Elections

Haven't blogged in a long time. Not much to say that has come to mind that might be helpful or impactful in people's lives, so no need to put more words out there (as if there weren't already enough). Maybe we should start worrying about word overpopulation instead of world overpopulation.

But with the elections coming up, maybe just a few things. Not really deep thoughts (plenty of wiser men have already written), not just political bullying, and not just bemoaning, just things that I think that we should think about as believers WHEN we vote.

1. We are not of this world, we have another home and another kingdom, which is far more valuable. It's King and it's advance is our first priority.
2. We are given the privilege to vote for our representatives and governmental leaders in this country. Even if we don't like our choices, realize the blessing. I'll stop short of saying it is a Christian duty to vote, but I think you should.
3. God is the one who raises up kings and kingdoms, and he also removes them, and he does it all for his purposes. Sometimes we are not to know those purposes.
4. Vote your conscience! There are not only two choices. Refuse to be bullied into doing something that goes against your convictions. Know the candidates, and the likelihood of the ramifications of your vote. It does count.
5. There are some issues which candidates hold that are deal-breakers, such as abortion. There are some that really important. Then there are some that are preferential. 
6. Realize that thoughtful, wise, believers may come to different conclusions, especially as it relates to the last two of the previous categories. This is okay. We can still love each other, and especially in the public sphere, we must resist the urge to respond in anger.
7. Realize that the candidates are substantially different on many issues, but people thought that Obama was the anti-Christ and would bring the destruction of the country, and people thought that about Bush before that. America will be here after Clinton, Trump, or whoever the House of Representatives chooses if nobody reaches 270 electoral votes. Research your constitution, too. Know what happens "if..." So stop decrying the end of civilization as we know it. Politics are corrupt, shouldn't be a surprise to you.
8. Trust Jesus Christ, fixing your eyes on the things above, pressing on toward the prize of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ!

Just my thoughts. Thanks for both of you who read it :-) 

Apologetics

I watched an intriguing debate yesterday which was held at Bowling Green University. The topic was abortion, and the participants were a man named James Croft and Scott Klusendorf. Croft is a brilliant British humanist/ethicist with a Cambridge/Harvard educational background. Klusendorf is the writer of A Case For Life (which I highly commend to you), a graduate of UCLA and Biola University, and one of the best apologists for a pro-life position.

I really, really encourage you to watch the debate for two reasons.

First, the issues of life are discussed in great detail. Personhood, which is the crux of any argument dealing with abortion is approached from two angles by men attempting to maintain civility and focused positions based on science, logic, and philosophy. Many analogies are given to attempt to bring clarity to the subject matter, which are helpful as we think through the abortion debate. However, as with all analogies and illustrations, they usually break down at some point. Errors and assumptions are pointed out between the presenters that can help you and I not to make the same ones. Viewing it from outside will also help you see places that a position for life can be solidified by paying attention to the actual arguments and not the emotional words, ad hominem attacks, straw man arguments, and illogical conclusions. Additionally, we are able to be enlightened to the opposing position's thoughts and logic. Understanding is good, it helps us stay on target with the actual issue. This debate also points out related issues, such as women's rights, government overreach, and others.

Secondly, and the main reason I wrote this piece, you should watch this debate because it will equip you apologetically. You may say that much of it would be "over my head" because of the caliber of these men and their arguments. This is not a reason, but an excuse, and willful ignorance. Remember that this debate was before an audience of 18-22 year old college students. My conviction is that the church, by and large, is very unequipped to argue for crucial positions of ethics, morality, government, and theology (even though this debate avoided theology intentionally). One of the reasons that we are losing a cultural war is that we are leaving the apologetics up to a few rather than accepting the responsibility to be apologists for the faith and related issues. Peter articulates this responsibility in 1 Peter 3:15 (although I realize that the call to be defenders of faith in context usually deals with our faith).

So don't duck the Jehovah's Witnesses at your door because they might ask you questions you don't know answers to. Don't avoid the topic of abortion because the shame of the lack of understanding. Don't cower in fear when someone brings up the subject of creation and evolution. Don't flee from a person challenging your trust in the bible. Research, think, speak carefully, convince others of truth.

This does not mean that we all must become great apologists, just that must be willing to learn, and purpose to do so. The evidence is there. Science does not refute our positions as evangelical, bible-believing Christians. Nor does archaeology, history, philosophy, or logic. If we have truth, it is perfectly reasonable, in fact, necessary that we investigate, even question it. The temporary result may be that you must ask for time to research a question, but there is no shame in that (if there is, it may be a pride issue within your own heart); you have not lost. You may be ridiculed, but if they did it to Jesus, we should expect no less, John 15:18. Do as the apostles, and rejoice that you are counted worthy suffer rejection, Acts 5:41. Take courage, you can do this. Start with this video.

Can My Worldview Not Affect My Judgment?

Can one truly get unbiased opinions, even about facts (things true that correspond to reality, which is the definition of a Correspondence view of Truth)?

I read an article this morning that affirmed a principle that would be helpful for us all to remember as we evaluate our decisions in life, especially those that related to pressing issues. This article deals specifically with an attempt by a homeschool curriculum producer to give an unbiased "worldview friendly" curriculum. The article was written by Dr. Georgia Purdom of the Answers in Genesis ministry, so it dealt with creation science worldviews, and whether or not one could truly be unbiased related to science, because science, according to the publisher of the curriculum is only based on "observable" facts.

I also had a conversation on Twitter last week with a woman with a passionate agenda, who after some obvious evidence simply refused to evaluate words. It was a simple question I asked. I was willing to be persuaded. However, she just did not offer an opinion regarding the accuracy of primary source documentation on a particular website regarding statements and quotations that were made in some of Margaret Sanger's (early eugenics activist, population control, racist, and founder of what would become Planned Parenthood) books and biographies. She just refused to look, claiming she already knew, because she had read Sanger years ago. Her decision was made before ever entering the exchange.

I went on an archaeological dig in Israel in seminary, and the organization that orchestrated that dig was the Associates of Biblical Research, they believed the bible was historically accurate, even down to dates. While there, we were exposed to various interpretations of archaeological data that led to other conclusions by other reseachers. Same evidence, different conclusion.

Many issues face us today: politics, free speech, right to bear arms, legalization of drugs and gay marriage, education, science (especially creation science, as the previous mentioned article points out), racism, police use of force, and within Christianity theological issues abound, even the Supreme Court is usually divided on major cases down what we could call "conservative" and "liberal" interpretations. The words in the Constitution are clear, previous decisions are clear, but their interpretations are different. One cannot get away from the fact that all people have their biases, from which they start their interpretations of facts; they have a worldview that acts as their filter for ideas and information. We must make sure that ours is informed and accurate.

Of course, other than theology as a pastor, as referenced by the Twitter conversation above, abortion is one of the issues where our biases come through, a big one where we must be informed and accurate. An issue that represents about one million lives each year in the US not including mothers, fathers, and other family. As scientific knowledge of human development in utero increases every year due to advances in technology and science, challenges to case law on many levels and to worldview abound. Ultrasound in 3D/4D, surgery in the womb, DNA advancements, cameras, fetal pain studies, earlier viability of babies due to life saving technologies, better mental health assessments related to the damage done by abortion, further studies linking abortion to breast cancer, STDs, future reproductive health, depression, abuse, suicide and other long-term effects; and social media information transmission related to these advancements are changing minds. However, the same information, interpreted by a different worldview (one espousing a pro-abortion point of view) might continue to ignore objective facts, in my opinion :-) , and argue that these things do not undermine choice. They may argue that a baby is not a baby until it is viable outside the womb, or they may say that the first breath is the time where one becomes human. Or they may say that the conditions of conception can justify the taking of life, or various other reasons. Different worldview.

Culture and anecdotal evidence such as illegal sale of "fetal tissue" and the heartless means of extraction and intentionality to make money quick from the business of human body part trafficking are changing hearts. Of course, we can say that changing "hearts" is simply switching biases, even though we may rejoice at the seeming national trend of revulsion against tearing babies limb from limb inside the womb.

So, as you believe what you read on the internet (or in print, or the news media for that matter), consider biases. As you choose at the ballot box, consider biases. As you choose curriculum or schools for your children, consider biases. Consider not only the fact that others in these issues and fields have biases, but we all have them, only varying by degree; and most of us do not know it, because we are convinced we are right.

My bias, just in case you are wondering, is an evangelical, Southern Baptist view of biblical Christianity. One of the reasons that I espouse the Christian worldview (differences in flavor aside) is that there is a standard outside of me. And if I believe (bias alert) that the ultimate author of the Bible is God, he will not provide incorrect worldview boundaries. I think that I can make a good case with credible evidence for my view. However, if it were that easy, seemingly everyone would be evangelical Christians (whatever that means right now).

Thanks for reading, I know this one was kinda long. I like to read relatively short blogs, so I have failed you if you share my preference.

Culture Assault

Three areas that are significant to mention where our culture is continuing down a path that will bring the erosion of society and the judgment of God. I am definitely not qualified to deal with these in full, but I think it is important to note trends, and prepare accordingly. I am going to be brief, because of the multitude of topics.

Sexuality and culture: The sexual revolution in the '60s and '70s led to a number of things affecting our culture right now. Teen sexual intercourse stands now at 47% for up to high school students. Will they be yours? That's down slightly from 20 years ago, but still 47%! Marriage is going out of style too with the number of cohabitating couples rising 88% (and the latest stats from 2007). 55% of Americans now approve of this model for families (again, 2007). The culture advocates for marital privileges in law, healthcare, and benefits for unmarried couples. Gay marriage, of course, has been approved by SCOTUS, and therefore is making progress state by state. Finally, the LGBT community is forcing it's agenda on law, churches, education, and business--bathrooms, ordination of gay clergy, sex ed including LGBT lifestyle, college campus policy changes, and anti-discrimination suits against private businesses.

Politics: The Democratic party has gone off the deep end with issues like sexuality, socialism, abortion, environmentalism, and immigration. However, the acceptance of our country's more conservative population of leadership like Donald Trump with his character and behavior is insane! The only positive thing about it all, is that the possibility of the rise of a third or fourth party might be more possible than ever. The SCOTUS continually legislates from the bench, forgetting it's place in the constitution, which, interestingly enough, is used very little in government now anyway.

Silencing of the church: Christians and churches are among the most targeted groups in America. It's OK to be about anything else but white, middle-class, evangelical Christians (and to be fair, some of our behavior has earned this persecution). I only use the term persecution lightly, because in actuality, we experience little persecution compared to believers in other countries. In recent years, pastors have been forced to submit their sermons to governing bodies, sabotaged by spineless governors and legislative bodies to refuse to allow extra legal protection from discrimination because of their religious convictions. Churches are having to rewrite their by-laws to protect against gay couples desiring to marry in their sanctuaries, and after being denied, filing lawsuits.

One bright spot: abortion trends. I don't know if you can say that it is a bright spot when you are speaking of babies being murdered, but here is what I mean. The trend in the numbers of abortions nationwide is falling. We are under a million for the first time in 40 years. The high mark was back in the mid 1990s with over 1.3 million abortions. And since 2013 we have been just under one million. 2014 numbers, which are the latest we have, were ~977,000. Now, those numbers may not paint the whole picture. The "morning after" pill is not counted in that number; and there is no way of quantifying how many abortions that it may or may not have caused. Clinics have been closing at a record pace because of new state regulations. In 25 years prior to 2011, about 150 closed. Since then, we are seeing 31 per year closing; that's another 150 in five years. The number of clinics in now at about 400 (these are clinics that perform more than 400 abortions per year). Good trends, long way to go, still losing about 975,000 lives that would produce generations.

So, I lied. I said I would be brief. Most of this was preaching, rather that careful thought out writing. However, I want you to take away something from this: 1) prepare your children and grandchildren, or congregations for increasing relegation of our faith to a minority in society. Help give the tools to stand firm. Don't assume just because they go so church and seem spiritual that they will be fine. 2) Be bold. Don't shrink back from a witness to this cultural erosion. Do it in love, but maintain truth. It is not helpful to unbelievers to soften truth, but it is always helpful to love them to it. Change is continuing to happen, most of it not for the better for Christianity, but do not be dismayed, our God is with us, and He is large and in charge.

Abortion in the Pews

We will have about 1.2 million abortions in our country this year. Half of those women will be regular church goers and self-identified Christians. One may argue that many of these women are casual or nominal Christians, and not genuinely saved. So just to be on the conservative side, let's say that 200,000 of the 600,000 are actually believers. An abortion costs about $500 on average. This means that in 2016 believers will contribute over $100,000,000; that's one-hundred million dollars for all of us who have trouble counting zeros. Therefore, if we could just stop Christians from have abortions, we would truly begin to defund Planned Parenthood without regard to a presidential veto.

After that lesson in math, here's one from statistics. A recently released study demonstrated that only 7% of women who were regular church attendees when they had an abortion ever sought counsel from someone in the church. When asked why, they responded in unison; the church was judgmental, condemning, and shameful. They felt like the church response would not be helpful, but terrible. They were probably right, and still are in most cases.

Having said those two things, I went to a seminar yesterday. It was put on by Care-Net which is a network of Pregnancy Centers seeking to care for women in unplanned pregnancies. The Pregnancy Care Center of Tiftarea, whom I work for, is an affiliated center. Our centers typically, not exclusively, see women who are unchurched. The seminar was addressing the problem of the other group of women that I mentioned before--those in the church that don't typically come to us.

They want to stop the money, the murder, and the mauling in the church. So what they are proposing is that the church be like the pregnancy centers within the church. They think that the church can and should non-judgmentally love and care for these women. Novel concept--love one another. Crazy, huh! Almost like Someone said that before John 15:12. Care-Net wants to offer training for churches, and ways for pcc's to come alongside the church (instead of the other way around) to help the churches help men, women, and families feel like the church is a place they can turn to in a time of fear, shame, and worry.

Training is good, but the perception of the people will take longer to change. The attitude of the church must change from condemnation to love. Our practice can be holiness and love simultaneously. We do not have to sacrifice our commitments to righteousness in order to look upon sinful people with compassion, and aid them in their suffering. When this is preached, taught, and lived out in the church for an extended time, perception may change. Hopefully church culture will change. Attitude will change. Only then will our effectiveness increase as we truly begin to rescue those who are regularly in our congregations, and those who would one day be in our congregations.

One-third of my generation is gone. Many from "Christian" mothers, afraid of "Christian" churches. Let's start changing the perception now.

#WhyWeMarch

In my work with the Pregnancy Care Center of Tiftarea, we don't deal with politics much, for we are in the trenches dealing with the young women who find themselves in unplanned pregnancies. It's not that we don't want Roe v. Wade overturned, it's just that we have a laser beam focus to help women here and now, and pray for the former.

Today, the political side of me and the work of the PCC rose up as I watched the annual March for Life in Washington DC. Today was the 43rd anniversary of the terrible ruling that would lead to the murder of 58 million innocents, and who knows how many more to come. This year the snowstorm that was predicted to shatter records with more than two feet of snow on the city loomed. VA and MD governors had issued states of emergency. The mayor of Washington had warned residents to stay inside and prepare for days without power or water.

People wondered if the march would be cancelled or postponed for the safety of people. They wondered if people would cancel their plans. Would a poor turnout look bad? The news media as of 6:30 pm has pretty much ignored the several hundred thousand people in front of the Washington Monument and the US Supreme Court. Amid presidential candidates and this huge storm (both of which were participating in the march), I only found one mention of it among FOX, CBS, NBC, or MSNBC, and that was a photo of a few of the 65 pro-abortion people that were there, talking about Pelosi and Clinton, and Planned Parenthood being champions for women's rights.

They came in buses by the droves, they marched, they chanted and cheered. They carried signs and sang. They were joyous in the common cause of which they would not be thwarted by weather or politics or antagonists. I watched most of it on YouTube. It was great to see!

Of course, there was a bit of sadness in some eyes because of prior abortions. Many carried signs saying how they used to work for the industry but now were against it. Many wept over children they never knew, or of children that would never be tomorrow. One woman made a statement during an interview that stuck with me. She said, "we are here because one-third of our generation has be aborted." Remember that I speak on this all the time, even last week, but that was a powerful statement. Truly, America has killed off generations, because one abortion takes a life as well as every life that would have come from it.

My prayer is that Washington and many heartless, depraved, hardened, immoral, or scientifically ignorant people would just look at the science, and know that life happens 40 weeks before one takes their first breath. I watched the coolest and most convincing video I have seen yet of a surgery performed on 18-week twin girls in the womb. The camera was in the uterus, and it was truly amazing. You must see it here. Awesome, huh?! How can one say this is not a child??? I realize that overturning Roe v. Wade will not stop abortion completely, but laws against murder don't stop all murder either. I would love to see it, and so would the millions of children who will certainly perish if it's not...

The End Does Not Justify the Means

Recently, the abortion issue has been destabilized with the shooting of a mass shooting at an abortion clinic. Unfortunately, the timing is so terrible. Just when the pro-life movement seemed to be gaining so much steam with the videos released detailing the abhorrent selling of aborted baby parts, this happens. This man has done the movement no favors. In fact, he has done it much harm.

Because I labor in the trenches of the pro-life movement, I want to echo the cry of many Christian leaders and pro-life supporters: there is no justification for these actions. Even though at least 3,000 babies are killed every day in our country, killing others who may be abetting in this atrocity is not the way. The image of God is upon every man, and even God forbade people from avenging the blood of Abel by the murder of Cain. The image of God makes every life sacred; that is the principle upon which we stand as biblical Christians. Exodus 9:6

In our minds, often many "good" things are justified, even though we might have to cut corners ethically to achieve those ends. We might tell a "little" lie to "protect" a loved one from the truth. We might break the speed limit, so that we can get to church on time. We might avoid another brother or sister in Christ in order to keep the peace, rather than dealing with the issue and forgiving. We might lose our temper and be harsh with another to get them back in line.

Listen: the ends do not justify the means. We must maintain a biblical standard. We must maintain our integrity. We must maintain our convictions. If we do not, we will be hypocrites, and seen as such. We will have stooped to the level of those that we oppose. Let us with one voice condemn these murders just as we do the genocide of millions of babies each year. May the Lord protect us from others like him, and glorify Himself through the reactions of His saints.

Mechanics of Pregnancy Centers

As most of you know, I work for a Pregnancy Care Center in addition to my work as a director of missions for the Mell Baptist Association. At the PCC, we are preparing for one of our annual fundraisers; a 5K color run. I write on the sanctity of life a couple of times a year, but usually directly about abortion and the Christian call to protect life. This time I wanted to give you some insight into how we operate.

This year we have implemented an additional strategy for advertising, and I feel like I am always pushing and pushing this event on social media. Event creation, then sharing, tweeting, retweeting, promoting, boosting, inviting, and telling others to invite, share, tweet, etc, are constantly coming from me (this doesn't count the direct fundraising I do to underwrite the cost of the event). So why do I (the PCC) and other non-profits spend so much time fundraising? Well, simple right, they can't make or sell anything to make a profit, and very few are self-supporting.

So we have about three fundraisers a year: a banquet, a baby bottle campaign, and for the last two years we have had a 5K/1M color run. These fundraisers make up a little less than half of the financial needs that we have to support an executive director and four part-time staff, including a nurse manager, patient manager, advancement manager (me), and an office manager. We definitely don't do it for the money, it's a service to the kingdom, women, and children. Then there are the volunteers who don't get any remuneration, and do everything from being patient advocates, nursing, newsletters, preparing food, counting coins, serving on the board of directors, and aiding with events. This ministry could not continue without them.

The other funding for our center comes from regular individual givers, churches and a few businesses. These are crucial to the continuation of our ministry as well. All these help us minister to women with unplanned pregnancies in at least eight counties. They help us share the gospel to over 100 women, and preserve the lives of 50-60 babies each year in the most recent years.

All that to conclude that these fundraisers (and their seemingly endless promotion) allow children to take their first breaths, and mothers to be rescued from the lingering scars of abortion. Thank you for all that you do, especially those who labor in prayer for us. If you are a runner, or know of someone who is, tell them to join us for our Color Me Baby color run on Oct 24th. You can get all the info on the colormebabyrun.com site. If you want to donate, you can do that as well through the site or through our Facebook page. Pray that it goes well, and that the Lord with use it to provide for us! Hope to see you there!

Leading to Death

The last piece I wrote was about a well-thought-out, courageous move for a pastor and his church in leading itself to great self-sacrifice for a greater kingdom work. Today, I write of self-centered cowards who slaughter the innocent for convenience with little thought to the gravity nor the consequences of such an action. I usually write about this a couple of times a year on this blog, and as little as I blog, you must think that half my posts are about this topic. You can see my last couple of posts pleading for your help in defending the defenseless here, Sanctity of Life Month, Make No Exceptions, and Preserving Life. However, as I have mentioned before, I work for the Pregnancy Care Center of Tiftarea, and so the topic comes up for me daily. And I realize that most people who don't work in a PRC/PCC may not think about it everyday, we all should think about it more. Churches should speak of it more. Pastors should speak of it more. We should be well-informed, and well-prepared to speak for those that have no voice.

Today is the day that the Supreme Court ruled to sign the death certificate for 57 million babies, and scar their mothers for life. Today I spoke for another Pregnancy Center in Douglas, GA at a program that they had for remembrance, repentance, and renewed determination to do all that we can do for the unborn and their mothers--for we defend them both. One of the other speakers wept before she even got to the microphone. She spoke of the friends in college who had abortion after abortion. She spoke of the stand she took, but she also spoke of the ministry that she had to them when they returned broken and bleeding (inside and sometimes outside). The worst thing that she spoke of, something that I had never thought about, were the dreams that these friends would have about their guilt and their longing for their children. She told of hearing them wake up screaming in the night...over and over. She told of the time that she spent with them as they cried all night, wailing over their baby. She said the abortion doctors didn't tell them. Powerful testimony, eye-opening, and my prayer was that we would all weep like that when we discuss it.

For those in South Georgia that would like to support us, this is the time of year that we begin preparing for our annual fundraising banquet. I'll give more information later, but you can come on your own, host a table (bring some friends), sponsor a table, give to underwrite, or volunteer. All the websites and pages aren't set up yet, but I will get them out soon.

Thanks for reading, pray for the children in the womb and their mothers, and those trying to help.

Preserving Life

Since resigning my pastorate last year, I have taken on the task and job at the Pregnancy Care Center to advance it's ministry.  I am the Advancement Manager. Ha ha, the title sounds real important, but I am only one of four part-time staff, and there is no one there that I manage. I handle church relations, donor relations, volunteers, events, and expansion into areas that we don't have good exposure. Even as I write, the task seems daunting. However if you compare it to the plight of the unborn striving to live, or the persecuted believers in Nigeria, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, and China (just to name the ones in the news currently), my work is easy.

One thing that I didn't anticipate in going to work at the Pregnancy Care Center was the heart that I would gain for the unborn. It didn't take graphic photos of the horrors of abortion, all it took was the numbers on the praise board of the lives saved, the faces of women who have been helped, media, and the tirelessness of those here that would give their last breath to save a woman and a child. Together For Life is one of the best pro-life videos ever. It speaks about the historical perspective of Christianity, and its love for babies, women, and the unborn (and the guy has a cool accent, British I think). Below is another great one from another pregnancy care center. It's called Sanctity of Life 2014. Both of these are very encouraging, and bring about cause for rejoicing that believers are out there working to end  the atrocity of abortion.


Another thing that I gained was a realization of the apathy of most churches compared to the enormity and gravity, and urgency of the atrocity of abortion; especially in light of the history the Christian community has always had for children, born and unborn. I think part of the reason that we are that way is that we cannot fathom 55 million babies.  We can't fathom 55 million of anything. Once I heard a demonstration that helped me understand it, that crushed a lot of apathy for me. The Sound of Abortion is much more difficult and heart-wrenching to watch/hear. But take a minute and listen to it. Every believer should.

I enjoy working here at the PCC. It takes up precious time, but I believe that God will save many babies and mothers through this ministry. And of course, when God saves a baby and his/her mother, God is saving a generation, as that child would have produced children, who would have produced children, and so on. One abortion actually kills a life, maims another, and removes the potential for maybe hundreds more, if the Lord tarries His coming.

Find your closest PCC, and volunteer, give, and pray for it's success. Twenty-nine women who came here determined to abort so far in 2014 have chosen life! There will be women with fearful minds, facing one of the most difficult decisions in their lives, laying their heads down on pillows in your community, maybe in your neighborhood, awaiting decision day--tomorrow. How will you help them?

Make No Exceptions

This Sunday was Sanctity of Life Sunday and was used as a reminder of the biblical principal that God holds the keys to life and death; that the image of God is imprinted on every man, woman, and child (born or preborn); and that from the moment of conception, we have a person who's days are numbered out before him/her, and who is known by his Maker.  I hope that it was focused on in gathering with your church at some level, for it is a matter of life and death for 1.5 million people in our country, as well as their mothers and fathers.

I had a woman stop by a booth that we had brought to a festival in a neighboring county. Since the clinic side of our Pregnancy Care Center is known as Women's First Choice Medical, she asked if we were against abortion.  I told her that we believed that children were a gift from God, and did not believe in abortion. She said that she didn't believe in abortion either unless the children were going to be born into a home that they would have single parents who would treat them poorly.  WHAT? I was probably not very sensitive, but I asked her if she preferred murder over a hard life?  "Oh no, that's not what I said," she remarked. I didn't take time to engage with her much more as she seemed to be moving along and rather caught off guard by the implication that abortion was murder.  BUT, that was exactly was she was saying!

In light of our culture's commonly held justifications for abortions (rape, incest, children with birth defects (funny how Jesus would not call it that John 9:3, or poor environments in which to be born), I think it is good that we go back to biblical teaching to deal with it, AND THINK. Now in reality, this only applies to a little over 1% of the number of abortions performed. But if God knits together a meter long strand of 23 paternal chromosomes with another maternal strand (and Job 10:11, David in Psalm 139:13-16, and Jeremiah 1:5 explicitly say, and many other passages imply by granting conception), and makes, at that point, a baby; is there a reason to think that He doesn't knit together babies who are formed under circumstances other than planned and intended within wedlock?

Doesn't He fashion and know those children (the name by which all babies in the womb are called in scripture) set in motion through rape and incest, we see that in the bible in the cases of Lot's daughters, Tamar, and Bathsheba.  Doesn't He oversee the formation of the lame and blind and seeing and deaf--Exodus 4:11. A study was done at a Boston hospital that showed that 92% of women who have a prenatal diagnosis of down syndrome aborted. Why, because they didn't want the child to live with difficulty? Because they didn't want to take care of her? Because the child communicated to them that he didn't want to live? Children of rape, even for all it's terrible consequences are formed by God bringing all things to good (Romans 8:28). Children molded in the womb of unwed mothers cohabiting, "hooking up," fornicating are formed by God using sin to grant the world a new life. Children of incest were formed by God allowing what He called sin to set in motion life, which He alone gives. Children with deformities are formed by God, blessing their families with lifelong heartache and joy that they would not trade for anything, whether that life is long or short-lived. Some of those ones that are predicted by doctors to be short-lived defy the odds and the doctors just to testify that God fashions our bones, organs, and muscles, but also our days, and He says when they begin and when they end.

There are no exceptions. Period. As a christian, do not let the world talk you into "exceptions." Some believers look for wiggle room, but know that biblically, logically, and philosophically, there is none. Be sensitive, loving, but stand up for all the unborn children in every case.

January--Sanctity of Life Month

My second job is working for the Pregnancy Care Center of Tiftarea.  I love working there with a great group of ladies for the protection of the unborn, and their mothers from the atrocity of abortion.

January is Sanctity of Life month and so we are spending a lot of energy working with churches, donors, doctors, and the community to raise awareness of the holocaust of children in the US. I don't use that term lightly. The US will see 1.5 million children murdered in the womb in 2014 as it did in 2013. And it has seen over 55 million since 1973, when Roe vs Wade became law.  That calculates to nine times more than the holocaust. Those numbers are staggering, so maybe this video clip will help put it in perspective.  It is not graphic, simply audio.

Biblically, God calls us to be outraged at the lost of human life.  Child sacrifice was the most vicious form of this in the bible.  He was very clear, too many times to mention.  Outrage should be followed by action. Most evangelicals don't think think about the fact that each day 4000 babies are killed. What's wrong with this picture?  One writer that I was reading said it about like this, Planned Parenthood (and other pro-abortion groups and providers) are fine with Christians being pro-life as long as they keep acting like they are pro-choice.  All they need is silence to win.

Now there is way too many arguments as to why life begins at conception, and why this is not a matter of choice. But I want to call you to action.  Are you supporting a local pregnancy center?  They are the ones on the front line.  Yes, we should vote pro-life, which is a deal breaker.  Yes, we should support anti-abortion groups that are trying to change the law.  And we should support in prayer.  But supporting a pregnancy center by giving time or money is saving babies right now.  Remember the women that will have an abortion tomorrow in your town are at home tonight reeling about the decisions they are facing.  Adoption is also giving them a place to point young moms to be, and is a great way to combat abortion.  Are you doing something about your pro-life stance?  If not. silence is complacency. Apathy and indifference is not an option for believers.  Show your faith by works.

She looks up at me, and says, "Thanks for giving me a chance"

Another testimony of a life that almost was not...awesome!

Many Lives Narrowly Missing Death

As I came out of the Pregnancy Care Center today, a woman stopped me and showed me a picture.  Knowing what we do there, she began to tell me this story about the picture.

This woman's sister was at a point in her life that was bringing her to her knees.  Her husband was dying of cancer and the doctors were not hopeful. Her sister also had a 16 year-old daughter, who found herself pregnant out of wedlock. This was devastating to the young teen.

She confided in the woman (her aunt), and told her about the pregnancy.  The advice that was given was something along the lines of, "you cannot have this baby.  This will crush your parents.  They are going through enough right now, and I don't know if they can handle anymore." This woman cringed as she thought about giving that advice.

Thankfully the woman's advice was not heeded.  The teen chose life, and carried "David" to term.  He become the biggest blessing to her dying father, who got to hold him for about the last year of his fleeting life. God's grace was magnified even through sin.

The picture that she showed me on her phone was that of the 3-D ultrasound of "David's" baby soon to be born into this world. The woman is now so glad that her advice was not listened to, and millions of blessings would have been lost.  Had "David" been aborted, so would his children, and their children, and so on.  One abortion costs many lives, and often we don't think about it.

A Second Job: PCC

Lots of thoughts have been swirling in my head about the local church and how is should operate (whole other blog, many of them), and so my current position at the Mell Baptist Association will give me time to think.  For those of you that may not know, my position at the Mell Assocation is to coordinate the efforts of the 29 churches in our association to do ministry and missions.

Anyway, I have a second "part-time" job, which is also a ministry position.  I work for the Pregnancy Care Center/Women's First Choice Medical Center of TiftArea.  I am the Advancement Manager there, and my job is to advance the mission of our center which is to erase the perceived need for abortion in Tifton and the surrounding area.  This ministry has been operational for more than a decade, and the principle it is founded on is Psalm 139:13-16; that God creates all life, including in the womb.

Our aim is to care for women with unplanned pregnancies who are at risk for choosing abortion. Single moms, married couples, and many situations walk through our doors and call our phones each week, and our trained staff takes care of them.  We are a medical clinic, so we do have nurses on staff to operate our ultrasound machine, as well as administer pregnancy and STD tests.

We counsel all our women about their options, and especially about the dangers of abortion, and benefits of alternatives.  We are completely donor supported, so we are under no government regulations about what we say.  We are a Christian clinic.  Patients look us up and are referred to us as the Women's First Choice Medical Center.  And we are a safe place to turn for tough situations that require lots of love.

Last year we saved 50 babies and led 14 women to Christ. This year we have 36 women who have come to us ready to abort that have chosen life.  But we want to do more.  We want to spread out into outlying counties and towns (which we have never done before).  We want to speak for the unborn in places that they need us, and we are not there yet.  We want to give people an option.

We have Vision Tours here at the center that show and tell you all about our ministry and we would love for you to come and see.  But mostly we would like to come and serve you. Your communities and churches need to know that we are here.  Women are facing pressure from boyfriends and parents in those communities now, and we want to help.  If you can help us make inroads into a church or community group, we would gladly send a speaker or schedule a tour for them to come and see.  Or maybe you want to volunteer.  Any way that we can save lives, we are willing to help.

I would love to tell you a story or two about the lives changes here, even last week, but confidentiality prevents that.  Just know that God is saving the unborn here!

Care for the Fatherless

I have been reading a book lately called Orphonology. I admit I began reading it for purposes of sermon preparation for this week. This past week was Sanctity of Life Sunday, but rather than preaching against abortion, I decided to preach for adoption.

I serve on our local pregnancy care center's board, and I am completely in support of overturning Roe v. Wade. I believe abortion is murder, and it is a heinous and brutal reality in our country. I believe God will judge us for it. But I wanted to spend time yesterday promoting a solution to the problem that is very biblical and often overlooked, rather than simply cursing the darkness.

I also have always been a proponent of adoption. I have many friends to have gone down the road of adoption, loving the fatherless like they should. My experience with children's homes internationally has given me a heart and an understanding of the magnitude of the problem. But I just wanted to say that this book has challenged me and been a blessing.

I am only about halfway through the book but it asked a piercing question early on. They asked those of us who standup for the unborn, if we would also be willing to adopt those children if mothers decided not to abort. WOW! This is something that we really should consider, with the a mail of orphans worldwide who need a father and a mother.

So let me encourage you to read the book. Also here is the link to my sermon on adoption in case you're interested. Remember James 1:27 tells us that pure and undefiled religion is to visit the orphans and widows in their distress. Are we doing that? Are you doing that? Would you be willing to do that?