The Top 5 (September 14)

* "Candidate, Moderate Thyself: Conservatives are right to complain about the blatant bias of ABC’s debate moderators, but the bigger problem was Donald Trump’s undisciplined performance." (Heather Mac Donald, City Journal)

From the article -- Yes, the moderators of ABC’s debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris were egregiously biased in favor of Harris. Yes, Harris recycled patent lies about Trump without the slightest pushback from the referees—that Trump has embraced the supposedly infamous Project 2025, that he supports a national abortion ban, that he called the anti-Semitic and racist demonstrators in Charlottesville in 2019 “fine people,” that he refused leases to black would-be renters. (The New York Times lauded the ABC team as a “model for real-time fact-checking.”)

But a low-information voter who, incredibly, still has not made up her mind about the election could easily decide for Harris on the basis of Tuesday’s debate. Trump put all his worst traits on display—his narcissism, his gratuitous nastiness, and above all, his penchant for using hyperbole as a substitute for argument.

* "Kamala Harris: ‘My Values’ Say Pro-Life Laws Are ‘Immoral’" (Ben Johnson, Washington Stand)

From the article -- Harris, who boasted she “brings values” to the White House, then repeated one of the many shopworn phrases she said during the debate: “One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government, and Donald Trump certainly, should not be telling a woman what to do with her body.” Christians have held that abortion violates their faith, and should be illegal, for 2,000 years. Orthodox Jews also say they hold a pro-life faith. The Satanic Temple regards abortion as a sacrament.

As she has throughout the campaign, Harris promised to impose abortion on all 50 states by force. “I pledge to you when Congress passes a bill to put back in place the protections of Roe v. Wade as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law,” she said. “But, understand, if Donald Trump were to be re-elected, he will sign a national abortion ban. Understand, in his Project 2025, there would be a national abortion ban.”

The Biden-Harris administration has endorsed a bill that goes beyond Roe, allowing abortion until birth nationwide. The Democratic Party platform also supports taxpayer-funded abortions in the United States and around the world.

* "The Truth About World War II" (Victor Davis Hanson, The Free Press)

From the article -- In a recent and now widely seen Tucker Carlson interview, a guest historian named Darryl Cooper casually presented a surprising number of flawed theories about World War II. He focused his misstatements on the respective roles of Winston Churchill’s Britain and Adolf Hitler’s Germany—especially in matters of the treatment and fate of Russian prisoners, the Holocaust, the systematic slaughtering of Jews, strategic bombing, and the nature of Winston Churchill. 

Because of the size of the audience Carlson introduced him to, and because of the gravity of Cooper’s falsehoods, his assertions deserve a response. 

* "The Uniparty Turns Literal" (Mark Steyn)

From the article -- I thought Cheney was an homme sérieux. But, in the end, he wasn't. The Bush years have to be accounted a terrible failure, in which the leadership of the then dominant superpower was unable to grasp the simplest of truths - not least about the need for strategic clarity. Under Cheney, America launched wars with no war aims, in which it deluded itself that "smart bombs" counted for more than will. Meanwhile, on the home front, the rate of Muslim immigration to America doubled ...because it was more important to show the world how nice we are than to consider the cultural consequences of demographic transformation. So the west spent twenty years fighting over the most barren and worthless sod on the planet, while surrendering Malmö and Marseille, Rotterdam and Nottingham, and Lewiston-Auburn, Maine. This is what happens when you have a political class almost entirely disconnected from the rhythms of real life in real countries.

So Trump has performed a great service in driving the likes of Cheney to vote Kamala. The feeble charade of TweedleDem vs TweedleRep is designed to obscure the central fact of end-stage western "democracy" - that, on anything that really matters, nothing can be permitted to change. Thus, having Dick Cheney and Ilhan Omar formally on the same team is very helpful. Trump has driven the "respectable" political class to make the Uniparty literal, and its consolidation has freed up space for an actual second party.

* "Migrants flooding NYC’s justice system -- making up ‘75% of arrests in Midtown’ -- as ‘pathetic’ sanctuary city laws handcuff cops." (New York Post)

From the article -- The problem is made much worse by sanctuary city laws that mean New York cops aren’t allowed to work with ICE on cases in which they believe suspects are in the country illegally. Additionally, the NYPD says it is barred from tracking the immigration status of offenders. This makes it almost impossible for authorities to get their arms around the problem, experts and sources on the ground say.

“New York City eliminated a tool to get rid of violent criminals. What a mess,” Jim Quinn, a veteran former prosecutor at the Queens District Attorney’s Office, told The Post. “The sanctuary city law is pathetic. It’s disgusting. It’s crazy.” Making matters worse, police sources say, word has gotten out in the shelters about the city’s lax bail guidelines — meaning migrants know they’re going to get kicked back onto the street quickly after they’re nabbed.

Bonus picks for this week? Yes, here's a couple:

* "Why America’s Soaring Debt Is Biggest Threat to US Dollar" (Daniel Lacalle, Daily Signal)

* "The Return of Anti-History: Podcasts are not reviving history, as is often claimed these days. They are mostly drowning it in a tidal wave of blather, at best sloppy, at worst mendacious." (Niall Ferguson, The Free Press)

The September LifeSharer Is Up

 You'll find the pdf of this month's "very newsy" newsletter right here.

Dr. Greg Gardner Visits Vital Signs Ministries

We believe there will be a rich harvest from the seeds of encouragement, enlightenment, challenge, and friendship which were liberally sown throughout Dr. Greg Gardner’s visit to Nebraska. Our physician friend and longtime pro-life colleague from Birmingham, England was kept busy in his 4 and 1/2 day stay with us and a lot of ground was covered in the many stimulating conversations we enjoyed together. 

But it was not only Claire and I who were blessed to talk over many things with Greg; indeed, we count about 72 people he met in that brief time. 

Among Dr. Gardner’s activities while he was here were an in-depth tour and ministry review of Assure Women’s Center and radio interviews with Jackie Mahr at Walnut Radio and Karen Bowling at Nebraska Family Alliance down in Lincoln. Also, Greg spoke to 24 veteran pro-life advocates after a large potluck dinner at the home of Dr. Ralph and Carol Kramper.

But folded into all of these events were other breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and coffees where he was able to engage with Vital Signs Board members, many of our colleagues, even several of our neighbors. And those discussions explored many, many areas including the comparative states of the culture, church, politics, and pro-life movement in both the U.S. and the U.K.

It was a terrific ministry and Claire and I can certainly testify that know that Vital Signs Ministries will be profoundly affected for the good as we evaluate and enact things the we discussed with our dear friend. Thank you, Grace for lending your husband to us for this brief but momentous time! 

The Top 5 (September 7)

* "This is not fake news: U.S. Surgeon General warns that parenting is a health hazard" (Kimberly Ells, Mercator)

From the article -- This Surgeon General’s Advisory is the first time I recall seeing an official government entity framing children as a clear and present danger to their parents. It reminds me of radical feminist Sophie Lewis’ assertion that babies in utero commit “fetal violence” toward their mothers by introducing health threats to and demanding nourishment from their unfortunate maternal hosts. Likewise, Suzanne Sadedin says an unborn baby employs “manipulation, blackmail, and violence” against its mother while floating in the womb and usurping whatever sustenance it can suck from her body.

What does the Surgeon General say should be done about this assault on parents’ health? The “We Can Take Action” section of the advisory starts with this preface: “While parents and caregivers may have the primary responsibility for raising children… [it] is a collective responsibility.” It then gives a laundry list of collectivist solutions including the following...

* "The Oslo effect" Israelis won’t forgive or forget the left’s weaponization of the hostages to do Hamas’s dirty work for it." (Melanie Phillips, Jewish News Service)

From the article -- Israelis are being increasingly maddened by grief and horror over the unconscionable fate of the hostages trapped in the hell holes of Gaza. Last week’s cold-blooded murder of six of these captives by Hamas savages has tipped many Israelis over the edge.

The demonstrators’ demand for an immediate ceasefire deal to release the hostages is not only ludicrous to the point of near derangement but also poses a direct threat to Israel’s security and indeed existence—precisely the outcome that Hamas intends through its diabolical manipulation of the hostages’ plight.

* "Why Corporations Are Ditching Wokeness" (Dan Morenoff, City Journal)

From the article -- The growing number of corporations pledging to abandon “antiracist” policies and to restore the primacy of profit-seeking is encouraging. Only time will tell if their statements are sincere. While we wait to find out, it’s worth considering another detail of this reversal: Why now? The efforts of activists and journalists like Robby Starbuck and my colleague Christopher Rufo have played an important role in these developments. Their work has exposed discriminatory corporate policies and raised public awareness to a critical mass.

A more cynical interpretation, however, may help explain these decisions, too. Corporate decision makers may be pulling back from “woke” initiatives because they care more about legal exposure than they do about ideology. Courts are ever-more willing to hold executives responsible for racial discrimination. In a little-noted consensus, at least eight of the 13 U.S. Courts of Appeals—all those taking a position on the issue so far—have agreed that the individuals who participate in racial contracting discrimination are liable for the harms caused, even if a lawyer signed off on the practice. Since the 1970s, that liability has extended to directors who vote for discriminatory policies. 

* "Why aren’t governments tackling the epidemic of sexual abuse in America’s public schools?" (Michael Cook, Mercator)

From the article -- "The Justice Department and many law enforcement agencies and school systems have failed to take basic steps to prevent sexual misconduct and root out abusive cops,” the Post claims. The tragic thing is that these allegations come as no surprise. It is just the latest in a steady trickle of stories in the media about sexual abuse in American public schools. No doubt the problem is similar in other countries. The difference is that collecting meaningful information about abuse in schools is far more difficult in the US because of its sheer size and the number of jurisdictions – 50 states plus the District of Columbia and other territories, divided into more than 13,000 school districts. 

Three articles by journalist James Varney for RealClearInvestigations highlight a massive problem which emerges from time to time but has never been comprehensively studied. He writes: “For a variety of reasons, ranging from embarrassment to eagerness to avoid liability, elected or appointed officials, along with unions or lobbying groups representing school employees, have fought to keep the truth hidden from the public.”

* "The Adventure of the Black Paw" (Denny Hartford, Vital Signs Ministries)

In this 8 and 1/2 minute video clip, Denny recounts perhaps the most exciting day of his life...with a couple of moral applications of universal relevance. Check it out. You'll enjoy it.

The Adventure of the Black Paw

In this 8 and 1/2 minute video clip, Denny recounts perhaps the most exciting day of his life...with a couple of moral applications of universal relevance. Check it out. You'll enjoy it.

https://vitalsignsministries.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Black-Paw-2.mp4

The Top 5 (August 31)

* "Solzhenitsyn Warned Us" (Gary Saul Morson, Commentary)

From the article -- Today we can ask: Why do so many cheer, or at least not object, when they witness mobs embracing the bloodthirsty and sadistic Hamas? Perhaps for the same reasons that young, pre-revolutionary Russians once celebrated terrorists who murdered innocent citizens? Having studied his country’s history, Solzhenitsyn foresaw the process that would lead to today’s chants of “globalize the intifada” and “any means necessary.” He repeatedly cautioned that Russia’s past may be America’s future.

How can it be, Solzhenitsyn asked, that so many Russians found the strength to “rise up and free themselves…while those [in the West] who soar unhindered over the peaks of freedom suddenly lose the taste for it, lose the will to defend it, and fatefully, almost [seem] to crave slavery?” Why do crudeness of thought and the repetition of ill-understood slogans pass for sophistication? “I couldn’t have imagined to what extreme degree the West desires to blind itself,” Solzhenitsyn told a London audience in 1976.

* "The Quiet Before the Storms in Ukraine, Gaza, and Taiwan?" (Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness)

From the article -- Confusion and strategic pauses for the brief moment mark all these conflicts. In part, the hiatuses arose because of uncertainty surrounding the murky intentions and role of the United States. The latter is bogged down in an unpredictable if not bizarre election year, compounded by ambiguity about who is actually in control of the country and for how long, and who will be president after January 2025...

In conclusion, we are entering a very dangerous five-month period.

Joe Biden has been judged by the American people in the polls as too enfeebled to be reelected and declared by his own party to be too cognitively challenged to remain its nominee. That may suggest to foreign risk-takers that the U.S. president is deemed unfit by Americans themselves and thus conclude there might be a vacuum of rapid-response leadership at the White House.

The unspoken corollary is that the American people and both their political parties are certain that, while Biden is incapable of continuing as a normally engaged president through the last half-year of his tenure, he will nevertheless inevitably do so. And that conclusion is likely shared by enemies abroad, who may surmise that if there ever was a time to alter the current geostrategic map or the relative balance of power, that rare occasion is now on the horizon.

* "Germany Vows 'Knife Control' After ISIS Refugee Slashes Throats at Diversity Festival" (Daniel Greenfield, Gatestone Institute)

From the article -- There were 13,844 "knife crime" incidents in Germany in 2023, which the authorities are blaming on the existence of knives and not the perpetrators, who are reportedly mostly young Muslim men.

But locating the source of the problem is probably "not a very helpful insight," In the UK, people sharing such insights are being locked up even as Islamic terrorists are being freed.

The German government is more moderate than the Marxist lunatics at Whitehall. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood, a supporter of Islamic terrorism, have decided to ruthlessly suppress all British opposition to mass migration with raids and prison sentences.

Much like the American liberal obsession with gun control, literally objectifying the problem, talking about things so that they don't have to talk about people, and then talking about broader social and economic issues, is a useful distraction from seeing what is actually taking place.

* "Planned Parenthood tool Platkin hellbent on denying women true choice" (Paul Kanitra, NJ Assembly GOP)

From the article -- An open public records act request revealed that Platkin’s office worked with Planned Parenthood to create a consumer alert against pregnancy resource centers, issued in December 2022, that claims CPCs are organizations that seek to prevent people from accessing comprehensive reproductive health care. The alert urges consumers to contact Planned Parenthood for abortion providers and file complaints against the centers with the Division of Consumer Affairs for fraud.

Platkin took his attacks further and issued a subpoena to First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, a nonprofit abortion clinic alternative that does not perform or refer for termination services with five locations throughout the state. The subpoena demands records dating back more than 10 years, which center representatives say place an undue burden and detract from their mission. The Alliance Defending Freedom said Platkin “has never cited any complaint or other substantive evidence of wrongdoing to justify his demands.”

“Platkin is using the courts to cripple pregnancy resource centers into oblivion, plain and simple,” Kanitra said. “It’s a pregnancy resource center. They offer screenings and counseling just like Planned Parenthood does. They don’t offer abortion referrals and services, just like Chick-Fil-A doesn’t sell hamburgers. Sane people know this.”

“Matt Platkin belongs to an elite coalition of blue state attorneys general that prosecute undercover activists for investigating fetal tissue trafficking and persecute pregnancy resource centers for trying to help women and save babies, under the scare tactic heading of ‘misinformation,’” Kanitra said. “The state legislature or even the Feds need to come in and launch their own investigation into Platkin’s motives. If there is no factual basis for his actions against these pregnancy centers, he needs to immediately retract his consumer alert and drop his subpoena.” 

* "A Lethal Change in Language" (Denny Hartford, Vital Signs Blog)

From the article -- Once again, the science couldn’t be clearer.  And the science cannot change.  Therefore, for the progressives to fool the public, they went after the words. The population control advocates (and others who wanted to promote the sexual revolution) pressured groups like the American Medical Association to simply ignore the science and change their definition of conception, moving it somewhere “further down the line” from fertilization.

But where along the timeline of the prenatal child’s development could that new definition be placed? For claiming that conception occurs anywhere except the moment of fertilization would be completely arbitrary, completely unscientific, and completely untrue. For, once again, the scientific reality couldn’t be clearer -- a new life has already begun at fertilization and will continue until…well, until death.

The response from the population controllers? “Put the new definition of conception anywhere you want -- as long as it’s after the abortifacient action that these new drugs and devices utilize. You see, we can’t push the product in certain countries (like Catholic Mexico or Hindu India or Muslim Syria) if the people there realize they act post-conception. They don’t want abortion on their conscience. So, help us change the definition so that we can sell these ‘birth control’ drugs and devices as preventing pregnancy rather than stopping a pregnancy that’s already underway.”

That’s exactly what happened.

A Lethal Change in Language

In the passion of progressives to replace the historic and noble ideals of Western Civilization with secularism, hedonism, and statism, they understood that one of the first steps in their plan of conquest was to change the language in which the issues were framed.  For instance, the violent, immoral, and lethal act of elective abortion was eased into the social landscape by calling it a “voluntary interruption of pregnancy” or “an evacuation of uterine content” or the “restoration of normal menstrual function.”  The change in language helped progressives persuade the gullible and thus created dramatic changes in social practice.

It wasn’t rational.  It wasn’t right.  But, for passive people who had already surrendered much of their Christian heritage, their thinking, and their moral code for the self-centeredness of secularism, it worked.

Another vivid illustration of how changes in expression preceded (and thus helped to accelerate) dramatic culture shifts had taken place several years earlier and it too concerned abortion. The issue in that case was early abortions caused by chemicals and devices. You see, the proponents of the sexual revolution and its “sister cause,” the population control movement needed to overcome not only the obstacles of moral traditions, but they had to somehow get around the basic science governing human reproduction.  

For the science itself couldn’t be clearer. Indeed, any embryology textbook will lay out the fact that conception occurs when the sperm fertilizes the egg.  At that very moment a new life begins. After that, it's all about growth and development.  The scientific realities do not change. They cannot change. But distorting and denying the science, controlling social trends, and using false propaganda to change minds -- including the sinister manipulation of language? Well, those are other things altogether.

The language employed to describe human reproduction first began to change in the 1960s when population control advocates were looking to sell so-called “birth control” chemicals and devices among cultures that had a high respect for prenatal life. The problem was that the action of the pills and IUDs acted (at least some of the time) after conception. That is, they didn't always prevent conception. But they did prevent the embryonic human being from developing any further. That is abortion.

The primary techniques utilized by these misnamed drugs and devices was to prevent the developing person (already begun at conception and now growing quite rapidly as he or she made their way down the fallopian tube) from implanting in the wall of the cervix or, if implantation did occur, to forcibly dislodge the embryo from its new home in the womb. But remember, this is all after conception. These drugs and devices destroy lives that have already begun.

Once again, the science couldn’t be clearer.  And the science cannot change.  Therefore, for the progressives to fool the public, they went after the words. The population control advocates (and others who wanted to promote the sexual revolution) pressured groups like the American Medical Association to simply ignore the science and change their definition of conception, moving it somewhere “further down the line” from fertilization.

But where along the timeline of the prenatal child’s development could that new definition be placed? For claiming that conception occurs anywhere except the moment of fertilization would be completely arbitrary, completely unscientific, and completely untrue. For, once again, the scientific reality couldn’t be clearer -- a new life has already begun at fertilization and will continue until…well, until death.

The response from the population controllers? “Put the new definition of conception anywhere you want -- as long as it’s after the abortifacient action that these new drugs and devices utilize. You see, we can’t push the product in certain countries (like Catholic Mexico or Hindu India or Muslim Syria) if the people there realize they act post-conception. They don’t want abortion on their conscience. So, help us change the definition so that we can sell these ‘birth control’ drugs and devices as preventing pregnancy rather than stopping a pregnancy that’s already underway.”

That’s exactly what happened. Though it makes no scientific sense, though it’s a lie of the most arrogant and dastardly design, the definition of conception was disconnected from fertilization and linked instead to the embryo's implantation in the uterine wall. The effects of this lie have been universally damaging to life, health, family, and culture. And, of course, along the way, untold millions of preborn boys and girls have been destroyed. 

Of course, re-defining conception isn’t the only case where changing language was a sinister prelude to cataclysmic social change.  We see the tactic used everywhere in the culture wars.  Indeed, we live in an Orwellian world in which lies, distortion, omission, manipulation, and obfuscation fill the very air we breathe.  It is an atmosphere whose pollution is added to daily by politicians, academia, Hollywood, judges, Madison Avenue, the mainstream press, and the diversity classes your employer now requires you to attend.

But make no mistake, behind all these sources is the father of lies, he who has been wickedly determined (from his very first rebellion against God) to blind men’s minds, to spread lies, to hinder the proclamation of truth, to call evil good and good evil. Tragically, there have been many men and women giving the devil a lot of help in this campaign.

In stark contrast, however, the faithful Christian calls things by their right name. No snow. No spin. No shuck and jive. We are called to be truth-tellers, light-bearers, and prophets -- courageously, consistently and, as winsomely as possible, speaking the truth in love.

In this post-Christian phase of American history, there are certain lies which need to be opposed with particularly intense and concerted efforts. And among them are the ones I’ve described above. They are lies that have ushered in the silent holocaust of abortion as well as stimulating such corollary evils as physician-assisted suicide, lethal human experimentation, infanticide, and the deliberate cheapening of human life throughout all levels of society.

It was to help counter this dissembling culture of death that Claire and I formed Vital Signs Ministries more than 40 years ago. And, because the liars and cheats haven’t gone away, it is what we’re still about today. Of course, we serve in this mission alongside many, many others who haven’t given in or given up. For despite the enveloping cloud of lies in our era, the Holy Spirit reminds us that the obedient Christian can indeed overcome evil with good. Not only can we escape the tyranny of lies ourselves, but we can also even beat them back as they try to claim new victims. 

So refuse to compromise with the lies, distortions, and manipulations of language for evil purposes. Instead, shine as a light in the darkness; speak the truth in love; and call things by their right names.

Postscript -- Do the exhortations in this brief essay also apply to the Christian’s responsibility to address the lies about evolution, sexual practice, gender manipulation, the claims of false religions, and so on? No doubt about it. 

"With Warm Greetings from Jerusalem"

Dear Mr. And Mrs. Hartford, and Friends,

On behalf of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, we thank you for your recent card. We derive tremendous strength from the unwavering support of our many Christian friends around the world, and appreciate your message of encouragement and prayers.

With warm greetings from Jerusalem,

Sincerely, Rena Riger
Diaspora Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister

This thoughtful note came in response to one I had written to the Prime Minister on one of our Colorado scene cards at the last Vital Signs letter-writing party. (That message is printed below.) I post both of these as a reminder (and an exhortation) that letters DO have a positive effect and, therefore, should be taken as a ministry responsibility way more than they are.

They also serve as a reminder (and an exhortation) regarding the Christian's duty to pray for the peace of Israel...and to be a "gospel light" to all nations.

Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu,

Just a quick word of encouragement for you to remain steadfast as you do everything possible to defend Israel from her enemies. As an American, I sincerely apologize for the lack of support you have received from the United States in the years of the Biden administration. Indeed, this callous indifference to the needs of Israel has been one of the Biden administration’s most shameful failures. Our prayer is that Republican victories in November will greatly increase military and intelligence support for your nation. However, our frequent and fervent prayers are to a much higher source of help for Israel: namely, the Lord God Almighty Who holds Israel in the palm of His hand.

However, Mr. Prime Minister, with all this said, I urge you to not neglect the critically important moral dimension necessary for Israel’s ultimate success and well-being. As God called on His people in the Old Testament to repent from their religious apathy, their following other gods, their being consumed by self-interest and pride, He certainly is calling on Israel now to reject these same sins and to get zealous for such righteous practices as sexual purity, defending the sanctity of all human lives (including preborn boys and girls), and a serious contemplation of just Who it is in history Who offers forgiveness of sins through faith in His atoning death.

Praying daily for the peace and security of Israel…and for the hearts of your people to consider the all-gracious gift of Jesus.

Talking About Kids...to Senior Citizens?

We had a wonderful time at the church service at Aksarben Village Senior Living yesterday afternoon  -- even though we were short-handed in the visitation team with only Don and Allen to help out. Unfortunately, that is a common problem in this ministry. Come to mention it, it is a common problem in a whole lot of Vital Signs activities: the prayers and public pro-life witness in front of Planned Parenthood, our letter-writing parties, involvement in our Book Brunches and other educational presentations, and the utilization of our materials and social media posts. Sigh.

However, we were delighted that yesterday’s church service went very well. The music was terrific -- as usual, we played 3 outstanding music videos -- and the fellowship afterward featured Allen’s homemade peanut butter cookies. They were a big hit. And the sermon? Well, I began with some heartwarming stories of our interaction with kids out at the Nebraska State Fair and transitioned into a brief exegesis of Psalm 137: 3-5. I concluded with a few applications regarding the Bible’s careful teachings regarding protecting children, defending their innocence and vulnerability teaching them (by precept and example) the things of God, being humble enough to learn from them, and then to appreciate the glorious fact that we have the opportunity ourselves to become the children of the almighty God. 

We had 18-19 in church yesterday which was a pretty good crowd for us but, again, that meant the four of us were kinda’ stretched in serving treats, giving everyone some personal attention in our fellowship time, and escorting Mary Ann and Emily back to their rooms. So let me again invite you to consider joining us (even if only occasionally – that would still be a huge help) for this important outreach. We start setting up at 2; the service starts at 2:30 and ends around 3:00; and then visiting goes for 30 to 45 minutes. If you are interested, please contact us. We (and they!) would love to have you join us.