Midweek Musings

Some thoughts this week...

Sunday - Sanctity of Human Life Day
For You yourself created my inmost parts;
You knit me together in my mother's womb.
I will thank you because I am marvelously made;
Your works are wonderful, and I know it well.
Psalm 139: 12-13

Monday - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
King's "I Have a Dream" speech ~ Lincoln Memorial ~ August 28, 1963

Tuesday - Inauguration Day
"The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."
Barak Hussein Obama ~ Inaugural Address ~ January 20, 2009
(Depending upon how he defines "all", it would seem that this should include the unborn. Just saying.)

Wednesday - Day 1
Yesterday, our new president told us, "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourseslves off, and begin again the work of remaking America."

Whatever he meant by remaking America, did he mean this?
Worst Inaugural Day Slide
The Dow's 4 percent slide was the most on an Inauguration Day in the measure's 112-year history...

Did he mean this?
Now that Obama has announced that we are stopping off-shore drilling, the gas station I pass has raised its price 10 cents. Since yesterday.

I need some Hope and Change...Mmmm...Let's see...How about this?


The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.
George Washington ~ First Inaugural Address ~ April 30, 1789

Day One. We've obviously got work to do. It's going to be a long four years. Don't give up hope. Pray. And preserve the sacred fire of liberty.

Cheer Up!

I am still grieving the outcome of Tuesday's election. Not that I was wild about McCain. I wasn't. I just can't believe that so many people would think it's OK to vote for someone who promised to make it a priority to make it easier to kill unborn babies. Even the ones who lived through an abortion. That alone is chilling. And don't get me started on the myriad of other problems with Obama.

This comment from a reader at Blog and Mablog (see sidebar) really cheered me up.

May it do the same for you!

It has been pointed out several times on this blog (quite rightly) that the answer is in Christ, not in politics, and that the solution is to begin with right worship to the Living God. But at some point, the leaven permeates the actual government. At some point, the solution can be seen to have taken affect politically. So how does it get from point A to point B?

If right worship is the first domino, perhaps local politics (and I mean really local) is the third or forth domino. When the leaves wilt, you water the roots, not the leaves -- and then the leaves are rejuvinated.

So perhaps, as we begin to get our churches in order, and our houses in order, we should next seek to get our towns and cities in order, with a long view toward national politics. Any thoughts?

Charles Long - 11/9/2008 3:49:12 PM

I have plenty to do to "get my house in order." I'll focus on that tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. Thank you, Mr. Long.

Two Choices, Worlds Apart

I received this e-mail today from Colorado Right to Life:

"Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (PPRM) is planning on breaking ground on a new 50,000-square-foot baby death camp on November 1, 2007. They plan to relocate from their current location, 20th and Vine Street, to the old Stapleton Airport area in northeast Denver. This new 4.2 million dollar mega-killing center is slated to begin operating in August 2008."

Here is the e-mail I just sent to a Denver city councilperson:

I have learned that Planned Parenthood is soon to begin construction of a new building at Stapleton. If this is true, I am extremely dismayed for two reasons.

First, Planned Parenthood doesn't promote much planning when it comes to parenthood. Nowadays, they are more known for providing abortions. The planning of parenthood should occur BEFORE one becomes pregnant. Aborting a baby is not planning. It is the ending of a human life.

Second, our son entered our family through adoption. He was born in Korea, and came to us, via United Airlines, landing at the old Stapleton Airport on December 19, 1994. You can see how the Stapleton site has a special place in our hearts, for it's where our hands-on parenting began on a chilly winter evening.

Have you ever thought that there are only two letters difference between the words abortion and adoption? Just two letters difference, and yet they are worlds apart in their goals and realities. I would like to continue to think of the Stapleton area as being a place of fertile ground for uniting and creating families, not a place where families are torn asunder and lives are ended.

I am so upset, I can't even think of a proper title for this post.

And to think, this is the eve of our daughter's eleventh birthday. Another life saved through adoption.

A Small Victory in the Fight for Life

Thank you to U.S. Supreme Court Justices Kennedy, Roberts, Alito, Thomas, and Scalia who voted with the majority to uphold the current ban on partial birth abortions. Praise God!

Shame on Eve Gartner of Planned Parenthood who said, "This ruling flies in the face of 30 years of Supreme Court precedent and the best interest of women's health and safety." Of course, she fails to admit that the best interest and safety of females doesn't count if they're still in the womb.

Forgive us, Lord...

...for 34 years of legalized murder.

For You created my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
Your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me were written in Your book
before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139: 13-16

(The photo is from a website called Danny's Song. It is of the ovum, which divides into two new cells two to three hours after conception. Check out the site for more amazing photos.)

Sanctity of Life

Terri Shiavo languished just a little over a year ago, starved to death by her "husband's" command. I still can't believe it was allowed to happen. The Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation has some recent updates if you're interested.


It's easy to think Terri's was an isolated case; an anomoly. But, look at this article from the Denver Post. A disabled child who lived in my area was starved to death last year. His parents live in the same suburb as I do. The pastor mentioned in the article is on the staff at a church just 6 minutes away from my house. And our society is becoming alarmingly callous to this sort of thing. Several people wrote letters to the editor after the story ran, about how difficult a decision this was for the parents of the boy, how loving they were, and how sensitive the article was. How can knowingly starving your child to death be considered loving or sensitive?

The lengthy article is chilling in its bias towards the parents, mentioning their heroism and love for their son. The parents and the newspaper decided ahead of time not to publish the story until the boy died, so the general public knew nothing of this drama unfolding in our midst. Here is just a snippet of the article:

In a small examination room, the parents laid out their wish to end their son's suffering. The two ethics consultants, a doctor and a nurse, asked if they'd explored all known medical avenues. The neurologist explained the futility of treatment. The pediatrician described Dave and Kerri's commitment to their son as heroic.

Satisfied, the ethics committee members concurred that the hospital could support removal of life support - in this case food - as an ethical option.

According to the article, the four year old boy was severely disabled with Cerebral Palsy, and his condition was worsening. The "life support" that was removed was his feeding tube. He was starved to death! Any human being on earth would die if this type of "life support" were denied us! I have a younger brother with moderate Cerebral Palsy. He lives with frustrating physical challenges on a daily basis. But he is no less a person. He was created by God, just as was I. Removing food from a disabled person is barbaric. Removing food from anyone is barbaric.

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday

We were visiting a church today that did not make any mention of this being Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, so I almost forgot. Lord, forgive me.

There are only two letters of difference between the words abortion and adoption. And yet, those letters mean the difference between murder and life!

Pray that our country comes to realize that it is a life that is being ended when abortion occurs. Pray that we repent of this terrible sin.