REVERSAL OF ROE V. WADE

The original ruling on Roe v. Wade was wrong.  It should never have been a National mandate, and all the reversal did was to place responsibility back with each state, where it belonged to begin with.  

Now, irresponsible politicians are using it as their main issue to try to scare people into voting for them - because they are "outraged" at the idea of abortion not being an option for every woman in every state - and are inappropriately applying that even to states that have very relaxed laws relating to abortion.  Like my state of Washington.  

So let's review some basic information. Abortion is NOT an issue of reproductive health unless the life of the mother is at risk.  I believe the issue of abortion needs to be between the woman (or couple) and their doctor when there are complications that arise, and extend my concern to issues of violent rape and incest, and definitely to little girls who are too young to carry a baby to full term. 

I will start with the last issue first.  I was a Health Educator for 3 years, and had access to pregnancy information most of us never see.  The 1985 statistics listed the number of girls who got pregnant at age 10.  I was stunned at seeing the number 50 beside that stat; and I would NOT feel that any 10-year-old could carry a baby to full term.  That becomes a serious medical issue.  

Woman getting pregnant from a violent rape would also be a huge concern for me - as would incest.  

And, of course, there are cases where the choice must be made between the life of the mother and the life of the unborn child.  What a hard choice - something that belongs as a decision of the father and mother, in consultation with their doctor, not the court.  

That being stated, abortion is NOT a birth control method.  A woman's reproductive health begins with knowing that anyone born female who has sex (until menopause is over) can get pregnant if she has unprotected sex (and sometimes even if she uses protection.) 

Reproductive health includes becoming informed about viable birth control options as well as having annual pap smears and any other necessary check-ups if something seems awry. It includes knowing the sexual history of any partners so the woman is not at risk for contracting any sexually transmitted diseases. It is parametered by taking personal responsibility for one's choices to avoid a pregnancy before one is ready to be a parent.  BUT, once pregnancy occurs, unless there is a medical reason to terminate the pregnancy, the baby inside the womb is just as alive as the person carrying that child, and the child should have just as much consideration as the birth mother. 

When I was a Health Educator I taught my students about all of the birth control options - but clearly stated that the reason we were teaching it to them in high school was so they would have that information for the future when they were ready to make those choices, and I encouraged them to wait until they were adults.  Actually what I stated was, "Sex belongs in a committed adult relationship, and for me that is marriage." 

Of course I knew not all of them would wait - but I did have a few kids in my Church Youth Group tell me that they waited because of what I taught them. 

And, I taught that abortion was not a birth control method, and was not to be taken lightly.  I knew that some girls would fall for the lines they were given:

"You would if you loved me."

No, if he loved you, he would never demand sex. 

"Once we've gone this far I have to go all the way, or it could damage me."

Really?  What if his mother - or yours - walked in at that point?

"We'll be together forever, so it's just like we are married." 

Seriously?  Until the morning after when he won't even speak to you in the hallway! 

One of my observations as a Health Educator was that very often girls gave sex to get love, but boys gave love to get sex. I know that isn't true for every young man and woman - and does not apply consistently to adults, but it is worth evaluating in a relationship.  

People who have sex can get pregnant.  The issue of REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH is one that is very important in one's decisions.  Before having sex, see a doctor.  Choose a birth control plan that will work for you. Use it responsibly.  But, know that if you get pregnant - and you can even with proper birth control - know that the baby inside you is a person.  That person deserves to be loved and cared for. It should not be a woman's right to choose life or death in a pregnancy any more than it would be to have several children and suddenly decide to kill one you no longer want.   

I have 4 children by birth. My fourth child was conceived while I had a coil in place, and the day I went to the doctor because I had missed a period, he said, "You didn't plan to get pregnant so I can just abort it right now." My response was, "The pregnancy wasn't wanted, but the baby is." She is now 46. I can't imagine my life without her, but in that instant I was offered the opportunity of terminating her. 

When I think of the millions of babies who have been aborted I wonder, how many brilliant, amazing, talented, wonderful people have been destroyed unnecessarily.  

ALMOST MARCH! ALMOST LENT!

It's the last day of February 2022!  That means Fat Tuesday is tomorrow and Ash Wednesday is - well - Wednesday!  I am planning to read through my book LEAD ME TO THE CROSS again this year as my Lenten devotional, but in doing so, I also look forward to making new observations along the journey.  

If you have a book and want to join me, that would be welcomed, and if you don't have a book, the easiest way to get one is on Amazon as an e-book.  

I am sad about what is happening to Ukraine with Russia's unwelcome invasion, but also know that often people don't reach out to God until extreme circumstances leave them no where else to turn.  And in this time of terror and trouble, I pray that MANY will turn to God and accept what Jesus did for them when He died for their sins, and rose again from the dead.   None of us know the evil will assault us - but we can know where we are headed when we leave the earth.  This is a good reminder to be sure we KNOW Jesus, not just know about Him.  

And, there is no better way to know Him  than to do an intentional, disciplined study as we head once more toward the cross and resurrection.  Whether through my book or another source, I challenge you to make the Lenten journey this year very intentional.  

Go in His grace....

GOD'S AMAZING LOVE

What amazing love that God would choose to give up His heavenly home to be born as a human baby just so we could have salvation.  

Today we had Communion at church - and the origin of the Communion commemoration was the night before the exodus of God's people from slavery in Egypt under a Pharaoh who didn't remember why thy were there in the first place.  

Back in Jewish history, Abraham had a son born to his wife, Sarah, named Isaac.  Isaac had twin sons, named Esau and Jacob, with Jacob conniving (with help from his mother) to be the one who got his father's blessing.  Jacob had 12 sons, but Joseph was very much a favorite, because he was born of the woman Jacob loved most.  Because of Jacob's favoritism to this son, the older brothers faked his death and sold him to merchants who were passing by where they were grazing their father's sheep.  Once in Egypt, he was sold to the ruler, Potiphar, and became a servant to him.  (I won't go into all that happened in his earliest years in Potiphar's service, but what a story!)

Eventually Joseph became a highly acclaimed leader, second only to Potiphar, and it was during that time that there was a horrible famine in his homeland, and his brothers came before him to buy grain. (Again another WOW! story.)  Ultimately it is a story of God placing him in the right place for the right time. It is a wonderful story, but not my current focus.  I just want to establish the basis for why the Hebrews (Israelites) were in Egypt.  Because of the famine, Joseph's entire family came to live in Egypt, and were treated very well because of Joseph.  And then time went by.  In fact, almost 400 years of time.  The Hebrews, who were the foreigners, grew to be a very large group, and the Pharaoh at the time was afraid they would also become powerful, so he enslaved them, using them to build the bricks to build his cities (and very likely the pyramids) until God sent someone to rescue them.  

That someone was Moses.  He was born to Hebrew parents, but hidden to escape Pharaoh's mandate to kill all Hebrew baby boys at birth. When he was too old to hide at home any longer, his mother hid him in a basket in the reeds at the edge of the river, and when the Princess came down to bathe she heard the baby, felt immediate love for him, and adopted him as her own.  Moses' elder sister was not far away that day.  She was watching over her baby brother from the shore, and immediately went to the Princess and asked her if she would like to hire a nursemaid.  The Princess said yes, and so it was Moses' own mother who nursed him and cared for him until he was old enough to be weaned.  

Moses grew up in the palace, but he didn't forget his heritage.  When he was about 40 years old he saw one of the Hebrews being abused by an Egyptian and he killed the Egyptian; and because of that had to run for his life.  But again God had a plan.  After 40 years in exile, God called Moses to return to Egypt to be the leader who would bring His people out of bondage. Multiple plagues ensued, with Moses pleading for Pharaoh to let his people go, with Pharoah's heart being hardened each time and saying no - until the final plague.  

God told Moses to have everyone prepare to leave, to prepare unleavened bread (think whole wheat crackers), and to kill a young lamb for each household, put some of the blood of the lamb over the top and sides of the doorposts of their houses, roast the lamb, and stay inside.  That night the Angel of Death passed through Egypt and killed the firstborn male of everything - both animal and people. But the Angel "passed over" the houses protected by the blood of the lamb.  No one in those homes died.  And finally Pharaoh relented (briefly) and told Moses to take his people and leave.  

That Passover was commemorated every year by the Jewish faithful up to the time of Jesus. And Jesus became the Passover Lamb, the perfect Lamb of God, the final sacrifice ever needed. On the night before He died on the cross, He celebrated Passover with His disciples, and he changed Passover from being about remembering their ancestor's rescue from Egypt to being about Him and the ultimate sacrifice He was about to make to provide salvation for all who would accept his sacrifice.  

So, when we drink the "cup", the grape juice or wine of the commemoration, we are remembering that His blood over the door of our hearts is our protection from eternal separation from God, i.e., eternal death; and when we eat the unleavened bread, we are remembering that Jesus said it was symbolic of his flesh that was wounded for us: a crown of thorns that pierced His head, the lashing of the whip that had pieces of metal hooks and rock attaches to the ends of the things to tear away the flesh, the spikes nailed through his hands and feet, the spear thrust through his side as he hung on the cross, the mediator between God and man.  Fully God.  Fully human.  Fulfilling the purpose He came to earth to do - to provide us Salvation.  

What amazing love.  That Jesus (God) would come as a baby, live in our broken world, and then choose to be the sacrificial lamb for us, to take our place, and be slaughtered to pay the price for all sin for all time.  The thousands of animals that were sacrificed as offerings were only symbolic.  He was and is the only one who can forgive us of Sin.  He did.  He does.  All we have to do is accept the gift of Salvation that he offers us.  

John 3:16  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life.  John 3:17  For God did to send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He paid the price for our ticket to Heaven, but we have to reach out and accept it.