If your Blogging Politics?

Posted: September 12, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Just My Thoughts | Leave a comment

I have been thinking a lot on the number of blogs (both “Christian” and non) that are blogging like there is no-tomorrow on politics. I am not saying that no one should, but it is getting a bet repetitive and “out-of-control” in a number of ways. This passage has come to my mind when reading the number of those who seem to care so deeply about vocalizing their opinions and thoughts on their blogs.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

The Sacredness of an Unborn Life

Posted: September 12, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Abortion | 1 Comment
Proverbs 24:10-12
If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.
Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not requite man according to his work.

This past week Michael and I stopped over at our friend’s Seth and Misty Huckstead’s house to pick up a wireless router. As we were standing their chatting, I was approached by Misty Huckstead, on being involved in an extraordinary ministry for the unborn. Misty explained to me with a light in her eyes and passion in her voice about the ministry of the Omega House. This is the letter that she sent out explaining this ministry that ministers to the life of the pregnant girls and women and of course the potentially life saving ministry to the unborn child. This type of ministry gives my heart hope for the millions of little lives that are in jepordy every day.

“According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention about 43% of all American women will have at least one abortion by the age 45 (pp. 18). 20% of these are performed on teenagers (pp.28). 50% are performed on women who have had at least one abortion already (pp. 31).Every third baby conceived and viable in this country is killed by abortion (pp. 35). The vast majority of abortions are performed between the seventh and tenth week when the baby is already sucking his thumb, recoiling from pricking, responding to sound. All his organs are present, the brain is functioning, the heart is pumping, the liver is making blood cells,  kidneys are cleaning fluids, and there is a fingerprint. His genetic code is uniquely and unquestionably human. And, if we are willing, he can be seen by ultrasound….
Abortion is one of the darkest works of the human race -it is child sacrifice. And the only way it can survive is for darkness to survive. Wherever the light of truth and love comes, darkness flies away. Therefore it is one of the great callings of the followers of Jesus to let their light shine in both ways: to do good deeds and to expose darkness. The aim is partly negative: reveal the error hidden in the darkness, but mainly positive: to bring people to love the light and be made light in the Lord Jesus.”
-John Piper
I know most of you have a passion for the unborn. We grieve at the thought of what is happening to so many babies all over the world. How they are torn from the protection of their mothers womb and murdered in one of the most brutal ways possible. It breaks my heart!
We all have the same problem in helping the unborn and that is time. With so many demands on our time we just can’t carve out time to go and help.
Recently, Seth and I had a life changing experience. Our landlords lent us a wonderful book entitled, “Wednesday Mourning” by Mary Walkes Verwys. It is the story of some of the things Mary has experienced in her, then, 13 years as a prolife sidewalk counselor. I could not put in down, I was shocked, then I read some to Seth and he also couldn’t put in down. I found out she has been volunteering here in Grand Rapids and still is faithful to go every Wednesday morning to talk to these ladies on the edge of killing their own baby. God has used her to save many children.I looked her up and found her email. She was excited to meet with Seth and I and so we scheduled a time to meet with her. We drove down Fulton, near College Ave and saw an old, very cold, ugly looking building. Next door was a beautiful Victorian style home, so homey. We realized this lovely home was where we were to meet her, quite a dichotomy of the building next door, which we found out later was the abortion clinic. We thought maybe she was renting a room here… I met her and hugged her. I told her I loved her book and thanked her for what she was doing for the unborn.

I would love to tell you all about the home, but I will make it short. God literally gave them this house and all of the funds to fix it up. It is now called the Omega House and is for a place to pray for the clinic next door, to educate people, and a place where they can have post abortion counseling, they are now hiring a professional counselor to come. There are many Reformed Churches represented who volunteer at the house. They now have 32 people there doing counseling Wednesday thru Friday when the abortions are performed and they also go to another clinic in GR two nights a week. So far this year 30 babies have been saved!! God is using this ministry in amazing ways.

One story she told us is of a 16 year old homeschool girl who was 22 weeks pregnant. She came without her parents knowing to get an abortion. After the abortion she told Mary, “now I can serve God without this baby in the way… I want to be a missionary!” How heartbreaking.

I asked how I can help, given very limited time. Mary said they do not need money, they need people who would commit to praying for them. They sit there all year, even on those freezing mornings when I am cuddled in with coffee and a blanket, they are not loosing heart in the battle for the unborn. They are aware that the battle is not theirs, that God is at work.

Cosmic Drama

Posted: September 12, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Seminary Questions | Leave a comment

I was asked to do the following response in a short manner… so I tried, not as if I knew what I was talking about, but hey, I tried right?

ASKED: Comment on the following quotation of Bruce Waltke, noting where you agree with him and where not, and why?
“The cosmic drama of salvation history opens with an awe-inspiring display of theatrics. The palpable excitement and anticipation is pregnant in the text, available to all. Unfortunately, many readers today do not sense the drama nor understand these pivotal words, rich with meaning. This narrative of origins not only opens the cosmic drama of the Bible’s theme – God irrupting into chaos to establish his rule over everything – it also lays the foundation for the biblical worldview of ethical monotheism. God takes his rightful place on his throne in the heavens with the earth as his footstool, appoints human beings as his regents to rule his earth, and establishes laws for Israel in the order of creation” (An OT Theology, 173).

My Answer:
I feel as if I am post to find something here that I disagree with, however for the most part unless I pick apart things that may become too critical, I do not find anything “hugely” that I disagree with. I think I can find two areas that may perk the eyes/ears to the traditional reformist, however I do not know if Waltke is trying to say or bring about what the traditional reformed may believe he is saying.

•    “cosmic drama” – I could see some that may get upset at calling the act of God in creation a drama. I can see that the reformed individual may look at seeing the fact that Waltke used the word “drama” relating in a exciting or emotional or unexpected events, because creation was altogether different from all of that. However, I do not know id Waltke is trying to say that the act of creation was unexpected as a drama as he is saying that the Lord played/planed a play-like series of events in creating universe.

•    “God irrupting into chaos to establish his rule over everything” – This however is the most upsetting statement I can find in the short little paragraph, (unless I’m blind). That fact that he uses the word, “Chaos” to describe that of what God did in making that of the cosmos, simply is not at all in-line with God’s character, person, and most certainly does not portray a God whom I read about in the Scriptures. God is simply a God of order and planned methods in organization, in everything he has done; he is doing and will do.