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.

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Embracing our Accusation

Posted: August 22, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Emily's Posts | Leave a comment
For the past couple weeks as I have attended church, first in Indiana, then at the church I attend in Grand Rapids, the topic of message has been about the impact of sin, spiritual death, total depravity, and total inability. It has been both a sobering aspect to reflect on and yet such a beautiful aspect to ponder! I know that YES! YES! As I know very well, I am TOTALLY  UNABLE to gain anything good apart from the SAVING POWER of Christ! This morning I turned on some tunes on my computer and I got ready for a day with my dearest boyfriend Dewalt, the Shane and Shane album, Pages started to play. As I enjoyed the beats and the lyrics the song, Embracing Accusation, came up, and at the time it didn’t occur to me amazing message that this song was conveying to me! As I sit here pondering back on what I could possibly write I my itunes popped up with that same song! I remember hearing this version of the song that someone edited in a powerful, and always passionate exortation from John Piper at the end of the song. Both the Sunday messages from the past weeks, the experiences I have had even today, and this song are such a powerful reminder of how sobering our sin and wonderful our Savior really is. Please as you listen to the song read the lyrics below and share in these truths.
Embracing Accusation- Shane and Shane
The father of lies
Coming to steal
Kill and destroy
All my hopes of being good enough
I hear him saying cursed are the ones
Who can’t abide
He’s right
Alleluia he’s right!

The devil is preaching
The song of the redeemed
That I am cursed and gone astray
I cannot gain salvation
Embracing accusation

Could the father of lies
Be telling the truth
Of God to me tonight?
If the penalty of sin is death
Then death is mine
I hear him saying cursed are the ones
Who can’t abide
He’s right
Alleluia he’s right!

Oh the devil’s singing over me
An age old song
That I am cursed and gone astray
Singing the first verse so conveniently
He’s forgotten the refrain
Jesus saves!

Kindness

Posted: August 14, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Emily's Posts | Leave a comment

I was given a book yesterday, and although I it seems I must be in great need of more material to read, because I am at the recieving end of numerous books, but I am excited to get into this book! The book is The Law of Kindness, by Mary Beeke. In this book Mrs. Beeke has put it plainly how we all could do a better job of putting kindness into action, whether you are a husband, a wife, a teacher, or even a child. After meeting Mrs. Beeke I am sure that she could teach me as well as many others about what it truly means to show the kindness of Christ to others.  Check the book out, I also believe that this book will be given out at the Desiring God Conferance this year, on The Power of Words and the Wonder of God, so it must be worth reading!

End Memories to the Indiana Road Trip

Posted: August 12, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: IN Trip | Leave a comment

Well as Dewalt so elequently put the details of the Indiana trip, I decided I would finish up the end memories on this fun adventure we went on. The day of my highschool reunion came upon us and to start out the day my best friend and her husband took Dewalt and I to a hole in the wall diner called Charlie Browns, where like the previous day, Dewalt enjoyed much food and left completley stuffed on Biscuts and Gravy, and coffee. As the day progressed there was MUCH to do, so we ran around all day doing errands and chores to make this day special. One of the things that was on the to do list was to make a GIGANTIC bowl of homemade pasta salad. Dearest Dewalt was so kind to use his amazing skills in the kitchen and with the help of Kate’s mom, Mrs. Bowers whipped up an amazing dish that all enjoyed! I was very impressed at his skill! The reunion was a great success, 10 out of the 33 people in my graduating class attended but those who had children or spouses brought them and it rounded out to be a nice party with lots of memories and catching up talks. I never felt the pressure that often occurs at reunions where everyone is judging you and your “progress of maturing”. So all in all it was a great time and many friendships were rekindled. The next day Dewalt and I enjoyed a wonderful Lord’s Day at Kate and Jared’s home church, College Park Church. It was a wonderful message in the pastor’s series, ” The Core: Jesus-Centered Life”. We spent a relaxing time at home; resting, enjoying a walk with Chloe, Kate’s ADORABLE daughter and then later having a family game time with all of the extended family. On our way back home of COURSE we had to stop in at the all you could eat buffet at KFC. Dewalt of course enjoyed way too much of the cole-slaw and fried chicken! As I look back at all the memories and people I reunited with, I see that the Lord has blessed me with such a wonderful people and a wonderful life. I know that there has been hardships that I thought in my feeble heart and mind that I could not endure through, but I did, and Christ has enabled me to keep walking this road,and to keep working on killing sin daily in my life and making me more like the friend that sticks closer than a brother, Jesus Christ.

Ordinary Women and their Extraordinary God

Posted: August 7, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: God | Leave a comment

As a women striving to learn more about Christ, and His Scriptures, I have come to find the need to search out the Word in context and also search out books with Scriptural meaning and depth. This is a book referral to any woman, in need of a encouraging read that will uplift your spirit and also grow your knowledge and love for your Savior. Noel Piper, has written a book entitled, Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God, and I have enjoyed it already and I haven’t even gotten half way through it! If you have read it then GREAT! If you have not gotten to read it, click on this link, Online Book to read this on your computer, by which all this is made possible by Desiring God Ministries.

I hope that this book helps you see what an Amazing God we serve, God Bless.

Rejoice

Posted: July 31, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Emily's Posts | Leave a comment

I love to rejoice in life! I find that it makes life so much more enjoyable and true, it is very easy to rejoice in the joyous,  “summer” times of life. But as we all know and struggle with, we are urged, even commanded to rejoice in the Lord through the hard, “winter” times in life! Through the hope of Jesus Christ, it IS possible! There are so many references in the Scriptures dealing with rejoicing it must be important to God! So on this day- July 31, 2008, make a conscience decision to REJOICE! Through whatever muck and mire you are experiencing in the external today, find that hope that comes from internal hope of Christ.

Listen to David, the man after God’s own heart say,

6 “I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the LORD.
7 I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have known the distress of my soul,
8 and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.”

Psalms 31:6-8 (ESV)

A Historian’s Take on the Gospels

Posted: July 15, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Where is Christ in the Culture Today? | Leave a comment

It intrigues me how secular people or even people who would claim to “have religion” or to be “religious” view Christ, the Scriptures, and the ins and outs of Christianity. The Historian Garry Wills, has a view on the origin and content on the gospels that is very interesting, in the least. Accuracy is not the strong point in his work, but it definitely gives the Christian-world a look into the mind of those who seek to understand the Scriptures yet not let it reign their lives. This article is entitled, How Jesus’ Story was Writ. Read and learn about how we can reach these searching peoples of the earth.

What to wear, what to wear…

Posted: July 15, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: You Might be a Calvinist if... | Leave a comment

You might be a Calvinist if… you are late to church- not because the kids aren’t dressed in time, but because your wife couldn’t decide on a hat.

Christ, the Samarai Stranger?!

Posted: July 8, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Where is Christ in the Culture Today? | 1 Comment

As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Scriptures, I can confidently say, that there is never a time where I have found the need to make the Bible and it’s stories and truths more “relevant” for today’s culture. It is relevant in every way, and as I was looking through articles in the New York Times, I was appalled at what this man’s efforts to bring the Bible and our precious Lord a newer more “hip” look. You can read the article here.