Speechless

Maybe she graduated from the same fine institution of learning as this girl.

My Sentiments Exactly

Health Care Reform: A True Story

Have you been impressed, surprised or appalled at my lack of political rants of late? To be honest, I just haven't had the time. I have, however, made the time to call, write, and email my Congress people and President Obama. Of course I get stupid pat form letters in response that are full of misinformation and misdirection. But, at least I spoke up and I keep speaking up.

A young man from my church, in junior high, recently wrote an essay, in which he related the following story: (I share with his permission.)

It was an ordinary Sunday morning for me, at my local church. As a strange old man that I had never seen before sits next to my friends and me, I feel a bit uncomfortable as I try to listen to the pastor’s sermon. The pastor begins to talk about the power of prayer and tells the church to pray over each other. The strange old man reaches his hand out and staring into my eyes tells me his name. He begins to tell me he had previously lived in Canada his whole life. Out of curiosity, I asked “What brings you to our church.” He replied, “I’m going to a hospital in Los Angeles . I have cancer.” Since I didn’t know much about Canada , I asked “Why not just go to a hospital in your home town.” “One word,” the man said, “healthcare.” “You see, young man, I sold my house and all of my belongings to come to this state to try to get treatment for my disease. If I had waited to get seen in Canada , I would probably cease to exist.” After I was told this by the strange old man, I thought to myself, “I hope the United States never does something so idiotic.”

Real life lesson. And this is just one of the problems with the health care bill. Don't get me started on the abortions that will be paid for with tax-payer dollars, the "end of life counselling" services provided for you by the government, the hike in taxes, the penalties to hard-working families, lack of choice, and the intrusion into our privacy.

(I guess I have a rant or two left.)

Have you let your voice be heard yet? I'm told that they may vote on a 1900 page bill--which no one has fully read!--as early as Thursday evening! If ever there was a time to speak up it's now. Call, email, snail mail--communicate in as many ways as you can, your senators and representatives! Include President Obama as well. Let him know that this is not change we believe in!

PSA: Big Government

The Frogs Who Desired a King

The Frogs were living as happy as could be in a marshy swamp that just suited them; they went splashing about caring for nobody and nobody troubling with them. But some of them thought that this was not right, that they should have a king and a proper constitution, so they determined to send up a petition to Jove to give them what they wanted.

"Mighty Jove," they cried, "send unto us a king that will rule over us and keep us in order."

Jove laughed at their croaking, and threw down into the swamp a huge Log, which came down splash to the swamp. The Frogs were frightened out of their lives by the commotion made in their midst, and all rushed to the bank to look at the horrible monster; but after a time, seeing that it did not move, one or two of the boldest of them ventured out towards the Log, and even dared to touch it; still it did not move. Then the greatest hero of the Frogs jumped upon the Log and commenced dancing up and down upon it, there upon all the Frogs came and did the same; and for some time the Frogs went about their business every day without taking the slightest notice of their new King Log lying in their midst.

But this did not suit them, so they sent another petition to Jove, and said to him, "We want a real king; one that will really rule over us."

Now this made Jove angry, so he sent among them a big Stork that soon set to work gobbling them all up. Then the Frogs repented when too late.

(HT: Aesopfables.com)

(HT: Mrs. C)

Tuesday's Prayers For The President

Today President Obama is addressing the nation's school children en masse. All over the country parents are refusing to send their children to school or having walk-outs. In response, some school districts have refused to air his message.

I do not think the President will say anything controversial or promote abortion, gay rights or gun control. The content of his speech is pretty benign. It's not the content, it's the context that bothers me.

Where did this hero worship of elected officials come from? We are not helping the President to accomplish his goals! We are not, as the infamous "I Pledge" video suggests, servants of the president! Things are so upside down! President Obama is a public servant. He is supposed to be serving our goals.

This video and the political environment of our day with a president who is politicizing the classroom by addressing all school children bothers me (and Gana) so much. These are the first steps down a path no one living in a Republic should be on.

My prayer for our President today is for an increase in humility and an awareness of what his job really is.

I Peter 5:5, "Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for 'God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.'"

The Audacity of Hops

What we can learn from Obama's Beer Summit, in top ten format:

10. Apparently, it's OK to drink during work hours.

9. The way to solve racial problems is to invite people over to drink with you. (If only we knew it were that easy! All that wasted work in the civil rights movement!)

8. A racial conflict of this sort comes in very handy when one's health care bill is getting bad press. Diversion is very convenient in saving bad legislation.

7. It's NOT OK to be racist. It is totally OK to be sexist. (Notice that Lucia Whalen didn't get invited to have a drink with the President.)

6. The White House has nothing better to do that to issue press releases about what kind of beer each man ordered. The President was going to have a Budweiser. Then later the White House issued a revision; the President would have a Bud Light. The Professor would have a Red Stripe or maybe a Beck. The police officer would have a Blue Moon, which apparently is not "Joe-Six-Pack" enough for some people. I guess if you're a police officer you're not supposed to request a microbrew.

5. Apparently no one gives a rodent's backside about what kind of beer Vice-President Biden drank.

4. Vice-President Biden really likes peanuts.

3. The President is never wrong, he just "could have calibrated" his words better.

2. To quote Joan Walsh on Hardball: "Obama got to where he was, in my opinion, largely because he makes white people feel like he knows we're all trying really hard and we really like it when black people make us feel that way." And that's not a bit racist.

1. The President of the United States is a great multi-tasker. While single-handedly saving the global economy, sorting things out in the Middle East, standing up to North Korea and administrating two wars he has time to meddle in the affairs of private citizens.

And on that note, how 'bout a beer?

Maybe Obama's not as black as he thinks....

.....'cause Universal Health Care is something white people like.

If you are offended by this, you probably don't come from a completely multi-racial family like I do. 'Cause me and my peeps thought this was off the chizain! Hilarious!

Here's a teaser:

Stuff White People Like: #94 Free Health Care

In spite of having access to the best health insurance and fanciest hospitals, white people are passionate about the idea of socialized medicine. So much so that they have memorized statistics and examples of how for-profit medicine has destroyed the United States.

But before you can exploit this information for personal gain, it’s important that you understand why white people are so in love with free health care.

The first and most obvious reason is “they have it Europe.” White people love all things European, this especially true of things that are unavailable in the United States (Rare Beers, Absinthe, legal marijuana, prostitution, soccer). The fact that it’s available in Canada isn’t really that impressive, but it does contribute to their willingness to threaten to move there.

Read the rest here.

I wish they all could be California girls....

If Miss California is supposed to actually represent California, I'd say she gave a perfect answer and apparantly the majority of Californians agree with her--as evidenced by the passing of Prop 8! I'm so glad she had the courage of her convictions! It would have been an easy question to dodge.

G.K. Chesterton on Politics

"When a politician is in opposition he is an expert on the means to some end; and when he is in office he is an expert on the obstacles to it."

It begins....

Today, one day after the historic Roe v. Wade decision, President Obama lifted the Executive order put in place by President Bush, that bans the federal funding of abortions abroad.

I guess he promised change and he's following through.

Now your hard-earned tax dollars will fund the slaughter of babies in third world countries.

Not a Happy Anniversary

Today is the anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision on Roe v. Wade. Since that flawed ruling over 50 million children have died.

It's interesting that today of all days I've been having a thought-provoking, albeit heartbreakingly sad, conversation with a reader about abortion. You can follow the conversation through the comments on the Being Pro-Life post and the Q and A: Politics post.

Being strong pro-life advocates, there are a few things we hear quite a lot. The first is that Roe v. Wade will never be overturned so basically "move on" already. The second is in essence, "If you say you are pro-life, stop talking about abortion and actually help someone."

So, you wanna go there, let's go there.

On the first point, why is the fact that there is a long standing atrocity being committed a reason to reconcile ourselves to it? We refuse to acknowledge an atrocity and not speak out about it. Remember this picture?

(Click on the picture for the post about it.)

I just refuse to be one of those people. If choosing to be aware and outspoken makes me a fanatic, I gladly don the title.

There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice,
but there
must never be a time when we fail to protest.


- Elie Wiesel

Have you seen the movie Amazing Grace--about the life and legacy of William Wilberforce? It's amazing how single-minded he was in his attempts to end the slave trade. The Slavery Abolition Act passed a month after he died.

Surely he must have heard a thousand times that slavery would always be legal, that it always had been legal and that he was beating a dead horse to propose ending it year after year after year. And yet he persisted and said, "Let us not despair; it is a blessed cause, and success, ere long, will crown our exertions. Already we have gained one victory; we have obtained, for these poor creatures, the recognition of their human nature, which, for a while was most shamefully denied. This is the first fruits of our efforts; let us persevere and our triumph will be complete. Never, never will we desist till we have wiped away this scandal from the Christian name, released ourselves from the load of guilt, under which we at present labour, and extinguished every trace of this bloody traffic, of which our posterity, looking back to the history of these enlightened times, will scarce believe that it has been suffered to exist so long a disgrace and dishonour to this country." speech before the House of Commons, 18 April 1791

While we are still addressing the first thing, it should be noted that in no way do we feel our cause is hopeless. We believe that Jesus said to "make disciples of nations." For so long we have read "nations" as "souls." But, nations means nations. A country can have a reformation and a great returning to the truth. William Wilberforce and his campaign for a societal reformation is proof of that. He championed animal cruelty laws, anti-prostitution laws, free colonies in Africa and so much more! Like Wilberforce we are contending to see our nation move to revival and from revival to reformation.

If it happened in the past, it can happen again!

Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew
them in our day, in our time make them known...He stood, and shook the earth; he
looked, and made the nations tremble. Hab. 3:2,6

We see glimmers of hope in the world. Germany's Constitutional Court ruled in 1993: “ the unborn child is entitled to its rights to life independently of acceptance by its mother; this is an elementary and inalienable right that emanates from the dignity of the human being.” (Mother Theresa brought this to the U.S. Supreme Court's attention in a letter you can read here.)

On the second point above, our reader asked, "it's all well and good to not want people to have abortions but what kind of help is available to them when they do keep them? I'd love to know what activities you involved with, that you support that give women the emotional and financial support they need to have their babies?"

Now this is certainly not the first time we have been called on the carpet on this point. Not that long ago another reader commented, "this issue frustrates me when talked about with christians because all of a sudden its the most important issue in the world... and it shouldn't be that way, besides that it is NOT changing any time soon if ever and there are much better ways to spend our time and energy and money and prayer than trying to make abortion illegal. if you think its so bad then start a counseling center for women thinking of having one, start a class about what happens during one and what women go through a lot of times after wards... that will make an actual difference. it makes me furious that all people talk about is the 'innocent babies' what about the women?"

First of all, I find this argument fascinating. The discussion is about the inalienable rights of each person to life. From the way this challenge is presented one cannot believe in said right unless you run a crisis pregnancy center! When in actuality the right exists whether or not anyone chooses to acknowledge it. My being involved in pro-life efforts is completely beside the point.

However, since we are going there.....

As with most actively pro-life people that I know, we put action to our convictions.

~We founded and still fund a ministry called Mother-to-Mother. Testimonies of some of the mommies we've help can be read here and here. Basically, we provide food, vitamins, nutritional counselling and prenatal care to needy women in Mongolia--where the abortion rate is three times the birthrate.

~I am a childbirth educator and offer my services for free or for discounted rates for women in need.

~I have done post-abortion counselling with women dealing with post-abortion trauma.

~When I was a teenager I had a yearly baby-shower for local crisis pregnancy centers. We had a full-fledged baby shower, but all the baby things and maternity clothes were donated to the local center.

~We make regular financial donations to pregnancy support centers in our area of Southern California.

~I've been in life-chains, delivered cold drinks to sidewalk counselors, attended prayer meetings, provided interventions and counselling for young women considering abortion, gave a shower and a wedding for a young girl who decided to keep her baby and get married instead of aborting (her family abandoned her, so my family did the whole wedding).

~I've written and called politicians.

~And I've always voted pro-life.

And I don't think that any of this is in anyway extraordinary. Most of the pro-life people I know do the same sort of things. Many people I know have done even more for the cause. They've adopted babies. (We want to and plan to after Gana gets out of seminary.)

Our hearts break for the babies that have been slaughtered in the name of convenience. They are God's hopes and dreams that have been sacrificed. Our hearts break for the women and men who are so broken and still hurting from the abortions they chose for their children.

It's not a matter of caring for this issue or that issue. God doesn't ask us to choose between caring for victims of war or victims of abortion. He simply issues a very straightforward call:

Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Proverbs 31:8

On this anniversary of Roe v. Wade, pray for an end to abortion.

Answering Your Questions: Politics

Questions left in the comments...

Q. I think it's sad when we as Christians only look at some of the issues, like abortion (which I don't support), but don't look at the broader issues like providing health care for everyone and caring for the widow and orphan. I don't see how many of Bush's policies do much for the poor and desolate.

A. No matter what anyone says, there is a deciding-factor-issue for everyone. For some it's the environment, for others it's national security. For me and many it's abortion. And I don't think there is any shame in being a "one issue voter." Everyone is, if they are honest; they just choose different issues. This does not mean that we don't care about other issues. We certainly do! But, as my mother says, "Nothing Trumps Life." Being pro-abortion is the deal-breaker for us.

You can read more of our thoughts on being pro-life here and here.

In addition, we do not feel it is the role of government to be a provider. My husband grew up in a communist country, so trust me when I say we have seen all sides of this! It has never been a good idea to make government the provider of health care or to put the care of the poor in it's bureaucratic hands!

The purpose of government is to be a terror to those who do evil and to protect freedom. Charity is a function of religion. When you put charity in the hands of a secular entity you exchange Father God for Big Brother. (In addition to the verses below, see also: Mark 14:7, 1 Timothy 5:8, 1 Timothy 5:4).

James 1:27, "Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us."

Proverbs 19:17, "He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, And He will pay back what he has given."

Deut. 15:11, "For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.'" (Opening of the hand is an act of free-will. The government should not take from a closed hand.)

Proverbs 22:9 "He who has a generous eye will be blessed, For he gives of his bread to the poor."

The purpose of government is to punish evil and reward the good:

Romans 13:1-7, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour."

Peter 2:13-17 “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”

And one more thing on this point....in what ways do the policies of the Bush administration ignore the needs of the poor? Bush TRIPLED humanitarian aid to Africa, a fact that is widely ignored. He gave us the prescription drug plan for seniors (which personally, I don't think was a great idea, but nevertheless....). He also just gave us an economic stimulus package which was essentially money to everyone--even the poor--and those who did not even pay taxes!

I just do not see how President Bush ignored the needs of the poor.

Q. Many say that Bush did great things for the unborn, what about the things that he did to many of the 'born' who live in the middle east, innocent people - including women and children, who have been killed - thousand upon thousand, due to his foreign policy? I don't understand this...to me it seems like he is 'pro-life' when in the womb but then you are left behind when you arrive in the world.

A. To quote Randy Alcorn: "I still do believe that with all the other issues that matter, and there are many of them, not one of them (either in viciousness, defenselessness of the victims, or total fatalities) outweighs the holocaust of children, over a million of them each year. And while numerous people keep asking me why I'm not speaking up for children already born, my answer remains the same—no presidential candidate favors the legalized killing of children who are already born."

The innocent were already dying in the Middle East before Bush's foreign policy and they will continue after it. Terrorists use women and children as human shields. This is not due to Bush foreign policy. And where does one get the idea that "thousands and thousands" of children died as a result of America's foreign policy? Even if one were to believe that the deaths of children were a result of our foreign policy (which we do not) to say "thousands" is exaggerated. War is ugly, no doubt about it. It is also sometimes necessary. The Gombojav Tribe, while peace loving folks, are not pacifists. You can read our thoughts about that here and here.

To put this whole pitting-the-born-against-the-unborn argument in perspective:

I'm sure those in William Wilberforce's day told him to stop being a "one issue" politician and to stop harping on the issue of slavery. Yet, his single-mindedness can be clearly heard:

"Let us not despair; it is a blessed cause, and success, ere long, will crown our exertions. Already we have gained one victory; we have obtained, for these poor creatures, the recognition of their human nature, which, for a while was most shamefully denied. This is the first fruits of our efforts; let us persevere and our triumph will be complete. Never, never will we desist till we have wiped away this scandal from the Christian name, released ourselves from the load of guilt, under which we at present labour, and extinguished every trace of this bloody traffic, of which our posterity, looking back to the history of these enlightened times, will scarce believe that it has been suffered to exist so long a disgrace and dishonour to this country."

Q. Why is the UN Rights of the Child Treaty "ridiculous"?

A. Replacing the rights of parents and family with the right of the state to tell people how to raise children is a terrible idea. Our children are not wards of the state! They belong to us! Rather than reinvent the wheel, I refer you here. We often hear (especially in California, in light of Prop. 8) that government has no business in our bedrooms. Well, I think the government has no business being in our living rooms, either.


Thank you for asking! If you have any questions for The Tribe, feel free to ask! For more of our Q and A, click here.

Thank you, President Bush.

There have been many things in the past eight years about which I have differed with our president. I'm one for small and very limited government. However, President Bush did many things right. I am grateful for the legacy he is leaving and for his leadership.

I spent a good portion of his presidency living abroad. When the main-stream media tells you that the world despises President Bush or that America has a bad name abroad, don't you believe it. I have never found anti-American sentiment abroad. Unfortunately, I've only found that on our own soil.

So, in this last week of his presidency, we just want to tell our president "Thank you."

President Bush:

Thank you for declaring "Sanctity of Human Life Day" an official day ever year.

Thank you for vetoing a bill that would have mandated the federal funding of experimentation on live human embryos.

Thank you for appointing constitutionalists judges with whom we have the potential to overturn Roe V. Wade. Your judges also tipped the vote enabling Partial Birth Abortions to be banned.

Thank you for signing into law the Federal version of the Born Alive Infant Protection Act.

Thank you for signing a conscience clause into law. This means that health care workers cannot be forced to participate in acts or procedures that violate their conscience.

Thank you for protecting us from terrorists. Since 9/11 there has not been another terrorist attack on American soil.

Thank you for upping America's aid to Africa. (Tripled, actually.)

Thank you for protecting the right to bear arms by allowing the Clinton assault weapon ban to expire and not be renewed.

Thank you for the tax cuts.

Thank you for rejecting the ridiculous UN Rights of the Child Treaty.

Thank you for rejecting funding for the UN Population Fund (a total of $195 million!), which is responsible for atrocities like this. (Incidentally, Obama says he will restore funding to the UNFPA.)

Thank you for all this and more. While we acknowledge the challenges and shortcomings of these past eight years, we also will look back on your presidency with fondness. Job well done, Sir. You are a good man and we honor you. Enjoy your well deserved rest.

The Gombojav Tribe

(In light of all he has done RIGHT, I'm thinking he needed better PR these past eight years!)

Snubbing Her Highness

Once upon a time, there was the popular girl in high school. You know the one. Everyone wanted to be her friend. Everyone wanted to copy her fashion-sense. Everyone wanted to sit next to her in class. When she decided that orange was the new pink, everyone showed up to school looking like pumpkins. She knew that the school was her kingdom.

But, one day there came a new girl to school. She tried to sit at the popular girl's lunch table. She was rejected. Undeterred (because her identity was not in any way tied to the popular girl), she befriended all the other kids instead.

Then the popular girl said, "OK, you may sit at my lunch table." And the new girl, without a hint of irony said, "No thank you" and happily ate with the second and third most popular people as well as the lowest class. She had no loyalties that prevented her from fully enjoying the whole environment. The End.

The new girl

Oprah interviews on her terms and on her time, which of course she has the perfect right to do--it being her show and all. However, when you lay it out the way she did, I don't think she should be feeling miffed that now Sarah Palin isn't swooning to have an appearance on her show.

(A wee bit catty?)

Here's the thing:

A journalist, talk show host, variety show host or anyone who makes their living from talking to interesting people are not themselves the star. They introduce the stars to the world. They let the world know who and what are interesting--they themselves are not what is interesting. Oprah would be nothing if not for the interesting people--movie stars, politicians, musicians, designers, etc.--with whom she talks.

But, things are so upside down these days. Instead of an interviewer being thrilled that they get to interview famous people, the famous people are supposed to be thrilled to be interviewed.

Does this not seem a little upside down to anyone else?

And so, Sarah Palin doesn't go on Oprah. Oprah can kvetch about it all she wants, but in the end, if you tell someone in essence: "It's my way or the highway." be prepared that they just might choose the highway!

Post-Election Reflection

(Ok, Claire, here you go.)





If you click on the politics label on the sidebar you will quickly learn that we were not rooting for the Obama/Biden ticket.





We were interceding a lot pre-election. We went to TheCall and I realized that it went even deeper than I thought as I began to wail. I am just recently starting to learn that I am an intercessor. But, the gift never manifested the way it seems to have for others. Yet, I seem to bodily and emotionally carry burdens for others.





The day before the election a heaviness came on me. The spiritual atmosphere around here was not defeated, but definitely not joyous. The morning of the election I took Meg and Israel with me to the polls and let them vote (we had prefilled out the sample ballot for them to follow).





We came home and worshiped and prayed and soaked in God's presence. The kids begged to stay up late to see election results--particularly Prop. 8 (defining marriage as between one man and one woman), Prop. 4 (parental notification before a minor has an abortion), and the presidential race. Meg had a slight interest in Prop. 11 because she remembered from her tour of the Republican Headquarters that gerrymandering seemed so unfair.





We sent them to bed, but they kept poking their heads out. When it was announced that Obama had won, Meg and Israel's eyes swelled with tears. They said, "What about the babies?! Why don't people think that is the most important thing?" These days their political conversations go more like, "We really need to pray for God to change Obama's heart and make it really a Christian." Israel also now says things like, "Even when I was hoping Palin would win, I knew somehow that Obama would win."





Their innocence is so beautiful and refreshing. The issues are very clear for them.





And in the days post-election I've had several conversations with fellow-believers who did not feel the spiritual atmosphere change. They did not grieve the loss of the unborn. They did not feel concern over the possible passing of the FOCA, marriage being redefined, the ban on federally funded embryonic stem cell research being reversed, etc. All they said was how great it was to have a black president and how much hope they had for that elusive change Obama promised.





Their oblivion stood in stark contrast to my children who pray for the unborn almost daily and grieved that America elected an anti-life leader.





It reminded me of Jesus who said, "But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: 'We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not lament.'" (Matthew 11) It's as if Jesus is saying, "What is wrong with you?! Even children know when to dance and when to mourn!" We are so out of touch with the Father's heart. Jesus goes on to say in that same chapter that if Sodom had seen the signs and wonders that this generation has seen it would have repented and remained to this day. That's how bad it is to be so unaware.



Awareness.



That's been the gist of my post-election meditations. How is it that atrocities can be committed all around us and we just continue business as usual? How can we even rejoice that the man we elected happens to be dark-skinned while ignoring his dark heart? (He protected infanticide, people!)



I came across this picture and now can't get it out of my mind. Know what it is? Guess.

Give up? It's the staff at Auschwitz having a great time eating blueberries at an on-site retreat! (You can see the full album here. H/T Jennifer at Conversion Diary.)

Amazing, isn't it? Can't you just hear the heart of Jesus. "Even children know when to lament!"

If I had been a young mom in Germany during WW2 would I just have continued raising my children, tidying my home, going to church and living oblivious to God's broken heart? I hope not. But how would you know? Would it have been too difficult to go against popular thought? Would it have been easier to just pretend that we weren't at war with evil?

My post-election prayer is that I always remain aware and never jaded. God take my heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh, one that feels the pain of others, one that isn't afraid to stand up for righteousness, one that never dances when she should weep, nor weeps when she should dance. Lord, keep me aware. Keep my eyes open. Keep my feet ready for action. I may not be able to prevent every injustice, but Lord, don't let me ever get to the point where I stop protesting against it.

In the days ahead we may find our voices for life muffled by the culture of death. Please don't stop speaking up. Mordecai said to Esther, "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14

I was going to rant, but.....

....I think I'll let these clips speak for themselves.




(Did you catch that? "I won't have to worry about putting gas in my car. I won't have to worry about paying my mortgage....")


This country is in for a rude awakening.



A Savior on Capitol Hill by Derek Webb lyrics:

I’m so tired of these mortal men
with their hands on their wallets
and their hearts full of sin
scared of their enemies,
scared of their friends
and always running for re-election
so come to DC if it be thy will
because we’ve never had a savior on Capitol Hill

you can always trust the devil or a politician
to be the devil or a politician
but beyond that friends you’d best beware
’cause at the Pentagon bar they’re an inseparable pair
and as long as the lobbyists are paying their bills
we’ll never have a savior on Capitol Hill

all of our problems gonna disappear
when we can whisper right in that President’s ear
he could walk right across the reflection pool
in his combat boots and ten thousand dollar suit

you can render unto Caesar everything that’s his
you can trust in his power to come to your defense
it’s the way of the world, the way of the gun
it’s the trading of an evil for a lesser one
so don’t hold your breath or your vote until
you think you’ve finally found a savior up on Capitol Hill

We'll be sharing more post election reflections and prayers later. We spent most of yesterday in intercession and today the laundry and dishes call.

Patricia Heaton's Take On The Issues

Patricia Heaton, of Everybody Loves Raymond fame, speaks up on the most important issues of this election! (Only on our blog would we post a letter from Dutch Sheets and an interview with Patricia Heaton back-to-back! Aren't you fortunate to have such an integrated blog to read!)

If it won't play, visit here to hear the interview.

H/T: Life in Germany

A Message From Dutch Sheets

I realize that in the last few weeks this has turned into a very political blog. Perhaps some of our readers wonder why we can't just remain neutral. Perhaps some wish for our regular fodder of cute kid pictures and funny stories. Well, those will be coming back, I assure you.

But, this time is so urgent.

There was once a pastor in South Africa who often preached against apartheid. When asked when he was going to stop talking about politics, he said, “I’ll stop talking about politics when politicians stop talking about spiritual issues.”

Below is a letter from Dutch Sheets. Please read it and pray. This election is not about the war. It's not about gas prices, mortgage crisis, or how great it would be to have a black president. The most crucial issue in this election is about which president will appoint the next Supreme Court justices.

I haven't heard this point mentioned very often, but if you vote on no other issue, just consider the shape of our nation in 50 years--because Justices sit for life.

October 20, 2008

Dear Praying Friend,

In 2000, I wrote the 2nd most important letter of my life—a call to prayer for the elections of that year. I’m now writing what may be my most important letter. I knew the importance of those elections in 2000 was beyond any in my life up to that point and that the spiritual warfare surrounding them would be unlike anything any of us had ever seen. That letter was read by millions of people and I believe millions of them responded by praying. I also believe the prayers turned the tide.

You may question whether President Bush was the right choice; obviously, he has made some blunders in his tenure as president. But two of his decisions alone left no doubt he was God’s choice: Roberts and Alito. These two Supreme Court Justices have proven critical in the process of breaking the hold of humanism, death and anti-God agendas that have ruled the Court for 50 years. I assure you that more devastation—the shedding of innocent blood, immorality, decay of the family and an erosion of our godly heritage—has flowed into our nation through that institution than any other door in America. The poison allowed into America through their decisions is beyond any of our abilities to articulate.

The reality in America is that you don’t need to control Congress or the White Hose to rule the nation. You only need 5 people – 5 out of 9 on the Supreme Court. And for decades those who disagree with just about everything you and I stand for have been in control!

In Bush’s two terms, the process of turning this around began with the appointments of Roberts and Alito. Now, we win some cases 5-4 and lose some 4-5. (We barely outlawed partial birth abortion. The vote of one judge saved thousands of babies from this horror.) We need one more conservative Justice for a consistent majority, then more to build a strong major majority.

In Obama’s own words, "the next president will appoint at least one, perhaps two or more Supreme Court Justices." He’s right. Almost certainly two or more older, liberal Justices are waiting until after the elections to retire, in hopes of Obama winning and appointing more liberals to replace them. And he certainly would. He voted against the confirmation of Roberts and Alito. So did Biden. And Biden led the fight against Justice Thomas several years back, another of the 4 solid conservatives. Make no mistake about it, the two of them do have a litmus test for Supreme Court Justices, and a major part of that test is Roe vs. Wade. McCain and Palin, on the other hand, both have very strong pro-life positions. This alone makes the choice for President simple. To vote for the 2nd and 3rd most liberal senators (Obama and Biden), both of whom are firmly and blatantly pro- abortion, would be unconscionable. Obama has actually said that if he wins, he would like his first action as president to be the signing of the Freedom of Choice Act, which would eliminate every other law against any aspect of abortion (partial birth abortion, parental notification, etc., etc.). And with a democratic majority in the House and Senate, pretty much any legislation he and Biden want to pass will be a slam-dunk. There are many other unrighteous positions they hold but this position alone makes the choice easy. If they win this election, it will set America back decades in the cause of life and the restoration we seek.

Just as many of you do, I too, want to see a first black President, but not Senator Obama. To allow that noble and godly desire, the economy or one’s position on the war to trump this issue of life and death for the innocent unborn is simply wrong. The scriptures teach that if we choose first to exalt righteousness and turn from evil, God promises to heal our land (see Proverbs 14:34; 2 Chronicles 7:14). It is righteousness that exalts a nation, not wealth, prosperity or armies. If we will finish the process of removing the curses of death and anti-God laws off of America by electing a president that will continue to shift the Court, God will grace us with breakthrough in other areas such as the economy, the war against terrorism, etc. My faith is not in a person, and certainly not a political party, for the healing of America, but I know God’s word and His ways well enough to know that our decisions do move Him to action or inaction.

Now to the heart of my reason for writing this letter (I realize I am "preaching to the choir"—most of you who know or listen to me are conservative enough to vote for McCain and Palin.) I have not written any appeals for prayer concerning this election because:

1. Others have, and
1. I believe our movement has matured to the point that the prayer base of the Church is already praying.

But I now feel the need to raise my voice. I am appealing to you to pray for these elections the next two weeks like you’ve never prayed for any in the past. Faithfully. Passionately. Boldly. Ask God for His mercy and grace. We deserve His judgment for removing His influence and authority from our government, schools, homes and businesses; for the killing of 50 million babies; for leading the world in the consumption and exporting of pornography; for passing laws to reject His; etc. But mercy triumphs over judgment and in His wrath He remembers mercy. In 2000 we actually lost the popular vote and won the election—talk about grace! Please pray for this grace to be released again.

But I am also asking you for something more than normal prayer. For those of you who understand spiritual warfare, I am asking you to also include this aspect of prayer. There is no doubt that we have entered a Daniel 10 moment in time: "Then he said to me, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, I have come in response to your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia’" (Daniel 10: 12-13 NAS). The spiritual warfare in this election is incredibly fierce, and just as it was in Daniel’s day, is all about the restoration of a nation. And also like Daniel, we must keep praying until we win the battle in the heavens.

In August of this year I predicted that September would mark a shift in momentum for these elections. This happened with the appointment of Sarah Palin as the Vice Presidential nominee (who is a true Esther in our generation), but when the economy began its meltdown and the media ramped up their unprecedented attacks on Palin, that momentum wasn’t sustained. But we can see it turn again if we approach this battle as the spiritual warfare it truly is and bind the evil forces involved (see Matthew 16:18-19). The reality is that this election can be the breakthrough we need to fully shift the Court (and ultimately our nation) or it will be an immeasurable setback that could take many years to reverse—if ever.

Please understand what I am saying: if we engage in this battle and do what I am asking—in mass—we will win; if we do not, we will lose. I, for one, don’t intend to allow the latter. I am in Washington, D.C. now (October 20-22) with Lou Engle and a team of prayer leaders from around the nation to war for this election. Join us! Lose some sleep, miss some meals—pray! Pray like never before for these elections. And as you do, involve yourself not only in petitioning prayer but also in spiritual warfare. Use your God-given authority over the plans and strategies of satan’s kingdom. Bind all witchcraft that is working to control the outcome, including occultic powers that are suppressing truth. Release Christ’s Kingdom rule in every way the Holy Spirit leads you.

Don’t be deceived and don’t lose hope (if you have to, turn off the TV.) It is not too late to turn these elections. God is plenty powerful enough to do so. The real question is will we rise to the level of prayer and spiritual warfare necessary to release that power. And remember, we don’t need a majority of Christians who are willing and able to do this—only a praying remnant. We can do it!

Here are some practical suggestions to consider:

1. Fast (a meal a day; a day a week; a Daniel fast; 3 days; 10 days; TV; etc.) and spend the time praying.

2. Agree in prayer with someone everyday for God’s will to be done.

3. Form/participate in prayer groups regularly. Churches could pray everyday.

4. Take time in every gathering to pray. (Take 15 minutes in every service to pray for the elections. Turn an entire service to harp and bowl style intercession—worship and prayer combined.)

5. Join 2 or more on a conference call and pray for 15, 20, or 30 minutes.

6. Pray on the way to work (and on the way home).

7. Pray before you go to sleep.

8. Pray before church services.

9. Ask God to give you His strategy—He will!

In His grip,
Dutch Sheets

Mrs. Carter

Reading on several blogs I've found the reasoning that Sarah Palin shouldn't hold public office because she would be unable to give 100% to her family. Sounds so lovely, doesn't it? "Giving 100% to your family."

Yet, taking a closer look I'd like to just suggest that nobody really does that and if they do it may not be the best thing.

Yes, I am a full-time stay-at-home-mama (and I like it here and have no intention of being a primary bread-winner), but even I don't give 100% to my family. Sometimes I give 100% to my cell group. Sometimes I give 100% to the people we feed through our ministry. Sometimes I give 100% to other people's kids.

Giving my 100% to pregnant women and their unborn babies.

I don't think life should be looked at like a list of priorities, but rather like a pie chart. My family may be my first priority, but they don't always have all my attention or the first slice of my time-pie. But, would I want them to? Would I want to raise children that think that life revolves around them? That when they close their eyes, it's night? Or do I want to raise children that know how to put their own needs aside from time-to-time to reach out to someone else?

And if you think about it, haven't your children adapted all right when you given yourself to various causes (women's ministry at church, homeschool co-op board, Le Leche League, political causes, etc.)? How many children have adapted to their mothers giving a slice (or sometimes big ol' wedge) of her time-pie to her boss, her charity, her research, her writing, her painting, etc.?

Helen Andelin, in her brilliant book Fascinating Womanhood, which I've read more times than any other book aside from the Bible, addresses this very thing:

"One day my little girl complained about my giving considerable time to a worthy cause. She said, "Why can't you be like Mrs. Carter? She pays attention to her children all the time." This hurt me for a moment, and I had to stop and give careful thought to what I was doing. Then I thought of Mrs. Carter. She was truly a devoted mother. She gave her children the best birthday parties in the neighborhood and the most lavish Christmases. They took lessons of all kinds, so she was always driving them places or picking them up. Whenever there was a community project where children were involved, hers participated. Her devotion was unquestioned. I too wished I could be more devoted, like Mrs. Carter. But I felt the service I was rendering was even more important.

"So I talked to my little girl and explained to her the meaning of charity. I told her about three mothers: Mother A loved her children, but got a little bored tending them all the time. She felt she deserved to get away part of the time, so she went shopping for long hours, golfing, and out of town. Sometimes the children got a little lonely and felt neglected, but they felt she really loved them.

"Mother B loved her children very much. She spent most of her time with them. They had the best birthday parties in town and the best Christmases. They had lessons of all kinds and participated in projects. She took them places, played with them, took them on long walks, or went bicycling. (I was describing Mrs. Carter.)

"Mother C, I explained, loved her children, but she loved other children, too, and other people, and wanted to help them with their problems. She took good care of her children, spent a lot of time with them and did all the important things for them. But, she shared some of her time with others, helping them. Then, I asked my daughter which mother was living the most Christian life. She immediately understood the meaning of charity and has supported me in benevolent causes since, sometimes as considerable sacrifice.

"The real enemy to charity is self-centeredness, an over-concern for our own. We focus on our children, our house, our husband and our problems. Surrounding us are people in desperate circumstances. They may need a helping hand, money, a word of wisdom, or encouragement. I received a letter from a mother who reflected back on earlier hard years:

"Both of our children in their infant years were sickly and ran temperatures. Our little daughter had an eye defect and almost died from a high fever and severe convulsions. After this I was scared to leave the children. My husband and I needed desperately to get away for a short time, but neither my mother nor my husband's mother wanted the responsibility for their welfare. We couldn't afford a nurse nor would I leave them with a young babysitter." Very few are willing to follow the admonition of the Apostle Paul: "Bear ye one another's burdens."

This really rings true for me.

Reject Sarah Palin's politics if you must, but let's not get on our parenting-high-horses and say things like, "She should be giving 100% to her family."



No one does. Perhaps no one should.