Celebrating the life of Gordon Bieber

Yesterday we celebrated the life of my Loving husband of 16 plus years. My only regret in our relationship is that we had not met sooner in life. When I was 16 and he was 24, we lived in Colorado just a few blocks apart, but never met...such a small world, yet sometimes so very big!  

If you know him, have spent time with him, or have just heard his music, you know he has a very Loving, caring, passionate heart. He just loves people. Through the years I have watched him and marveled at his simple Love for the Lord, which literally spills out of him toward others. He is by far one of the best lead guitarists I have ever heard, yet I have never witnessed one ounce of arrogance from him. He is selfless and always has a heart for the downtrodden.  He is a wonderful husband and father, too!  We spent the entirety of yesterday showing him just how much he means to us and had a wonderful time. 

I am so very thankful that the Lord gave him life and brought our lives together!



Every Life A Celebration!

On December 4, 2011, after a significant amount of hard work on the part of many, we put on a benefit concert for the Bella Pregnancy Resource Center.  Bella is a local outreach for those who face unplanned pregnancies.  They work tirelessly to educate on the God-given value of human life.  The event was very successful and quite a celebration!  Several young people shared their musical gift at this event and blessed a multitude via piano, violin, mandolin, cello, and voice!  We had a terrible ground blizzard that afternoon and still had a large crowd who generously donated to Bella.  What a blessing! 



Go away if you aren't aborting...

Thanks to Glenn Chatfield for this article!! 

Every single human life is a celebration!

We recently attended this year's Special Olympics Bowling Tournament.  As always, I am touched to the very depths of my heart by the passion these people have for life.  They may not face the challenges that we so-called "normal" people face, but they do, indeed, face plenty of challenges.  If we allow ourselves to receive the richness they add to life, we are surely rich among men.  I took the picture below, which epitomizes the Love shared between my beloved husband and our beloved Shana.  She had just bowled a strike.  I wish you could have seen the jig she danced!  Just spend some time looking at the picture and bask in the glow.  I pray it will encourage you to get outside of your own life challenges and reach out to give and receive the celebration of life.

Below, Shana is receiving a hearty congratulations from a fellow bowler.

Below is a picture of another some deemed unworthy of life...praise be to our Loving God having intervened!  You should hear this young man play that piano!  He plays strictly by ear and his head is full of God-given compositions that are beautiful beyond words! 



Here is another great article from Abby Johnson.  "Breast cancer is NOT prolife!"

How about a "180" heart change?

We have been receiving many emails regarding a film by Ray Comfort called "180."  We watched it last night and felt that it definitely needed to be linked here.  I do suggest that young children not see it until parents have viewed it.  It is necessarily graphic and most definitely has changed some very hard hearts with regard to murder of the unborn...please watch 180 and share it with others.

Here's an eye opener!!

From Neil Simpson...a must read!  Neil provides several links in this article as well as lengthy excerpts from a few different sites.  Thanks Neil!

Spanking is wrong, but murdering the unborn is right???

Spanking is violence, but murdering the unborn is a merciful choice??? 

Another excellent article from On The Box

A simple answer...

Following is something I read from On The Box :

Everyone knows when human life begins. Doctors know. The U.S. Congress knows. Planned Parenthood knows. Babies aren't murdered in the womb as a result of ignorance. Babies are murdered in the womb because other human beings make a premeditated choice to murder unborn children.

And the difference between Hitler's decision to murder the Jews and the decision made by people today to murder or support the murder of unborn children? Simple...

...The age of the victim.

When "culture" creates morality...

Whether or not they would admit it, those who believe that right and wrong/good and evil are determined by the culture and not by God will eventually fall victim to such belief.  This is the mindset that would determine the value/viability of all human life and would be in a perpetual state of change dictated by our ever-changing cultures.  I came across an excellent video this morning, which demonstrates this very well - The Secular Mindset-Dissected

An organization for the destruction of women

Here is a link to an article by Abby Johnson regarding Planned Parenthood's involvement with the Girl Scouts of America.  I do hope and pray that parents will begin to wake up and quit being too "otherwise engaged" to make sure what their children are being taught in local and national organizations!  Please check this out and let others know!  Bitter Pill

Who participated in THAT study??

Proponents of abortion seem to be in a perpetual state of performing "studies," the results of which they believe make them the authoritative voice of knowledge of the following [among other purported enlightenment]:

1. According to “studies,” mentally/physically handicapped children will likely be a burden to their parents and society.
2. According to “studies,” a baby will likely be a burden to a young girl.
3. According to “studies,” a child not “wanted” by the birth parents is “unwanted.”
4. According to “studies,” a child conceived unexpectedly will likely interfere with the necessary growth of the girl/woman.
5. According to “studies,” a child conceived in rape/incest will likely be a constant reminder of the rape/incest.
6. According to “studies,” a child conceived in rape/incest will not likely be wanted by anyone.
7. According to “studies,” a child born to poverty is most likely destined to live out life in poverty.
8. According to “studies,” a child born to poverty is most likely to be abused and/or neglected.
9. According to “studies,” young [teenage] parents will most likely abuse/neglect their children.
10. According to “studies,” children born to parents on welfare will most likely become generational welfare users.
11. According to “studies,” children born to women over 35 years of age are likely to be mentally/physically handicapped.
12. According to “studies,” if certain medications have been taken during the first trimester of pregnancy, it is likely that the child is severely mentally/physically damaged.
13. According to “studies,” a woman carrying a child following a devastating illness will likely die if she chooses to carry the child to term.

The list goes on.  The presumption never ends.  These “so-called” studies are never ending and have supposedly been performed for decades.  I read the statistics borne of these alleged studies, but neither I nor anyone I know has ever been asked to participate in them!  How is it that a select number of individuals in select areas are chosen for the interview and then the results of how they respond are considered the “majority opinion?”

If I go out and interview 100 people regarding the road construction being performed in our town and 90 of them say it is an absolute useless nuisance, can I then presume that 90% of the population in America finds road construction to be a useless nuisance?  Isn’t it entirely possible that if I were to interview a second set of 100 people that 90% would say that although road construction can be a nuisance, they feel it is very useful and necessary?  Why then should that 90% of the first 100 interviewed be allowed to represent the whole of society?   

Sadly, a multitude of pro-abortion individuals who have never even seen, let alone filled out, a survey on abortion will sit on the couch eating potato chips, listening to the “factual” study results [spoon fed to them by the “life-friendly” media] in favor of murdering the unborn, and shake their fist in anger at those “unmerciful” abortion opponents.  They make presumptuous statements like, “Those opposing abortion don’t care about what those children will suffer!”   

There are two things I believe every single person desiring their unborn child to be murdered should see.  First, they should undergo an ultrasound of the child in their womb.  Second, they should watch at least one video of every type of abortion that is performed [These videos being those already in existence rather than making even more unborn children suffer for the visual entertainment of abortionists!!]. 

Stopping abortion is a grave error...really???

Having had so many so-called “pro-choice” people state to me that their support of abortion is due to the tragedy of child abuse [This is such an oxymoron!  Because they presume there is a chance a child could be abused, they deem it “merciful” to brutally murder the child before birth???], and they therefore feel it is a grave error to stop the murder of the unborn; I feel I must address this again from a personal standpoint.   

In the beginning:  My parents were poverty stricken when I was conceived.  My father was an abusive alcoholic.  My stepfather was an abusive alcoholic.  I was severely abused as a child.  I grew to be a very confused young woman who had a propensity to abusive relationships and suffered greatly.  At the age of 23, the Lord began to break through the mire in which I was trapped and showed me that He, the Healer, Hope, and Salvation; had created me with a very special purpose, just as He had created every other human being…but I had to make a choice.  [God is the epitome of TRUE pro-choice!!] 

In the present:  I am very happily married to a wonderful, godly, Loving man.  I am Mother to three of the most beautiful children in the world; two birthed from my body and one from my heart.  I am “mother” to my husband’s precious son and truly amazing Down syndrome daughter.  I am the blessed and amazed grandmother to fifteen grandchildren here on earth and twelve awaiting me in heaven.  I Love people and attempt to be my very best in my relationships with them.  When I fail, I am not afraid to admit I am wrong and seek forgiveness.  I am a very content adult determined to do all that I can to glorify the Lord with my life and benefit this world as much as possible during my lifetime.  I do not drink [Scriptures do not say drinking alcohol is sin, but drunkenness is, Galations 5:21.]  Due to the extent of alcoholism in my family, I choose to not touch it at all.  I do not take drugs, steal, swear, or indulge in behaviors that would not only be unbecoming, but would also bring shame to the Lord and myself.  I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I endeavor to do my very best to benefit the lives of others in any way I am able.  I Love life and enjoy serving others.  How very glad I am that the so-called “pro-choice” did not have its way with my life when God was forming me in my mother’s womb.  How happy I am that I was born!! 

I have not shared the above in an attempt to puff myself up.  Rather, I have attempted to paint a picture of the value of human life.  Yes, had I been brutally murdered in my mother’s womb, I would never have been beaten by my stepfather.  Others would never have abused me.  I would never have been confused.  However…I would never have met my Heavenly Father this side of heaven…I would never have birthed my two beautiful daughters…I would never have married the most wonderful man in the whole world…I would never have been here to become the mother of another so-called “unwanted” baby boy…I would never have become grandmother to a multitude of truly beautiful children…I would never have done the wonderful things the Lord has given me to do for so very many others.  So very much would simply have never been.   

When one single life is robbed of the inalienable right to live, more than that one loses.

Love In Action!!

Following is a link on Eternity Matters that you simply must check out!  I Love seeing things like this!  We are certainly NOT alone in our efforts to support and fight for the lives of the unborn children!  I would Love to hear from you regarding your response to this.  Look at this and be blessed!

http://4simpsons.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/these-pictures-were-posted-on-a-naral-pro-choice-america-flicker-page-seriously

Presumptuousness - a prideful and dangerous endeavor

Presumptuous: 

1.) Bold and confident to excess; adventuring without reasonable ground of success; hazarding safety on too slight grounds; rash; as a presumptuous commander. 

“There is a class of presumptuous men whom age has not made cautious, nor adversity wise.”  [Buckminster] 

2.) Founded on presumption; proceeding from excess of confidence 

3.) Arrogant; insolent; presumptuous pride 

4.) Unduly confident; irreverent with respect to sacred things 

5.) Willful; done with bold design, rash confidence, or in violation of known duty; as a presumptuous sin 

Today marks the sixth birthday of one of the most delightful children I have ever known.  Is she delightful to me because she is physically and mentally stable?  No.  She is delightful to me because she is a remarkable, individual creation of our Loving God.  What is even more remarkable is that hers is a life that would have been ended in the womb had her parents not early on in marriage made the decision that the lives of their unborn children would be sacred and protected.   

Society would have ended this child’s life because her mother had conceived her shortly before becoming deathly toxic from a spider bite requiring various antibiotics and other medications over a six-week period of time.  Presumptuous individuals stated, as a matter of fact, that the mother was not remotely strong enough physically to withstand a child in the womb.  They also stated, as a matter of fact, that the unborn child would surely be grossly mentally and/or physically challenged due to the nature and multitude of medications taken during the first trimester.  (As if this would be something to cause the parents' Love for this child to diminish!) It was with some violence of tone that the parents were informed that this [abortion] simply could not be avoided.  Had that presumption been allowed its head, the joy of this child would not have been known this past six years.  Had that presumption been allowed its head, her mother and father would still be asking all these years later if they had done the right thing…and would not have an answer this side of heaven.  Had that presumption had its head, this beautiful young life whose favorite song is “Jesus Loves Me,” would have been silenced before she could ever have taken a breath.  But her parents were prepared to take on any challenge this child’s life might present because they believe that human life begins at conception and is the sacred creation of the Lord. 

Presumption is a most dangerous captain.  As stated above, “There is a class of presumptuous men whom age has not made cautious, nor adversity wise.”  [Buckminster]

On The Box

Please take time to read this article and others on this site:

On The Box

He has other very good articles regarding abortions.

Rallying for life...

This past Sunday we joined a peaceful rally for life.  It was a very cold, windy day.  We held signs with statements of truth, such as, “Abortion hurts women.”  I glanced up and down our long line of life supporters and couldn’t miss that “certain something” in their eyes.  It is a gentleness that simply can’t be missed in the eyes of those who Love the Lord and value all of human life as created by Him.  Some passers by waved and honked their horns in agreement with us.  Others shouted angry insults, shook fists at us, and made crude gestures.  One man even shouted, “You people are a pain in the a**,” to which my husband leaned over to me and replied, “Better than being a pain in the womb.”  Those angry and insulting did not cause any wavering in the hearts of those holding signs and we did not become angry in return.  I looked at the hardness on the faces of those opposing the God-given right to life and marveled that anyone could possibly be against us for protecting the sanctity of human life.  I especially consider that we would be the ones rallying for their right to live if their own turned upon them denying them that right to life.  The reality that there are so many in our world who would say they have the right to choose who gets to live and who does not is very disturbing to me.  If that supposed “right” were turned upon them, they would fight with the same vigor for their own right to live as that with which they fight to destroy others' rights to life.   

We later gathered at the local Care Net Pregnancy Center to give the center our support for what they do in our community to protect human life.  Here, stories were shared; stories like my own and some even far more harrowing.   

I confess that thirty years ago I did not think we would have to work so hard and so long for something as absolutely basic as others rights to live.  In fact, when I heard the words, “fighting for life,” it was always in the context of someone whose life was hanging in the balance due to accident or illness and the medical profession was doing all they could to save that life.  It wasn’t until I was sixteen and pregnant that I realized that not only were there people out there who thought nothing of killing the unborn, elderly, and infirm; but they also saw themselves as the authoritative voice on the matter, as they do now. 

This will be a life-long work…may we be found persevering when He comes.

Why?

Below is something my husband posted last night with regard to Osama's death.  As I read some of the news articles and viewed the cheering crowds, I felt that my husband's statement definitely should be posted here, as my blog is about the sanctity of human life.  I remember reading, "A Tale of Two Cities," and being sickened by the way people "entertained" themselves with hangings, beheadings, and other such things.  All human life is created by God and, therefore, we should always be grieved at the loss of all human life, even when it is necessitated, such as in the case of mass murderers, etc.  I know in my heart that the death of a mass murderer means no more death at his hands and this is a good thing, but I still do not want to be seen yelling and rejoicing over it.  It seems to me that when we behave in such a manner, even at the death of brutal, cruel people; we only become just like them. 

In the above, I am drawn to the subjects of abortion and euthanasia, as I believe these practices make for very hardened hearts, such as those we have witnessed at so-called "pro-choice" rallies.  If we continue to rejoice over a woman's right to have her unborn child murdered and the practice of euthanasia, the value of all human life is increasingly at risk.  I again assert that conception and old age are the "bookends" of humanity with all the rest somewhere between them.  Take away value for these two, and all value for the rest will fade away.  This done, there is nothing to convince a mass murderer that his activities are evil.

My husband asks:

 Why do we look like them? I have no problem with the necessity of taking Osama's life but was sickened by the picture in the paper of a huge crowd celebrating. It was the same feeling I had watching film footage of Arab nations celebrating after the destruction of the twin towers. Justice ... can it be served without wallowing in the gutter? I'm as guilty of a vengeful heart as the next guy but this reminds of children sticking their tongues out at each other after inflicting their childish insults and injury. Is it not possible to rise above? God help us ... is there anyone else out there that sees this as wrong? Why do we look like them?
--
Posted By Christian Ease to Christian Ease at 5/02/2011 07:59:00 PM

To Love One Another

I have received E-mails from very angry women.  Due to content, I have not been able to post them on my blog...but my heart has been touched and I do not want to cast these women aside as if what they think and feel means nothing to me.  I am not so far removed from most of them.  I am in no way calloused to the conditions and circumstances that often lead people to the disparity that draws them to thoughts of abortion and euthanasia. 

I remember being sixteen, pregnant, unmarried, and absolutely terrified.  I remember hearing, "You only have one option!" and "This is not a doll you are carrying!"  I remember running away to another state and hiding out for a time for fear that others might be able to kill my baby.  I remember the two years of nightmares that someone took my child.  I remember being told repeatedly that I was an idiot and that there was no way that I could possibly be a decent mother.  I remember my failures.  I also remember the things that my child suffered because of my immaturity.  I can't tell you all of those things without also telling you that I remember standing by the crib day after day as my baby slept and marveling how God knit this child together in my womb and that I look at her today and the many, many grandchildren the Lord has blessed me with through her.  Yes, there were things that we suffered because of my youth and immaturity.  However, I have never once looked at her and thought that she had been better off aborted!  I remember looking at her as she lie on a hospital bed at the age of 27 when we didn't know if she would live or die.  I watched as the toxicity from a spider bite drained the life out of her and praised the Lord that He had allowed me to conceive her, Love her, birth her, raise her, and know her.  I praised the Lord for the many wonderful things He had manifest in her life even using those painful times of being raised by such a young, immature mother.

I also saw my parents suffer before the Lord took them home, but never once felt that euthanasia had been a better option for them.  As the phrase, "Death With Dignity" becomes increasingly popular; I realize that this is a term created by those who didn't want to be bothered with the care and nurturing of those whose conditions were more needy.  According to my heart, my parents did die with dignity!  They were not perfect people, but I know that they always did the best they could with what they had.  In the last days of their lives on this earth, I was able to tell them how deeply I Love them and how thankful I am that they gave me life. 

A few years ago after very reluctantly agreeing to have lunch with an antagonist, I learned something I will never forget.  I had agreed to the lunch with hopes that this individual with whom I am forced into association would understand that she was not going to make me see things in her liberal view and that, for the sake of the relationship we could not avoid, we needed to agree to disagree.  Soon after we arrived at the designated meeting place, it was clear that this was just another attempt on her part to wear me down.  I was irritated and certainly had no appetite for food as I sat there listening to her drone on about why her liberal views were imperative.  Then I saw him.  There was a man, probably about forty, sitting in the booth across the isle from us.  His countenance was one of the utmost despair and I was immediately drawn into instant prayer for him.  He sat slumped forward with his head in both hands.  Although I had no idea whatsoever what was wrong, I knew that he was in terrible physical, mental, and/or emotional pain.  I continued to pray throughout the meal and my heart truly wept for him.  As we were leaving, I felt that there was something I should do.  I sat in my car for a couple of minutes asking the Lord to inspire me.  And so He did.  I grabbed my small notebook and penned a short note to him.  I told him that he could be assured of God’s Love for him and presence with him because He had taken the time to press his need upon the heart of a complete stranger.  I signed it, “Another child of God.”  I then took the note to his waitress and asked if she could pass it on to him. 

As I drove away that day, I realized that God had a plan.  He desired to press a need on my heart for a fellow human being, for this is how we are made.  We are not to cast aside one another when the need is great, but rather we are to Love one another and lift one another up.  I then came home and wrote the following poem:

Cry of the Heart

There are tears that can be seen

And cries that can be heard

But oft we miss the weeping of one’s heart

The sound of which our human eyes

And ears cannot detect

For these can only understand in part

Words fail to express

Pain beyond the flesh

A wounded heart comes not within such bounds

Look into one’s eyes

Seeing with your soul

Your spirit then can hear the grievous sounds

Weep with them if you will

Let flow the waters deep

A river bearing salve beyond compare

The language of the heart

Then offers up to God

The purest, most sincere, though wordless prayer

Following are just a few of the Scriptures, which command us to Love one another.  We are to value all human life as God values it, which is from the moment of conception. 

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

John 15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.

Ro 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

1 Thessalonians 4:9 ¶ But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

1 John 3:11 ¶ For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

1 John 3:23 ¶ And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

1 John 4:7 ¶ Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

1 John 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

2 John 1:5 ¶ And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.

Taking the time to really think things through...

It is clear that to murder the unborn is to punish them for a crime they did not commit, but this act is repeated again and again.  We would react with outrage if a woman were executed because a man raped her.  We would react with outrage if a storeowner were sent to jail because someone robbed his store.  Our outrage would be justified because the woman and the storeowner were being made to pay for crimes that someone else committed!  Where is the outrage that the unborn are being made to pay the death penalty having committed no crime!?  Where is the choice for the unborn child that the so-called "pro-choice" groups are clamoring for?  Having taken time to really think things through, can one honestly come to the conclusion that murdering an unborn child is the right thing to do?  Having taken the time to think things through, can a woman truly come to the conclusion that murdering her unborn child will solve her problems?  Since when did murdering another person ever solve anything? 

Following is an excerpt from an excellent article on my husband's blog, Christian Ease:

I read another letter expounding a woman's right to choose, after all our country was founded on freedom of choice...I am by far not as well read as I should be, but in all the historical accounts that I have read, I've yet to find one based on everyones right to choose what they want to do. They always want to apply a precept such as "freedom of religion," one of many principles our country was founded on, and liberally misrepresenting it, likening it to butter or jelly smothering the bread beyond recognition. I have read enough of the Founding Fathers to say with confidence that you're not going to find one that would not be repulsed at the killing of the unborn let alone the the idea that they implied any inherent rights to do so. They did overwhelmingly adhere to the idea that freedom of choice was restricted by biblical scrutiny and biblical truth trumped man's law. You were free to do good, period, as the Bible states. I realize they forget to teach that now, but omission doesn't change the reality of what was. Now I'm going to readily admit that while I would be opposed to a woman aborting her body I am adamantly opposed to her aborting someone else's body.  I like to reason these things out. You start with a common sense test like the following.

      If a woman is raped, who should pay?
            1. The woman
            2. The taxpayer
            3. The rapist
            4. The baby

     If a couple has sexual relations outside of marriage resulting in pregnancy, who should pay?
            1. The couple
            2. The taxpayer
            3. The baby

     The baby is the obvious fiend and punishment should be quick. Surely, if the little fiend can't be pulled apart in the womb then the job can easily be finished outside of it quickly enough or not. Payment for his or her crime can be made by way of research or by way of ingredient in a multitude of useful products.

What about babies and salvation?

Following s an excelent article posted by Glenn on his blog, The Watchman's Bagpipes.  I wanted to post it here to make it readily available to women who have repented of abortion and need to know that the Lord is holding those children in his Loving arms.

Over the years I have heard much debate as to the destination of young children, including those who died before birth (be it miscarriage or abortion); are they in heaven?

For those who believe in the unbiblical doctrine of baptismal regeneration, this becomes a real quandary.  The Roman Catholics invented a place called Limbo where these children go, which has been described variably as a place of natural happiness or of mild punishment.  Others, including a Lutheran pastor of a church we once attended, claim they go to hell.  Still others, like me, believe the destination of these children is heaven.

First, let me say that while I believe we are born with a sin nature and are “sinners” in that regard, I don’t believe that babies are sinners in regards to actually committing sins.  (For example, many people claim that when a baby cries for food it is demonstrating a sin of selfishness, but this is nonsense - it’s the only way a baby has of advising of its need!)

Let me give some thoughts from Scripture (HSCB).

+  Deuteronomy 1:39:  “Your little children who you said would be plunder, your sons who don’t know good from evil, will enter there....”  (my emphasis).  Notice how God said these “little children” didn’t “know good from evil.”  

+  Isaiah 7:15-16:  “By the time he learns to reject what is bad and choose what is good, he will be eating butter and honey.  For before the boy knows to reject what is bad and choose what is good, the land of the two kings you dread will be abandoned.”  Again notice how God says young children do not know - have not learned - to choose between good and evil.

I think these passages talking about children not knowing good from evil, and not knowing to choose between them, demonstrates there is an age during which a child is innocent of being charged with sin - an age before “accountability.”

+  2 Corinthians 5:10:  “For we must all appear before the judgement sat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or bad.”

+  Revelation 20:12-13 says that the dead are all “judged according to their works.”

These passages which state that we are judged according to our works imply that we have knowledge of right vs wrong, and a child not having this knowledge would be free from such judgement.

+  2 Samuel 12:23:  “But now that he is dead, why should I fast?  Can I bring him back again?  I’ll to go to him, but he will never return to me.”  David is talking about the death of his son.  Notice he says that he will be able to go where his son is.  Where is his son?    Apparently with the Lord.

+  Matthew 19:13-14:  “Then Children were brought to Him so He might put His hands on them and pray.  But the disciples rebuked them.  Then Jesus said, ‘Leave the children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to Me, because the kingdom of heaven is made up of people like this.’”  Mark 10:13-15 is a parallel passage to the Matthew passage, and vs 14 gives this as Jesus’ response: “Let the little children come to Me. Don’t stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”   This is repeated in Luke 18:15-17.

David believed that his child was with the Lord, and Jesus says that God’s kingdom is for “such as these” - not only children but those who become like children in their faith.

So let’s look at the issue of not only children, but also those with the mental capacity of a child - or even less.  There has been a long-standing teaching among Jews and Christians about an “age of accountability.”  Some give numbers such as 8 years old, but others don’t.  If there is such an age, I would say it would have to be variable because each person matures at a different rate, and some may be a genius at four years old while other may not have a clue until they are almost pubescent!  

The God of the Bible is a loving and merciful God, and not one who would condemn to hell the souls of children who never saw life, let alone children who not only never learned right from wrong, but also never matured enough to know anything about spiritual matters.  And this of course would apply to those with severe mental disabilities whose mental capacity is no more than a child’s.

I cannot be dogmatic about this subject because the Bible does not specifically state children are saved, but I think the implication is certainly there.

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Posted By Blogger to The Watchman's Bagpipes at 4/08/2011 12:17:00 PM

Persons NOT Products!

I recently became aware of the story and website of Rebecca Kiessling.  By permission, I am attaching her story here.  I encourage you to go to her website and read through her gallery of stories regarding the lives of those conceived in rape.  These are NOT products of conception!!  They are lives created by the Loving hand of God for His glory and they were not made to pay the price of the death penalty because they had been conceived in rape.  Rebecca's story is one you simply must read! 

Rebecca Kiessling's Story

- Short Form

I was adopted nearly from birth.  At 18, I learned that I was conceived out of a brutal rape at knife-point by a serial rapist.  Like most people, I'd never considered that abortion applied to my life, but once I received this information, all of a sudden I realized that, not only does it apply to my life, but it has to do with my very existence.  It was as if I could hear the echoes of all those people who, with the most sympathetic of tones, would say, “Well, except in cases of rape. . .  ," or who would rather fervently exclaim in disgust: “Especially in cases of rape!!!”  All these people are out there who don‘t even know me, but are standing in judgment of my life, so quick to dismiss it just because of how I was conceived.  I felt like I was now going to have to justify my own existence, that I would have to prove myself to the world that I shouldn’t have been aborted and that I was worthy of living.  I also remember feeling like garbage because of people who would say that my life was like garbage -- that I was disposable.

Please understand that whenever you identify yourself as being “pro-choice,” or whenever you make that exception for rape, what that really translates into is you being able to stand before me, look me in the eye, and say to me, "I think your mother should have been able to abort you.”  That’s a pretty powerful statement.  I would never say anything like that to someone.  I would say never to someone, “If I had my way, you’d be dead right now.”  But that is the reality with which I live.  I challenge anyone to describe for me how it’s not.  It’s not like people say, “Oh well, I‘m pro-choice except for that little window of opportunity in 1968/69, so that you, Rebecca, could have been born.”  No -- this is the ruthless reality of that position, and I can tell you that it hurts and it’s mean.  But I know that most people don’t put a face to this issue.  For them, it’s just a concept -- a quick cliche, and they sweep it under the rug and forget about it.  I do hope that, as a child of rape, I can help to put a face, a voice, and a story to this issue.

I've often experienced those who would confront me and try to dismiss me with quick quips like, “Oh well, you were lucky!”  Be sure that my survival has nothing to do with luck.  The fact that I’m alive today has to do with choices that were made by our society at large, people who fought to ensure abortion was illegal in Michigan at the time -- even in cases of rape, people who argued to protect my life, and people who voted pro-life.  I wasn’t lucky.  I was protected.  And would you really rationalize that our brothers and sisters who are being aborted every day are just somehow "unlucky"?!!

Although my birthmother was thrilled to meet me, she did tell me that she actually went to two back-alley abortionists and I was almost aborted.  After the rape, the police referred her to a counselor who basically told her that abortion was the thing to do.  She said there were no crisis pregnancy centers back then, but my birthmother assured me that if there had been, she would have gone if at least for a little more guidance.  The rape counselor is the one who set her up with the back-alley abortionists.  For the first, she said it was the typical back-alley conditions that you hear about as to why "she should have been able to safely and legally abort" me -- blood and dirt all over the table and floor.  Those back-alley conditions and the fact that it was illegal caused her to back out, as with most women. 

Then she got hooked up with a more expensive abortionist.  This time she was to meet someone at night by the Detroit Institute of Arts.  Someone would approach her, say her name, blindfold her, put her in the backseat of a car, take her and then abort me . . . , then blindfold her again and drop her back off.  And do you know what I think is so pathetic?  It’s that I know there are an awful lot of people out there who would hear me describe those conditions and their response would just be a pitiful shake of the head in disgust:  “It’s just so awful that your birthmother should have had to have gone through that in order to have been able to abort you!”  Like that’s compassionate?!!  I fully realize that they think they are being compassionate, but that’s pretty cold-hearted from where I stand, don’t you think?  That is my life that they are so callously talking about and there is nothing compassionate about that position.  My birthmother is okay -- her life went on and in fact, she's doing great, but I would have been killed, my life would have been ended.  I may not look the same as I did when I was four years old or four days old yet unborn in my mother’s womb, but that was still undeniably me and I would have been killed through a brutal abortion.

According to the research of Dr. David Reardon, director of the Elliot Institute, co-editor of the book Victims and Victors:  Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions and Children Resulting From Sexual Assault, and author of the article "Rape, Incest and Abortion:  Searching Beyond the Myths," most women who become pregnant out of sexual assault do not want an abortion and are in fact worse-off after an abortion.  See http://www.afterabortion.org . 

So most people's position on abortion in cases of rape is based upon faulty premises:  1) the rape victim would want an abortion, 2) she'd be better off with an abortion, and 3) that child's life just isn't worth having to put her through the pregnancy.  I hope that my story, and the other stories posted on this site, will be able to help dispel that last myth.

I wish I could say that my birthmother was with the majority of victims and that she didn't want to abort me, but she had been convinced otherwise.  However, the nasty disposition and foul mouth of this second back-alley abortionist, along with a fear for her own safety, caused her to back out.  When she told him by phone that she wasn't interested in this risky arrangement, this abortion doctor insulted her and called her names.  To her surprise, he called again the next day to try to talk her into aborting me once again, and again she declined and was hurled insults.  So that was it -- after that she just couldn’t go through with it.  My birthmother was then heading into her second trimester -- far more dangerous, far more expensive to have me aborted. 

I’m so thankful my life was spared, but a lot of well-meaning Christians would say things to me like, ”Well you see, God really meant for you to be here!”  Or others may say, "You were meant to be here."  But I know that God intends for every unborn child to be given the same opportunity to be born, and I can’t sit contentedly saying, “Well, at least my life was spared.”  Or, “I deserved it.  Look what I’ve done with my life.”  And millions of others didn’t?  I can’t do that.  Can you?  Can you just sit there and say, “At least I was wanted . . .  at least I’m alive” or just, “Whatever!”?  Is that really the kind of person who you want to be?  Cold-hearted?  A facade of compassion on the exterior, but stone-cold and vacated from within?  Do you claim to care about women but couldn't care less about me because I stand as a reminder of something you'd rather not face and that you'd hate for others to consider either?  Do I not fit your agenda?

In law school, I’d also have classmates say things to me like, “Oh well!  If you’d been aborted, you wouldn’t be here today, and you wouldn’t know the difference anyway, so what does it matter?”  Believe it or not, some of the top pro-abortion philosophers use that same kind of argument:  “The fetus never knows what hits him, so there’s no such fetus to miss his life.”  So I guess as long as you stab someone in the back while he’s sleeping, then it’s okay, because he doesn’t know what hits him?!  I’d explain to my classmates how their same logic would justify me killing you today, because you wouldn’t be here tomorrow, and you wouldn’t know the difference anyway, so what does it matter?"  And they’d just stand there with their jaws dropped.  It’s amazing what a little logic can do, when you really think this thing through -- like we were supposed to be doing in law school -- and consider what we’re really talking about:  there are lives who are not here today because they were aborted.  It’s like the old saying:  “If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a noise?”  Well, yeah!  And if a baby is aborted, and no one else is around to know about it, does it matter?  The answer is, YES!  Their lives matter.  My life matters.  Your life matters and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

The world is a different place because it was illegal for my birthmother to abort me back then.  Your life is different because she could not legally abort me because you are sitting here reading my words today!  But you don’t have to have an impact on audiences for your life to matter.  There is something we are all missing here today because of the generations now who have been aborted and it matters.

One of the greatest things I’ve learned is that the rapist is NOT my creator, as some people would have me believe.  My value and identity are not established as a “product of rape,” but as a child of God. Psalm 68:5,6 declares:  “A father to the fatherless . . . is God in his holy dwelling.  God sets the lonely in families.”  And Psalm 27:10 tells us “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.”  I know that there is no stigma in being adopted.  We are told in the New Testament that it is in the spirit of adoption that we are called to be God’s children through Christ our Lord.  So He must have thought pretty highly of adoption to use that as a picture of His love for us!

Most importantly, I’ve learned, I’ll be able to teach my children, and I teach others that your value is not based on the circumstances of your conception, your parents, your siblings, your mate, your house, your clothes, your looks, your IQ, your grades, your scores, your money, your occupation, your successes or failures, or your abilities or disabilities -- these are the lies that are perpetuated in our society.  In fact, most motivational speakers tell their audiences that if they could just make something of themselves and meet this certain societal standard, then they too could “be somebody.”  But the fact is that no one could ever meet all of these ridiculous standards, and many people will fall incredibly short and so, does that mean that they ‘re not “somebody” or that they’re “nobody?”  The truth is that you don't have to prove your worth to anyone, and if you really want to know what your value is, all you have to do is look to the Cross --because that’s the price that was paid for your life!  That’s the infinite value that God placed on your life!  He thinks you are pretty valuable, and so do I.  Won't you join me in affirming others' value as well, in word and in action?

For those of you who would say, "Well, I don't believe in God and I don't believe in the Bible, so I'm pro-choice," please read my essay, "The Right of the Unborn Child Not to be Unjustly Killed -- a philosophy of rights approach"  which is linked on the menu.   I assure you, it will be worth your time.

For Life,

Rebecca

rebecca@rebeccakiessling.com

A Perverted Cell

Years ago I took hospice training.  About three weeks into our training, an oncologist was brought in to teach us about the stages and processes of different types of cancer.  After a bit of teaching he opened the floor for questions and discussion and I asked, "In one word, what would you say a cancer cell is?"  To which he replied, "Well, to put it bluntly, it is a ‘perverted’ cell."  Upon further discussion, the oncologist explained that the body basically turns upon itself as the "perverted" cell doubles, triples, etc., and literally takes over everything in its path.  Hmmmm…the body turns upon itself.  A "perverted" cell takes over and devours the wholesome, healthy cell.  We are told that there are cancerous cells within all of us, but health, habits (i.e., food, tobacco, alcohol, drugs), and exposure to certain chemicals and other toxins; as well as the overall health of the individual, will tell whether or not those “perverted” cells are given the environment conducive to growth and destruction.  I found his answer to be remarkable in its correlation between the spirit and the body.

As the battle continues between those valuing the sanctity of human life and those who do not, I consider the aforementioned “perverted” cell and its correlation to a “perverted” spiritual “cell.”  Consider how much easier it is to destroy a country from within by encouraging the people to develop a hatred for their own country and therefore becoming the country’s own worst enemy.  Self-hatred is a mighty, destructive force…a marked perversion.

Now consider the womb.  The womb is the God-given, God-sanctified, God-blessed haven for the development of human life from conception.  The womb is a sacred place, a safe place.  It is a place entrusted to women alone for the conceiving, nurturing, and protecting of the first months of human life...until the perverted enemy is allowed access.  We are often told that “most” women get through abortions with no consequential mental, emotional, or physical ramifications.  This simply is not true.  Whether or not we see the damage that is done, the damage has occurred.  The woman who claims to have suffered no consequences at all from having an abortion and states that she will have another if necessary, has suffered the worst and most obvious of all the consequences of abortion combined…the hardening of her heart.  A hardened heart is above all the most difficult of wounds from which to recover.  Whether or not the woman realizes it, in the act of murdering her unborn child, she has turned against her own body.

Is it not a perversion when a woman allows the child {male and female} in her womb to be murdered, claiming her right to her own body, denying the child’s right to life, and then denying that it has affected her at all?  Just as the cancer cell that multiplies and destroys the body by wiping out healthy cells, so also multiply the perverted thoughts of mankind that deny the sanctity of human life and murder unabated. 

A Matter of War

Abortion and wars have two major common factors - the love of money and lack of value for human life.  Men, women, children; people of all ages, races, and backgrounds are fodder for the killing machine of war.  People gather and march against war, but all to often we see that in one hand they hold tightly a sign saying "No More War!"  In the other hand they hold tightly a sign that states "Pro Choice," as they wage war for the right to murder unborn children.  This seems like an oxymoron to me.  My question over and over is how can we differentiate between the two?  How can we say dropping bombs and killing thousands of innocent people is evil, yet say that murdering unborn children is choice?  Could not those nodding in approval of abortion justify the horrors of war by the same reasoning used in killing the unborn? 

Following is a letter to the editor in our local newspaper today (http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/opinion/article_6f9e5abc-56a7-11e0-af31-001cc4c03286.html), which spewed venomous insults at those of us who would defend the unborn; those of us who believe that the child, too, has a right to choose.  Below that is my response to that letter:

Letter to the editor:
Law limits women's reproductive rights
When Republican legislators in South Dakota - who have run this state for decades - found that they couldn't get away with writing laws to murder abortion providers (HB 1171), they decided to kill womanhood, instead.
To do this, Gov. Daugaard signed HB 1217 which essentially takes away a woman's reproductive rights, her civil rights and her personhood. Unlike corporations - which can live forever and feel free to make decisions about how to reproduce itself endlessly, or not - she can not be deemed a like "person" with the freedom to reproduce or not.
When a legislature writes bills to deny half of its citizens their human rights, but gives those rights to soulless and speechless financial institutions/corporations, some of us know that these Republican, Christian and mostly male fanatics have gone too far.
There is no hope that South Dakota will become Wisconsin, but the chances that we may finally vote these nitwits out of office is becoming more of a possibility.

My Reply:

"It truly would be so convenient if the issues of abortion were all about a woman's choice, but they are not.  The problem lies in the fact that while a woman demands a right to abortion; she cannot do so without denying the right of the unborn child to live.  Unlike financial institutions/corporations, the unborn child is not without a soul.  Unfortunately, however, they are quite speechless, which is something that the abortion industry monopolizes on. 

Until we stop the murder of the unborn and acknowledge their value endowed by their Creator; until we allow them the right to live, we will never successfully teach our children the value of human life at any other stage.  The value of human life is not relative to how one 'feels' about another." 

I have no desire to engage in venomous "word-wars" with anyone, but nor can I simply ignore such vehement attacks, which completely twist the truth of the matter.

Smoothing the harsh edges without compromising the purpose

I think that remaining tenderhearted and open is one of the most difficult things to do when confronted by others who vehemently disagree with me regarding my position on the sanctity of human life.  However, through the years I have learned that most often those fighting the hardest against me have wounds much deeper than those I had prior to the Lord's healing.  Because Christ first Loved me, I am able to Love those who hate me...or at least hate my beliefs. 

In my ongoing research regarding this Culture of Death in which we live, I find that many of those advocating horrific crimes against humanity have never known what it is to truly Love and be Loved.  In fact, many of whom I have researched, including Sanger, Darwin, Freud, Reich, Kinsey, etc., had bitter, harsh, and often stringent upbringings void of even the most basic tenderness.  I can't help wondering if much of what they lash out with was/is borne of the pain that only Christ Jesus can heal.  Without His Love and healing they are left to bear the burden alone.

I take note of the account of Christ turning the tables over at the temple (Matthew 21:12).  I doubt that the moneychangers felt especially Loved by Christ at that time, but I know He did Love them.  He hated their sinful deeds.

Defending the helpless is to me very much an occasion to jump in with both feet and turn over the proverbial tables of the proponents of death.  Abortion and euthanasia are not issues we can afford to be warm and fuzzy about, as there are lives at stake every moment of every day. 

I must also state here that humans and animals are simply not on the same plane when discussing value of life.  I have many animals in and around my home and would never advocate cruelty against them in any manner.  However, though I would sell my home to provide medical treatment for my husband and children, I would not do so for my animals. 

And so I move forward endeavoring to Love those who hate me because of what I stand and fight for, but I must remain unwilling to compromise.  It is the Lord to whom I must answer in the end and I dare not be found wanting in the defense of the weak and helpless.

Beyond Those Walls

Yesterday I read account upon account about women and young girls who died IN abortion clinics (not back alleys) during or after abortions.  I awakened this morning thinking about how concientious our society is becoming about fitness and healthy eating...and yet some women so determined to eat and exercise are willing to turn themselves over into the hands of individuals who murder unborn children!!  Then I wrote the following story.  Although this is a story of my own creation, I venture to say that it is not far from the truth of many of the true accounts I read yesterday...you know, the ones you never read about in the daily news.

The room is cold, so very cold.  Taryn asks the nurse for a blanket.  No reply.  No blanket.  The clock ticking on the wall is the only sound other than muffled voices down the long corridor on the other side of the door.  Her body shudders visibly from the increasing coldness of the room and she pulls the indecent, thin gown closer.  About an hour later she hears footsteps approaching the door.  The nurse enters pushing an IV pole bearing a bag of fluid.  Without a word, she takes Taryn’s arm and proceeds to insert the IV.  After four failures and excruciating pain for Taryn, the nurse is finally satisfied that the needle is in place.  Then, pulling a syringe out of her pocket, the nurse inserts the contents into one of the joints of the IV line and leaves the room.  Although slipping into a drug-induced sleep, waves of panic begin crashing in and Taryn cries out, “No!  No!  Help me, I’ve changed my mind!”  No one hears…or listens.

“What muscle is this exercise toning?” Tony asks with a grin.  “And when are we going to have time for anything other than your incessant exercise and training!?”  Taryn pauses to admire his handsome face that she found ever so much handsomer with that crooked grin.

“This is to keep the hamstring muscles in shape, Mr. Fitness!”  She replies with mock exaggeration pointing to the bag of potato chips he was munching on.  “This to which you refer to as ‘incessant exercise’ is the key to success for such a rigorous event!  When the Triathlon is over, we will have nothing but time…at least until I have to start preparing for the marathon in March.”  Now it was her turn to smirk. 

The phone rang and Taryn grabbed it with excessive urgency and flipped it open.  “Hello…yes, this is Taryn.  What?  Are you sure?  Maybe we should run that through again!  But…thank you.”  With obvious distress on her face, she flipped the phone shut.  Tony was watching her intently.  He opened his mouth to ask, but she nodded her head affirmatively. 

“Okay, okay…let’s be calm and rational.  This is no big deal anymore.  I mean, it’s not as if we are living in centuries past.  This can be dealt with quickly.  I can be up and back to training in no more than two weeks and the triathlon is in six weeks.”  Taryn was looking at Tony, but it was really herself she was talking to.

“I don’t know, Taryn.  I mean…I know I agreed before, but now it’s real and it just doesn’t seem right to me.  It kinda scares me, ya know?”  Tony hesitated.  “I mean, for you and the baby.  It just doesn’t seem right.  How do we know what really goes on in those places…I mean, can you really trust people who…kill babies?”

With vehement denial Taryn shouted, “Tissue!  Not a baby!  You can’t change your mind now!  It’s my body and my choice!  Women have fought for over a century to have a right to their own body and I won’t let you make the choice for me!  What about me?  What about the triathlon and marathon that I have been working so hard for?  Ever think of that?  No!  It’s only you that you think about!”

Tony walked toward her.  “Taryn, I Love you and I will Love our baby.  You can still do the triathlons and marathons.”

“No.”  She stated flatly.  “You just don’t understand that to have a baby at this time in my life would be like death to me…dying to the drone and drudgery of domesticity.  No.”  With this, she bolted out the door and up the road. 

There was a soft breeze that barely moved the new spring leaves in a tantalizing manner that always thrilled Taryn to the core of her being.  Tony sat down next to the fresh mound of dirt and stared at the headstone.  Taryn’s parents approached him and he looked up into their grieving faces with his own.  “I begged her not to…I would have…I did…I wanted to be a father…” 

Taryn’s mother dropped to her knees beside him taking his face in her hands.  “We know, Tony.  We know.” 

He stood on the corner in front of the abortion clinic waiting, as he’d peaceably done every Friday the past three years.  Perhaps he could save another one today…for Taryn and his child.  There was nothing left to do.