with her professor and classmates, Rachel not only understands the strength of the pro-life arguments, she believes them to her core. Life, from its beginning, exists to honor God. For Rachel, that plays out in her Moot Court arguments and in her daily life.
Can Caleb find that same conviction? Can he win the heart of Rachel in the process? While compromise might be the easiest solution, it could also be the most dangerous.Come What May is a vivid reminder that choosing what's right is never easy ... but it's always worth the cost.
It doesn't hurt that this movie is set in Patrick Henry College. Now I have never been there and graduated from college a long time ago. But from what I can tell Patrick Henry is an awesome college that is bent on producing Christian leaders in areas that many people think are worldly such as law and journalism.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Avoiding the Light
We are having a series of lessons on 1 John at our church. The last one was on 1 John 1:5-10. Here are the verses in the NIV.
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
Our preacher pointed out ways to know if you are avoiding the light which I thought worth sharing.
1. Avoiding the Word.
2. Avoiding Christians. (Lack of accountability)
3. Ignoring the Spirit.
4. No Self Examination.
Another point made was that confession means agreeing with God's call. He compared it to agreeing with an umpire instead of being the idiot in the stands arguing and complaining.
Anyway, food for thought.
It also reminds me of my plea to American Christians to prayer prayers of national confession.
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
Our preacher pointed out ways to know if you are avoiding the light which I thought worth sharing.
1. Avoiding the Word.
2. Avoiding Christians. (Lack of accountability)
3. Ignoring the Spirit.
4. No Self Examination.
Another point made was that confession means agreeing with God's call. He compared it to agreeing with an umpire instead of being the idiot in the stands arguing and complaining.
Anyway, food for thought.
It also reminds me of my plea to American Christians to prayer prayers of national confession.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Single Mom on Purpose
Ann Colter (whom I generally find too caustic) has a good article in which she compares the MSM's reaction to smoking and being a single mom on purpose (as opposed to divorced or widowed). Here are some quotes:
According to hysterical anti-smoking zealots at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking costs the nation $92 billion a year in "lost productivity." (Obviously these conclusions were produced by people who not only have never smoked, but also don't know any smokers, who could have told them smoking makes us 10 times more productive.)
Meanwhile, single motherhood costs taxpayers about $112 billion every year, according to a 2008 study by Georgia State University economist Benjamin Scafidi.
Smoking has no causal relationship to crime, has little effect on others and -- let's be honest -- looks cool. Controlling for income, education and occupation, it causes about 200,000 deaths per year, mostly of people in their 70s.
Single motherhood, by contrast, directly harms children, occurs at a rate of about 1.5 million a year and has a causal relationship to criminal behavior, substance abuse, juvenile delinquency, sexual victimization and almost every other social disorder.
First, the reason the children "tend to grow up poor" is that their mothers considered it unnecessary to have a primary bread-earner in the family.
Second, the Times simply made up the fact that poverty, rather than single motherhood, causes anti-social behavior in children. Poverty doesn't cause crime -- single mothers do. If poverty caused crime, how did we get Bernie Madoff?
Studies -- including one by the liberal Progressive Policy Institute -- have shown that controlling for factors such as poverty and socioeconomic status, single motherhood accounts for the entire difference in black and white crime rates.
God's plan is always better. He planned for children to have a mother and a father. Our children deserve at least that.
According to hysterical anti-smoking zealots at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking costs the nation $92 billion a year in "lost productivity." (Obviously these conclusions were produced by people who not only have never smoked, but also don't know any smokers, who could have told them smoking makes us 10 times more productive.)
Meanwhile, single motherhood costs taxpayers about $112 billion every year, according to a 2008 study by Georgia State University economist Benjamin Scafidi.
Smoking has no causal relationship to crime, has little effect on others and -- let's be honest -- looks cool. Controlling for income, education and occupation, it causes about 200,000 deaths per year, mostly of people in their 70s.
Single motherhood, by contrast, directly harms children, occurs at a rate of about 1.5 million a year and has a causal relationship to criminal behavior, substance abuse, juvenile delinquency, sexual victimization and almost every other social disorder.
First, the reason the children "tend to grow up poor" is that their mothers considered it unnecessary to have a primary bread-earner in the family.
Second, the Times simply made up the fact that poverty, rather than single motherhood, causes anti-social behavior in children. Poverty doesn't cause crime -- single mothers do. If poverty caused crime, how did we get Bernie Madoff?
Studies -- including one by the liberal Progressive Policy Institute -- have shown that controlling for factors such as poverty and socioeconomic status, single motherhood accounts for the entire difference in black and white crime rates.
God's plan is always better. He planned for children to have a mother and a father. Our children deserve at least that.
Monday, January 5, 2009
A Nation Abandoned
A friend recently loaned us a CD of a sermon by John MacArthur. The title of the sermon is "A Nation Abandoned by God". You can click here to read the transcript. It was one of the most thought provoking sermons I have listened to in a long time.
The basic concept is this: God has abandoned America. We can see this because a description of an abandoned nation is given in Romans chapter 1. I won't go into all of the connections he makes. You should really read the transcript.
I do want to post a quote of the next to the last paragraph which is Mr. MacArthur's advice on what we should be doing about it.
God only wants one thing out of a nation. Listen and believe this book. I really get grieved even when I hear evangelical people in the media and the public eye kind of equivocating about the clarity of the gospel. It's all we've got. Or about the clarity of what Scripture says. Your prayer and mine has to be that God would raise up faithful preachers and people who would proclaim His Word across this land. Pray for this generation of young men that God will call and shape and send, pray for pastors everywhere. Pray for lay people, for Christians to be bold. There's only one solution and that's the truth...the truth by which God saves, by which God sanctifies, and if this nation will respond and listen to His truth, God will open the flood gates. We might be the greatest recovery story in history. But there's no other way than that people listen to Me and walk in My ways. It's not going to happen if there's a famine of the hearing of the Word of God. Pray that the Word, as Paul said, would have free course and that it would run with all its power across this land. With all its beauty and magnificence, all its power and grace, that people would hear and believe and be saved and be obedient, all that to the glory of God. I don't know what God's plan is, I just see here what His heart is. "O, that My people would listen to Me," that's the heart of God.
After listening to it this sermon, my husband and I were discussing the pattern in Judges: discipline, repentance, heroic civil magistrate (Gideon, Samson, etc.). Then I started thinking, "God raised up the excellent civil magistrate to rescue the people from their own demise not because the people found and voted on him/her but because they repented. Hearts across the nation of Israel turned to God. They changed their ways. They asked for His intervention. Then He raised up a leader."
Food for thought.
The basic concept is this: God has abandoned America. We can see this because a description of an abandoned nation is given in Romans chapter 1. I won't go into all of the connections he makes. You should really read the transcript.
I do want to post a quote of the next to the last paragraph which is Mr. MacArthur's advice on what we should be doing about it.
God only wants one thing out of a nation. Listen and believe this book. I really get grieved even when I hear evangelical people in the media and the public eye kind of equivocating about the clarity of the gospel. It's all we've got. Or about the clarity of what Scripture says. Your prayer and mine has to be that God would raise up faithful preachers and people who would proclaim His Word across this land. Pray for this generation of young men that God will call and shape and send, pray for pastors everywhere. Pray for lay people, for Christians to be bold. There's only one solution and that's the truth...the truth by which God saves, by which God sanctifies, and if this nation will respond and listen to His truth, God will open the flood gates. We might be the greatest recovery story in history. But there's no other way than that people listen to Me and walk in My ways. It's not going to happen if there's a famine of the hearing of the Word of God. Pray that the Word, as Paul said, would have free course and that it would run with all its power across this land. With all its beauty and magnificence, all its power and grace, that people would hear and believe and be saved and be obedient, all that to the glory of God. I don't know what God's plan is, I just see here what His heart is. "O, that My people would listen to Me," that's the heart of God.
After listening to it this sermon, my husband and I were discussing the pattern in Judges: discipline, repentance, heroic civil magistrate (Gideon, Samson, etc.). Then I started thinking, "God raised up the excellent civil magistrate to rescue the people from their own demise not because the people found and voted on him/her but because they repented. Hearts across the nation of Israel turned to God. They changed their ways. They asked for His intervention. Then He raised up a leader."
Food for thought.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Predictions and a Prayer
Kevin Tracy has a prediction map for tonight's results. His ending electoral college tally is Obama 375 and McCain 163. I tend to think he is right. At the very least, he is a better political predictor than I am. If he is right, this is my prayer: May an Obama presidency energize God-fearing people across this country. Not because they are excited about his policies but because they finally understand that we, each one of us, must stop relying on the government to solve all of our problems. Moral decay in this country will only shrink when Jesus grows in each heart and spreads to other hearts. We God-fearers must actually do things. Things that are outside of our church buildings. Things that are outside our comfort zones. Things that we have never done before. May we all prepare ourselves by reading His Word and praying. Then may we have the courage to go public with our faith. May we go public in our stand against evil.
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