Forced to Abort

The Family Research Council sent out an email today that I was so appalled to read.  A Uyghar woman in China is being forced to abort her baby because it is her third, and therefore in violation of China’s one-child only policy.  You can read about it here.  It is maddening.

It is also maddening to hear that Barack Obama has stated that he will reinstate funding to the UNFPA (UN Population Fund), which is a group that supports this coercive abortion practice.   Anyone who believed that one of Barack Obama’s goals would be to reduce the number of abortions was incredibly naive and/or completely uninformed on his record.

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Biblical Perspective on Current Financial Woes

A few years ago when DH and I were looking at buying a house in Hawaii, we were warned by my sister that the housing bubble may be near its end and that we should be cautious.  She cited Doug Tjaden, pastor/elder of The Mountain Church in Castle Rock, CO.  I went to his blog and thought, “Hmmm.  That sounds really extreme.  He sounds very alarmist, and I don’t hear anyone else talking doom and gloom.”  So I dismissed him.  Then last year, the housing market started to decline. Foreclosures were way up this summer.  But still, I thought, “It’ll correct.  That’s what the market does. Now’s the time to buy.”   Somewhere in the back of my head, though, I thought of what I had read at Doug’s website.  “Didn’t he say the housing bubble would burst? ” 

Then in September when the DOW took a dive and the banks started collapsing and/or begging for federal funds, it occurred to me that maybe Mr. Tjaden had been right about more than just the housing market.  So I headed back over to his blog for a refresher.  Again, I thought, “This guy sounds like an alarmist.  Surely, the goverment will find a way to lessen the effects of this recession.  And there’s no way this will be a global economic crisis.”  I’ll admit, though, I was beginning to have some serious doubts

Then last week on the news, “EU in a recession.”  Yesterday on the news, “Japan in a recession.”  Hmmmm.  Maybe we’ve been putting our hope in the wrong places all along.  Woudn’t be the first time. 

So, I would recommend that you check out his website.  Read some of what he has to say.  The more I’ve read over time, the less I think he is alarmist.  He actually takes a pretty cautious approach, researching before reacting.   You may want to check this out first to give you a brief overview of where he’s coming from.

Anyway, it is just some food for thought.  There’s not much we can do differently, anyway.  Not as far as the financial situation goes.  But no matter what, if anything, is coming, there is no better time to reevaluate our priorities across the board.  Renew our passion for Christ and His Kingdom. Let go of the things of this world that entangle us, enslave us, and lure our eyes from Jesus.  Do the hard things that we know are right.  And pray for real revival.

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Post-Election Pause

Well, for someone who claims to enjoy political discussion, I totally dropped the ball this election season and didn’t even blog once regarding politics of any kind!  This isn’t because I was uninterested, because I was watching, listening, learning, and reading avidly.  But I was reluctant to blog because my faith in the reliability of any of the media or the sincerity of any of our government leaders has been shaken.  When I went to the poll to vote, I felt like I had no voice because either way I would lose.  Ah, see.  I said “either way” as if I only had two choices on the ballot.  I had more, of course, but if you don’t vote Republican or Democrat, you don’t get heard.

Well, I cannot even begin to go into all the things I have been studying in regard to our nation’s path, so I won’t. There is just too much.  So, I will tell you what the result has been in my life.

First of all, I had a time of conviction from the Holy Spirit recently.  Can I just say that those times do not come often enough for me?  Not because I don’t need convicting, but because I am rarely still enough before the Lord to hear His Spirit speak to me.  But, oh, how sweet it is when He whispers so tenderly that I have been chasing after everything but Him, and that He wants me back.  So gently, He guides me to first see my sin, then repent of it.  Then He reminds me of His mighty work, and I again find that faith and zeal burn strong; I am renewed for the fight. 

So, I am eager to fan the flames of passion that God stoked in me.  I am praying, not once, not half-heartedly, but persistently and fervently for revival.  Revival in me, revival for my husband, revival for the men in my extended family who are the spiritual head of their homes, and revival in the Body of Believers.  God will bring revival if we humble ourselves and pray.  If we turn our faces to Him and seek Him with all our hearts, will He not draw near?  And, if He is near, we cannot be unchanged.

Secondly, I am looking with new eyes at the values and priorities I have established for myself and for the training of my children.  Nothing major has changed here, but I am trying to re-evaluate things a little at a time to make sure that I am not exchanging the eternal for the temporal.  This process is slow and painstaking because I have let too much of a worldly attitude seep into me, and I cannot always distinguish the subtle lies of Satan like I should.  But, little by little, with the power of the Spirit, I pray that I will become more aware of my priorities and be empowered to change them.

Thirdly, as a tool of introspection, I am trying to write more regularly, whether in journal, blog, or email form.  I am finding already, that this is a rewarding discipline (I use that term loosely).  When I write, it helps me slow down and consider all the things that buzz around in my head.  I am hoping that writing will bring clarity as well as consistency, though in truth, neither has been a strength of mine.

So, the election buzz had a rather unexpected, though not unwelcome, impact on me.  I am looking forward eagerly, and I pray to see God’s hand in whatever lies ahead.

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Finding a Rhythm

Well, Punky is 6 weeks old now, and we are getting adjusted.  We restarted our home school schedule when she was 2 weeks old and have been working out the glitches.  She usually sleeps in the morning, so our school schedule has been largely unaffected.  Unfortunately, I still have two toddlers to occupy during our school time, and that has not been so easy.  Li’l Britches learned how to climb, so he’s into more trouble than ever.  Overall, though, we’re getting it together.  My house may not be very clean, but it isn’t  horrible and everybody has clean clothes to wear and food to eat.  Can’t ask for much more. 🙂

I hope with time I will get back to writing more regularly.  This is an election year, so I may get into a few political discussions on here.  Or maybe not.  I’m a little disappointed with how things are shaping up so far. 

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Interesting Read

When I receive my World Magazine each week, I am so excited.  I eagerly read this great magazine from cover to cover each week because it is so full of great news stories reported from a Christian worldview.  You can read their issues on-line for free here. 

This week I was especially intrigued by

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Anyone heard of the “Fair Tax”?

I was just reading my new issue of World Magazine, and ran across this intriguing article about the push U.S. Rep. John Linder (R-Ga.) is making for the Fair Tax.  I had never heard of this concept before, of taxing based on consumption instead of income, but I found it very intriguing.  I do not pretend to know or understand all the possible implications of such a change in our tax system, but the possible effect that this change could bring to our materialistic society is interesting to contemplate.  However, I wonder if in all the rosy reports of the benefits of a new tax system, the possiblility of decreasing consumption was perhaps not figured in with their numbers.  In my experience, nothing is ever as easy in reality as it is on paper.  Still, it bears investigation.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

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Are Mothers “Robbing” the Workforce?

I came across this article while browsing at Ladies Against Feminism and was amazed.  I had noticed the news articles over the last year proclaiming that a growing number of degree-holding women were choosing to stay home and raise their children rather than pursue a career.  I was heartened by this.  Obviously, not everyone took the news the same way….

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