tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127774902024-03-19T03:48:00.858-05:00Vital SignsVital Signs Blog is provided by Vital Signs Ministries Director, Denny Hartford.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger11636125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-1328698371904751832024-03-16T14:03:00.002-05:002024-03-16T14:03:12.861-05:00The Top 5 (March 16)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiTGBLGeGcW0yZ-rRhmKSfwbvBhZomEXKe-WQUFCbefxWXz0eV4GHsor_4yuHKdt-W3urVmWoY7Msc1NzJyGl8P8rS9FsE7D9BzN4s4pP6-yp-BLVHfSyHywJiX45LCNaXbsBUZFpGW22BIfToT3y5tSOKEunEVOtl449lXC0cHAqubDG1PDEa/s225/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiTGBLGeGcW0yZ-rRhmKSfwbvBhZomEXKe-WQUFCbefxWXz0eV4GHsor_4yuHKdt-W3urVmWoY7Msc1NzJyGl8P8rS9FsE7D9BzN4s4pP6-yp-BLVHfSyHywJiX45LCNaXbsBUZFpGW22BIfToT3y5tSOKEunEVOtl449lXC0cHAqubDG1PDEa/s1600/5.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>* <a href="https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/03/the-dark-side-of-art.php" target="_blank">"The Dark Side of Art"</a> (John Hinderaker, Power Line)<p></p><p>* <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/03/14/kamala-harris-makes-celebratory-visit-planned-parenthood-abortion-clinic/?utm_source=TDS_Email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MorningBell&mkt_tok=ODI0LU1IVC0zMDQAAAGR5cw-c80gK-nvFfIv7cNoY_jvLJrqpGRB0-vilw78NC3hxseqNV_sC0m6HRl96LornEf2-sWr7gDgkulh70HcO2Fft4wla4QbdmYVK-f6YnfJVhqOcw" target="_blank">"Kamala Harris Makes Celebratory Visit to Planned Parenthood Abortion Clinic"</a> (Mary Margaret Olohan, Daily Signal)</p><p>* <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/03/15/opinion/biden-is-taking-a-wrecking-ball-to-americas-housing-market/" target="_blank">"Joe Biden is once again taking a ‘wrecking ball’ to America’s housing market"</a> (James Bovard, New York Post)</p><p>* <a href="https://www.frontpagemag.com/after-iran-killed-3-u-s-soldiers-biden-gives-it-10b-sanctions-waiver/" target="_blank">"After Iran Killed 3 U.S. Soldiers, Biden Gives It $10B Sanctions Waiver"</a> (Front Page Magazine) Daniel Greenfield 23 Comments</p><p>* <a href="https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20487/iran-latin-america" target="_blank">"There Goes Latin America: Iran's Regime in America's Backyard"</a> (Majid Rafizadeh, Gatestone Institute)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-29975304310333022632024-03-09T11:18:00.003-06:002024-03-09T11:18:31.838-06:00The Top 5 (March 9)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6d6Kv1ghdLhupm8C_-AWSInftVkYvEvIuVwiLO5At27_0wyHnji3bl3OEiq59jGDJ0lxQbeJp44dm949I32VwNGzBpO2PSya5-tpF2fn08xc6TMlsT4FdcDDZw3NmcSaIjm9Ut0a8AKKq4CJI-PQX78JDJWI356-puc398BfibgNihR7fmZ3/s225/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6d6Kv1ghdLhupm8C_-AWSInftVkYvEvIuVwiLO5At27_0wyHnji3bl3OEiq59jGDJ0lxQbeJp44dm949I32VwNGzBpO2PSya5-tpF2fn08xc6TMlsT4FdcDDZw3NmcSaIjm9Ut0a8AKKq4CJI-PQX78JDJWI356-puc398BfibgNihR7fmZ3/s1600/5.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>* <a href="https://nebraskafamilyalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Nebraska-Can-Stop-the-Abortion-Industrys-Latest-Initiative.pdf" target="_blank">“Nebraska Can Stop the Abortion Industry’s Latest Initiative”</a> (Brenna Grasz, NRO)<p></p><p>* <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13157945/elon-musk-joe-biden-migrants-flights-9-11-attacks.html" target="_blank">"Elon Musk says 'the groundwork is being laid for something far worse than 9/11' after Biden administration admitted flying 320K unvetted migrants into the US has national security 'vulnerabilities'"</a> (Katelyn Caralle & Emma Richter, Daily Mail)</p><p>* <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/something-like-fire" target="_blank">"Something Like Fire: Will the AI revolution warm us or burn us?"</a> (Michael J. Totten, City Journal)</p><p>* <a href="https://www.commentary.org/john-podhoretz/how-can-biden-stay-in-now/" target="_blank">"How Can Biden Stay In Now?"</a> (John Podhoretz, Commentary)</p><p>* <a href="https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/foreign-money-international-students-american-campuses" target="_blank">"The Takeover: A massive increase in foreign money and students on American campuses is driving radicalization and subsidizing institutional failure"</a> (Neetu Arnold, Tablet)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-58846069970325292112024-03-09T10:59:00.006-06:002024-03-09T21:22:24.386-06:00Assorted Items from The Week That Was<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMDqzfP7bG_yTyna6V2FrWPSozTBB3bSxgn4kExRGybUr-1KVIkq_VilwaD1dZEtF2ZaWoYA4qMLyMj8DhPJtodN-5U0eQVwnXxhcPGhh9rEfhV4WmgtxTwS4FJ2U36nXq7gOJukZg_NuDyM_USW4JGsNmN45ljraEkGFvsGBIvKcInR_KNYw/s406/cup_of_tea.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMDqzfP7bG_yTyna6V2FrWPSozTBB3bSxgn4kExRGybUr-1KVIkq_VilwaD1dZEtF2ZaWoYA4qMLyMj8DhPJtodN-5U0eQVwnXxhcPGhh9rEfhV4WmgtxTwS4FJ2U36nXq7gOJukZg_NuDyM_USW4JGsNmN45ljraEkGFvsGBIvKcInR_KNYw/s320/cup_of_tea.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>1) Last Monday when I mentioned to a fellow at the coffee shop that Claire and I were heading down to Wichita to visit my little sister Sherry (she who is dealing with an early and severe dementia), he asked, “Why do you do that when you realize that she might not even recognize you?” My reply? “Because I recognize her!”<p></p><p>The point being, of course, that the key to experiencing the blessings of God in one’s life and relationships is to love, honor, and serve unconditionally -- not because of what someone can do for you or what arbitrary and utilitarian tests they can pass to “deserve” being treated with honor and kindness. No, we are commanded to love as Jesus loves us; namely with grace, humility, courage, a willingness to sacrifice, and a persevering spirit. Yes, I love my little sister because of who she has been. But I love her for who she is right now – physical and mental illness notwithstanding. And, thank the Lord, because Sherry has trusted in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross to pay for her sins, I also love her for who she will be!</p><p>2) We received 3 personal notes in the mail yesterday. Sad to say, especially considering the volume of cards and letters we send out, that was a very high number for us to receive. And yet, all 3 of those notes came from friends of ours (and of Vital Signs too) from George, Iowa where we invested a lot of time providing “pulpit supply” over 20 years ago. Talk about loyal and enduring friendships! Thank you so much Ruth, Rod, and Ruby.</p><p>3) Claire and I had an invaluable time on the phone yesterday with Karen Bowling of Nebraska Family Alliance. Our talk was about the Nebraska pro-life community’s response to the wicked move by Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and other abortion zealots to enshrine unlimited abortion in the Nebraska Constitution. The details of that talk cannot be revealed for a few more days so please stay tuned to learn about the dramatic moves coming from this coalition of statewide pro-life groups and their associates (like us). In the meantime, know that “Aslan is on the move!” And please check out the Brenna Grasz article, “Nebraska Can Stop the Abortion Industry’s Latest Initiative” which we have linked to on the Vital Signs website.</p><p>4) Here’s an important household tip gleaned from my experience yesterday. Be extremely careful when, in your attempts to clean high places in your kitchen, you risk breathing in fumes given off by a potent product like 409 -- particularly if you’re trying to balance on a ladder! Yipes.</p><p>5) My early Thursday morning conversations over coffee with John Malek are becoming more valuable to me than ever. They provide a crucial sanity check, a stimulation to love and good deeds, and a great help to our respective sanctification priorities, perspectives, and disciplines. If you do not have friends (and times to spend with them for this kind of intentional fellowship), by all means, go find some!<br /></p><p>6) And I end these random thoughts by passing along a few other recommendations today. A) I remain high on Tim Tebow’s <i>Mission Possible Daily Devotional</i>. B) I hope you can find a time to join us for one of our “When Swing Was King” shows in March. You’ll find the schedule on the VSM website. C) This week’s Top 5 is up and is also right here on Vital Signs Blog. And D) Vital Signs Ministries' monthly letter for March (and a very interesting, newsy letter this time around) is on the VSM website too.</p><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-5429853960482206792024-03-02T13:45:00.000-06:002024-03-02T13:45:30.862-06:00The Thanksgiving Jar Revisited<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUL_uYFElh4CcCvCCfnjtWgBc6_BClyUkW_iLJnzCh15PhjLzbKFZ7acMvKIaYirkgzFtt7xS1l7x-T2Arsu4ZYh8DyQu_b0Po4bKEfpp3A-AbbXRD5qQT3HuiT3c9w4nOV0IC23GgjHTcL6Qx0RZothsOPulYz0nruXi-bdeMb8uEVeGuUpl/s1142/Thanksgiving%20Jar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1142" data-original-width="903" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUL_uYFElh4CcCvCCfnjtWgBc6_BClyUkW_iLJnzCh15PhjLzbKFZ7acMvKIaYirkgzFtt7xS1l7x-T2Arsu4ZYh8DyQu_b0Po4bKEfpp3A-AbbXRD5qQT3HuiT3c9w4nOV0IC23GgjHTcL6Qx0RZothsOPulYz0nruXi-bdeMb8uEVeGuUpl/s320/Thanksgiving%20Jar.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>It was back in 2015 that Claire and I began to significantly increase our “gratitude attitude” by starting a Thanksgiving Jar project as one of our New Year’s resolutions. It was a simple enough plan -- just set a large glass jar on the kitchen counter into which we would drop little notes of things for which we were grateful to God. Those notes quickly began to accumulate: answers to prayer, encouragements, deliverances, tests passed, special moments of beauty and adventure. You get the idea.<p></p><p>Well, this practice turned out to be a remarkably effective way to sharpen our sense of Thanksgiving, to reduce complacency and complaining, and to deepen our appreciation of the constancy of God’s mercies to us. We not only noticed more of God’s activity in our lives; we also began to look for Him to “show up” in every area of our daily routines. And so, with profound appreciation for the effects stimulated by this spiritual discipline, we have continued it ever since.</p><p>But here is another nifty element of our Thanksgiving Jar project. When the jar becomes full, we empty it into a large sack or box and start all over again. By the time Christmas season rolls around, we have emptied the jar several times over. We then take the whole year’s worth of notes (we start afresh every December 1st), mix ‘em all up, and pour them into a big wicker basket. Then, as the final stage of our evening prayers together, we each pull out a few of those notes and read them aloud. As you can imagine, it’s fun to look back on the year, but it also gives us a brand new opportunity to thank God for the blessings documented in those notes.</p><p>For the first couple of years, this practice added a special spice to our Christmas season. And it still does. However, even as the Thanksgiving Jar helped us to expand our “gratitude attitude,” there was also an expansion in the number of notes we were making. So it is that the pattern now is that we’re opening Thanksgiving Jar notes at the conclusion of our nightly prayers deep into spring! Thank you, heavenly Father, for inspiring and directing us in this very joyful, very practical spiritual discipline.</p><p>And what about you? Perhaps you might consider starting a Thanksgiving Jar project for you and your family. It will certainly help make Thanksgiving a whole-year practice and, in so doing, you’ll find a wonderful bunch of associated blessings as well.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-34076401448973295382024-03-02T10:58:00.003-06:002024-03-02T10:58:33.395-06:00The Top 5 (March 2)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiyKgdMX8xCfcV8xDI1yPjrVHZ3f98nQue2Ktao7MvqWXTIV0mAo_smr929QTE72VQGkmrGRA7rNWxo2ZFi79dIFtXvNLT0RBYsg0z4Vr98nB0S1olFhG5BXYpXXXO5yb2sJIOLJxk3-58kao4osMFikgEt4d-A2X3sxjdCyI1yJcYQh7YIKS_/s998/Reality%20Check.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="998" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiyKgdMX8xCfcV8xDI1yPjrVHZ3f98nQue2Ktao7MvqWXTIV0mAo_smr929QTE72VQGkmrGRA7rNWxo2ZFi79dIFtXvNLT0RBYsg0z4Vr98nB0S1olFhG5BXYpXXXO5yb2sJIOLJxk3-58kao4osMFikgEt4d-A2X3sxjdCyI1yJcYQh7YIKS_/s320/Reality%20Check.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This week's Top 5...plus 1.<br /><p></p><p>* <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/03/01/opinion/20-new-rules-of-politics-democrats-have-given-us/" target="_blank">"20 new rules of politics Democrats have given us"</a> (Victor Davis Hanson, Town Hall)</p><p>* <a href="https://vitalsignsblog.blogspot.com/2024/02/a-lethal-change-in-language.html" target="_blank">"A Lethal Change in Language"</a> (Denny Hartford, Vital Signs Blog)</p><p>* <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/28/opinion/biden-hiding-the-true-impact-of-open-border-10m-have-crossed/" target="_blank">"Biden is hiding the true impact of his open border -- a shocking 10 Million have crossed"</a> (Todd Bensman, New York Post)</p><p>* <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/gender-affirming-care-is-fundamentally-flawed" target="_blank">"Rotten at the Root: Trans activists’ claims don’t survive scientific scrutiny"</a> (Joseph Figliolia, City Journal)</p><p>* <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2024/03/01/biden-regime-ratchets-up-its-authoritarianism-with-arrest-of-blaze-investigative-reporter/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=biden-regime-ratchets-up-its-authoritarianism-with-arrest-of-blaze-investigative-reporter&utm_term=2024-03-02" target="_blank">"Biden Regime Ratchets Up Its Authoritarianism With Arrest Of Blaze Investigative Reporter"</a> (Shawn Fleetwood, Federalist)</p><p>* <a href="https://www.frontpagemag.com/while-kids-die-ny-ag-letitia-james-focuses-on-transgender-locker-rooms/" target="_blank">"While Kids Die, NY AG Letitia James Focuses on Transgender Locker Rooms"</a> (Daniel Greenfield, Front Page Mag)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-10414756365968504792024-03-01T09:51:00.004-06:002024-03-01T09:51:48.890-06:00About That "Pro-Choice" Ballot Initiative/Amendment<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b> <span style="text-align: center;">Pass the word!</span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1p1Qk-pSfwI40fbjvjTwedVhWWrH0T5mby8tt1HZPzS8wn2E5mbQdi1iCTxP_eq3ubi8KkOYv1x3tBTsWVBN3llMs0NNB51SVItkqG9I9AhnoBk71fNZsWqHaQG6h9NdWoAcYYAnSEPpK9BaQNb85MQOr8hqXOfqJZRyWTzAAXWRpxc4BmNu/s729/00%20effort.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="584" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1p1Qk-pSfwI40fbjvjTwedVhWWrH0T5mby8tt1HZPzS8wn2E5mbQdi1iCTxP_eq3ubi8KkOYv1x3tBTsWVBN3llMs0NNB51SVItkqG9I9AhnoBk71fNZsWqHaQG6h9NdWoAcYYAnSEPpK9BaQNb85MQOr8hqXOfqJZRyWTzAAXWRpxc4BmNu/w512-h640/00%20effort.jpg" width="512" /></a></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-53897825834081587082024-03-01T09:41:00.000-06:002024-03-01T09:41:09.206-06:00The EPS Glow (A Quick Review)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjx9wgd-JaWJuS5caOw3xdGSE28s8V-ByhgIMSrRF9FUGSXebR4anAbVMxT4N49bW46KWH4ihIIligsg6Ko1A6UJrVcKlVnpH97V02hX6cfzyMECCpZdRuyxa3jcqXu2SA9Khwkfmn3krYyPhSqDrsY_GprzYlCY_dEgmvYo4DtCYSCDuW5SZ/s2048/00%20Glow.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjx9wgd-JaWJuS5caOw3xdGSE28s8V-ByhgIMSrRF9FUGSXebR4anAbVMxT4N49bW46KWH4ihIIligsg6Ko1A6UJrVcKlVnpH97V02hX6cfzyMECCpZdRuyxa3jcqXu2SA9Khwkfmn3krYyPhSqDrsY_GprzYlCY_dEgmvYo4DtCYSCDuW5SZ/s320/00%20Glow.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Claire and I had the most enlightening, inspiring time last night as we attended Glow, the benefit banquet for Essential Pregnancy Services. That eventwas held at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs and I’m guessing the crowd was near 700, maybe more. That kind of turnout represented quite a difference from the days that Claire and I were first involved with EPS -- like way back in 1983 -- and we were very happy for the EPS team. And, as the evening progressed, we were even more impressed to see how the services they provide for women experiencing unexpected and under-supported pregnancies has expanded. Way to go, EPS!<p></p><p>We were also very encouraged to see how open and enthusiastic is the current EPS staff’s dependence on almighty God in their ministries for “the least of these” and their families, for young people being exploited by the hedonistic lies about sex and identity, and for the culture at large to get serious about standing firm and compassionate for the sanctity of life. </p><p>Let me jot down just a few of the specific points of the evening that were highlights for us: </p><p>1) We enjoyed seeing pro-life friends like Matt Troutman, John & Mary Ann Kellogg, Ralph & Carol Kramper, John & Mary Zach, Joe & Louise Ferrante, Dan Witt, and others. The venue was attractive and serviceable. The meal was quite good. And the emcee, Omaha City Councilwoman Aimee Melton, did a fine job.</p><p>2) We appreciated very much EPS Executive Director Kerri Gilson’s update on the ministry and for her stirring charge to the assembly for increasing prayers and concerted work against the ballot initiative/amendment effort underway by extremist abortion zealots that would, if successful, enshrine unlimited abortion in our state Constitution. EPS is a direct service ministry and doesn’t normally engage in activities that might be deemed by some as “political.” But the danger is much too great a threat to NOT address it. We applaud the ministry for taking this opportunity for making this crucial exhortation. </p><p>3) EPS understands that, in our day, the most dire threat to pre born boys and girls comes from chemical poisons. And, like many of their devoted pro-life colleagues (including those at Assure Women’s Center with whom Claire and I are most directly connected), they are tackling that threat with courage and skill.</p><p>4) The EPS choice for their Glow speaker was truly an outstanding pick, Toni McFadden. Toni’s Her story of being pressured into an abortion when a high school student; the mean, deceptive, and greedy practices employed by the abortionist; the subsequent horror and far-reaching effects of that act; and then Toni’s meeting the lavish and forever forgiveness in the cross of Jesus Christ was riveting…and memorable to the max. And the surprising twist at the end of Toni’s testimony? Well, I won’t spoil it for you. Read the book!</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Redeemed-My-Journey-after-Abortion/dp/1667826441" target="_blank">Redeemed</a> -- https://www.amazon.com/Redeemed-My-Journey-after-Abortion/dp/1667826441</p><p>EPS, thank you so much for a most splendid and inspiring evening! </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-30849984101149832422024-02-28T14:57:00.006-06:002024-02-28T15:04:53.653-06:00A Lethal Change in Language<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4ghvcZTIPpGq107IA5JOzVh2jk4q1EWVeMA3-LDBbeMoESF4xL7fIg1mrJmvcCzu6cdF3Eq8TJKJPw_t6gC7MMlRe_kGqURqiRN3tq0djdxcMMV-ZwxnY0UVvctmj96CnwSAxqynIUAmXjOJqLiQbenj9exqZ3SOJDmulZTuqr5JBQ7ZWA1P/s440/00%20n%20(1).png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="440" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4ghvcZTIPpGq107IA5JOzVh2jk4q1EWVeMA3-LDBbeMoESF4xL7fIg1mrJmvcCzu6cdF3Eq8TJKJPw_t6gC7MMlRe_kGqURqiRN3tq0djdxcMMV-ZwxnY0UVvctmj96CnwSAxqynIUAmXjOJqLiQbenj9exqZ3SOJDmulZTuqr5JBQ7ZWA1P/w400-h339/00%20n%20(1).png" width="400" /></a></div>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 are 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 create dramatic changes in social practice.<p></p><p>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.</p><p>Another vivid illustration of how changes in expression preceded (and thus helped to accelerate) a dramatic culture shift actually took place several years earlier and it too concerned abortion. More specifically, the issue was early abortions caused by chemicals and devices. And the problem for proponents of the sexual revolution and the population control movement came in the inevitable collision with their ideologies and basic science.</p><p>You see, the science itself couldn’t be clearer and any embryology textbook will lay out the facts. Conception occurs when the sperm fertilizes the egg. It is at that very moment that a new life begins. After that, it's all about development and growth. The scientific realities do not change. But plans to control social trends and the tools used to get around science -- including the sinister manipulation of language? That’s another thing altogether.</p><p>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) subsequent to conception. That is, they didn't always prevent conception but they did prevent the embryonic human being from developing any further. And that is abortion.</p><p>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.</p><p>Once again, the science couldn’t be clearer. And the science cannot change. Therefore, the progressives 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 actually ignore the science and simply change their definition of conception, to move it “further down the line” from fertilization.</p><p>But where along the timeline of the prenatal child’s development could the new definition be placed? Anywhere except the moment of fertilization would be completely arbitrary. Anywhere except fertilization would be completely unscientific. And that’s because the new life had already begun at fertilization and would continue until…well, until death.</p><p>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 them as preventing pregnancy rather than stopping a pregnancy that’s already underway."</p><p>And that’s exactly what happened. Though it makes no scientific sense, though it's a lie of the most sinister proportions, 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. </p><p>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.</p><p>Make no mistake, behind all of 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. Sadly, there have been many men and women giving the devil a lot of help in this campaign.</p><p>In stark contrast, 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.</p><p>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 such corollary evils as physician-assisted suicide, lethal human experimentation, infanticide, and the deliberate cheapening of human life throughout all levels of society.</p><p>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 I 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, we can 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. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-34774929133093603332024-02-24T06:30:00.001-06:002024-02-24T06:30:00.260-06:00The Top 5 (February 24)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7FHQ9-4xmxZu9X7B5Rq6gAf-fpYv15PQi5KbZIZPu-lLBQkRzqaoIPcGB0s7QeeZ365cAqv-hx6daCidAAvmtslZgoYoZoMbgJWenQVzExm1up59XJpANjWw3sHgpymZhwjIkHjCD7SIr_-SETugs0oFCCMkEOenDnvZB4Mi5sZNKU3-1j8EN/s225/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7FHQ9-4xmxZu9X7B5Rq6gAf-fpYv15PQi5KbZIZPu-lLBQkRzqaoIPcGB0s7QeeZ365cAqv-hx6daCidAAvmtslZgoYoZoMbgJWenQVzExm1up59XJpANjWw3sHgpymZhwjIkHjCD7SIr_-SETugs0oFCCMkEOenDnvZB4Mi5sZNKU3-1j8EN/s1600/5.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>* <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2024/02/23/yes-biden-has-worked-tirelessly-to-shame-silence-and-demoralize-faithful-christians/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=yes-biden-has-worked-tirelessly-to-shame-silence-and-demoralize-faithful-christians&utm_term=2024-02-23" target="_blank">"Yes, Biden Has Worked Tirelessly To ‘Shame,’ ‘Silence,’ And ‘Demoralize’ Faithful Christians"</a> (Shawn Fleetwood, Federalist)<p></p><p>* <a href="https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/02/what-is-christian-nationalism.php" target="_blank">"What Is Christian Nationalism?"</a> (John Hinderaker, Power Line)</p><p>* <a href="https://spectator.org/non-citizens-have-been-voting-since-2008/" target="_blank">"Non-Citizens Have Been Voting Since 2008"</a> (David Catron, American Spectator)</p><p>* <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/02/12/black-history-month-tribute-clarence-thomas/?utm_source=TDS_Email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MorningBell&mkt_tok=ODI0LU1IVC0zMDQAAAGRVchaKDV7mSwIjwNlsvpOSsfVpuQHp34MG64fZ623C_l8MZKAr0LszRGtB2XJTW0E9OC1IvDnZzrmWCara-IFPCB1jMry71nLp66OSC_UTK1lOQDDNw" target="_blank">"A Black History Month Tribute to Clarence Thomas"</a> (Thomas Jipping, Daily Signal)</p><p>* <a href="https://www.spiked-online.com/2024/02/23/the-cowardice-of-our-elites-is-emboldening-islamism/" target="_blank">"The cowardice of our elites is emboldening Islamism"</a> (Tom Slater, spiked!)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-54307077523317818842024-02-23T09:34:00.004-06:002024-02-23T09:37:13.046-06:00Abortion Shame? Not Very Often.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdqnBxDg2Yxte-Uu82Qhu1lZIgL0RaB3D7sP9GEm46rJpL-C9Dnsm1wDmdShJkLq0O37R-USHS9lynBpSg_An1ZFpu2rOfKgYyOMFjtEHZA4mfGtmSN0MtKJj8jSaguGaiOmQW6Ji607alkif_vQIzEO6IUpQRXgs-Pq1PniUNnZL6-lCAORp/s1920/00%20pp.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdqnBxDg2Yxte-Uu82Qhu1lZIgL0RaB3D7sP9GEm46rJpL-C9Dnsm1wDmdShJkLq0O37R-USHS9lynBpSg_An1ZFpu2rOfKgYyOMFjtEHZA4mfGtmSN0MtKJj8jSaguGaiOmQW6Ji607alkif_vQIzEO6IUpQRXgs-Pq1PniUNnZL6-lCAORp/s320/00%20pp.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p>Among the common sights in those early days of our sidewalk counseling outside abortion clinics (we started in January 1983) were women trying to somehow sneak past us, crying, hiding their faces, making excuses, telling outright lies, and sometimes being enraged at our presence.</p><p>But all such reactions are very rare nowadays. For abortion has become, to so many Americans of child-bearing age, a completely conventional experience. Sure, the facts about abortion’s risks to women are more widespread than ever. So too is the knowledge of the wondrous development of the human person inside the womb. And yes, the polls suggest that American youth are more pro-life than their parents' generation.</p><p>Nevertheless, those who head to the abortion clinic to get their “problem fixed” are largely untroubled by scientific facts, medical risks, moral corruption, or even the fear of God. Not all of them, no. But we must honestly face the fact that most of these women (and men) know all too well that ending their pregnancy means killing their child -- but they don’t care. Their lives are dominated by the self-interest of the immediate moment.</p><p>I’m well aware that pro-abortion spokespersons (and some pro-life leaders too) insist that every woman dealing with an unexpected pregnancy does so with careful deliberation amid anxiety, fear, and a moral debate with her conscience. But this just doesn’t fit the facts. Not the facts that show that a high percentage of abortions in America are repeat abortions; that is, women having their second, third, or more abortion.</p><p>And it doesn’t fit the facts that a sidewalk counselor sees outside the abortion mills. For there we rarely see tears from an abortion client or any other indication that this is a traumatic, difficult, crisis situation for them. Instead of the crying, the shame, the excuses, or even the guilty anger, the women going into the abortion centers where their preborn babies will be killed are doing their makeup, adjusting their clothes, laughing on their cell phones, or kissing their other child in the car seat before Daddy drives off.</p><p>Moral sensitivity is dying. Or dead altogether. Religious understanding is absent. And a commitment to career, leisure activities, body shape, and material “stuff” leaves no room for the precious, innocent, and miraculous baby she has conceived and is carrying.</p><p>It’s not just the continuation of abortion in America that breaks my heart. It’s that so much of America isn’t even ashamed of it anymore.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-74281743486114809132024-02-17T07:37:00.004-06:002024-02-17T07:37:51.740-06:00The Top 5 (February 17)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSO4IeznNVtBJe70_TTOcL1s9SEg__7cWU5Oj8ieTqsgju0adQVbgavBFObvoAGSca10iJQB7ztANgvK4S_-9zSxg096Pr27CjCOxu5i5K9Z4hBHGG6G2EMVCWZksnAlePFTtDtjO6LdlYQ04uwQQIF72_3em1SMJjVlww64qRD1tUGxYwMKWV/s448/alert.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="448" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSO4IeznNVtBJe70_TTOcL1s9SEg__7cWU5Oj8ieTqsgju0adQVbgavBFObvoAGSca10iJQB7ztANgvK4S_-9zSxg096Pr27CjCOxu5i5K9Z4hBHGG6G2EMVCWZksnAlePFTtDtjO6LdlYQ04uwQQIF72_3em1SMJjVlww64qRD1tUGxYwMKWV/s320/alert.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>* <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2024/02/15/president-joe-bidens-border-invasion-victimizes-young-and-old-americans-everywhere/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=president-joe-bidens-border-invasion-victimizes-young-and-old-americans-everywhere&utm_term=2024-02-16" target="_blank">"President Joe Biden’s Border Invasion Victimizes Young And Old Americans Everywhere"</a> (Jordan Boyd, Federalist)<p></p><p>* <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/02/10/the-list-64-ways-joe-biden-opened-americas-borders-to-the-worlds-migrants/" target="_blank">"The List: 64 Ways Joe Biden Opened America’s Borders to the World’s Migrants"</a> (John Binder, Breitbart)</p><p>* <a href="https://weingarten.substack.com/p/the-ultimate-guide-to-the-biden-administrations" target="_blank">"The Ultimate Guide to the Biden Administration's Betrayal of Israel"</a> (Benjamin Weingarten)</p><p>* <a href="https://issuesinsights.com/2024/02/14/whats-with-these-dems-are-stuck-with-biden-stories-appearing-in-the-press/" target="_blank">"Are Dems Actually ‘Stuck With Biden’? Or Are They Playing A Long Con?"</a> (I & I Editorial Board)</p><p>* <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/ignoring-the-science" target="_blank">"Ignoring the Science: Why does the CDC still recommend Covid shots for kids?"</a> (Joel Zinberg, City Journal)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-51399935866500855442024-02-16T12:15:00.004-06:002024-02-16T12:15:48.524-06:00February's Fantastic Song List (WSWK)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2wVG94HuuYMn6kCfuBIpJIC3__7gnWBq2ucrptYh4eNcGvS92DQP2xmqBLcOPpo0-BU22VteUNf3spLZ2uoXF9ZVCUNv-5pNDRGd65Ry1kixqAY8y_A_EX9V-Ripu3BSvXCn9qieZL-1KmYwldinhCp3kfhgVCOwWj7kbieOt7-jCHUNKT62F/s1124/WSWK%20logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="715" data-original-width="1124" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2wVG94HuuYMn6kCfuBIpJIC3__7gnWBq2ucrptYh4eNcGvS92DQP2xmqBLcOPpo0-BU22VteUNf3spLZ2uoXF9ZVCUNv-5pNDRGd65Ry1kixqAY8y_A_EX9V-Ripu3BSvXCn9qieZL-1KmYwldinhCp3kfhgVCOwWj7kbieOt7-jCHUNKT62F/w400-h255/WSWK%20logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>February’s “When Swing Was King” shows are really going great. We have already presented shows at senior living facilities so far this month but, if you’d like, you can still catch one of the 4 shows next week (3 next week). You’ll find the schedule on the Vital Signs Ministries website.</div><div><br /></div><div>And the song list? It’s superb!</div><div><br /></div><div>1) “Blueberry Hill” -- Glenn Miller Orchestra (Ray Eberle, vocals) (1940)</div><div>2) “Secret Love” -- Doris Day (1954)</div><div>3) “Little White Lies” -- Count Basie Octet (1950)</div><div>4) “I Had the Craziest Dream” -- Harry James Orchestra (Helen Forrest, vocals) (1943)</div><div>5) “Blue Skies” -- Artie Shaw Orchestra (1937)</div><div>6) “Dear Heart” -- Andy Williams (1965)</div><div>7) “Singin’ In the Rain” -- Gene Kelly (1952)</div><div>8) “How Long Has This Been Goin’ On?” -- Lena Horne (Backed by the Phil Moore 4) (1945)</div><div>9) “I’m Stepping Out with a Memory” -- Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (Helen O’Connell, vocals) (1940)</div><div>10) “Here’s Love In Your Eyes” -- Benny Goodman Orchestra (1936)</div><div>11) “If Ever I Would Leave You?” -- Robert Goulet (1960)</div><div>12) “Glow Worm” -- The Mills Brothers (Backed by the Hal McIntyre Orchestra)</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-16659381267865740812024-02-10T11:20:00.000-06:002024-02-10T11:20:07.839-06:00The Top 5 (February 10)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJKD1EhnP3Sc7ZeCJ6iV54d_9DqKAYz3vmUP8fokc-3TCld4zSWySohf-Ef_hBRvdGD21kcW7OMFpFwkZzwOAolMsA0Xmy7QPX1qtmyfzzQw1WLZb_hnal5qXmEMfNafIhHn0W_qiMgtbYEYi5n1-USL0kliRC-gp8SKTquUBlraXgQw6lyyG/s225/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJKD1EhnP3Sc7ZeCJ6iV54d_9DqKAYz3vmUP8fokc-3TCld4zSWySohf-Ef_hBRvdGD21kcW7OMFpFwkZzwOAolMsA0Xmy7QPX1qtmyfzzQw1WLZb_hnal5qXmEMfNafIhHn0W_qiMgtbYEYi5n1-USL0kliRC-gp8SKTquUBlraXgQw6lyyG/s1600/5.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>* <a href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/here-are-the-biggest-revelations-in-the-special-counsels-report-on-biden/" target="_blank">"Here Are the Biggest Revelations in the Special Counsel's Report on Biden"</a> (Andrew Kerr, Washington Free Beacon)<p></p><p>* <a href="https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20381/biden-global-war" target="_blank">"Biden Opened the Floodgates of Hell"</a> (Gordon G. Chang, Gatestone Institute)</p><p>* <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/02/01/why-theres-a-crisis-of-confidence-trust-in-policing-profession-and-what-to-do-about-it/?utm_source=TDS_Email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MorningBell&mkt_tok=ODI0LU1IVC0zMDQAAAGRMbvHRZwaWAK378TlfANbDHJIt_TVvP7jjQBqk0J6nJQDULBUlZEm5FQ57etrh2FQQAa-zWqYoPoGwNAkitcYsQF0jInGBkLjfihT-R80pld-8JcPyg" target="_blank">"Unforeseen Consequences of ‘Defund the Police’: High Crime, Low Morale, Hiring Woes"</a> (M. Douglas Scott, Daily Signal)</p><div>* <a href="https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/02/illegals-are-already-voting.php" target="_blank">"Illegals Are Already Voting"</a> (Lloyd Billingsley, Power Line)</div><p>* <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13057825/chinese-nationals-illegally-cbp-migrants.html" target="_blank">"More than 150 Chinese nationals entered US illegally EVERY DAY since October, startling new CBP figures reveal"</a> (Will potter, Daily Mail)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-14415898256326911232024-02-09T23:06:00.005-06:002024-02-09T23:06:29.245-06:00Night to Shine Tonight<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5fiNz-WSwTRMsij9TIXAyJRkkbJwusp1R1bACIwU0GubLSSKzWjlcAK4d2YV8qh29-OYofqFMptPqSfqCjTLVzFQKRCYfjPycg31Fw-WZ0pamrydAy7dvTDT8S94i1Kk1O5BYYCGgv2vLt9ljtXaqABRFWPwKdtdBaDA0ydyu3v6FTTShUOE/s4608/20240209_164436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="2072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5fiNz-WSwTRMsij9TIXAyJRkkbJwusp1R1bACIwU0GubLSSKzWjlcAK4d2YV8qh29-OYofqFMptPqSfqCjTLVzFQKRCYfjPycg31Fw-WZ0pamrydAy7dvTDT8S94i1Kk1O5BYYCGgv2vLt9ljtXaqABRFWPwKdtdBaDA0ydyu3v6FTTShUOE/w288-h640/20240209_164436.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>Claire and I were especially honored and delighted to work with the Night to Shine outreach tonight. This remarkable "prom plus" experience is for special needs people 16 years and up and was created by the Tim Tebow Foundation. The local host is King of Kings Church and they were absolutely fantastic -- creative, detailed, compassionate, unified, and all in.<p></p><p>What a remarkable opportunity this was and we are profoundly grateful to God for allowing us to be a part. Our specific role was with the Red Carpet team but we also signed up for breakdown and cleanup so that kept us on site and busy long after the party was over. But we were greatly blessed in both our jobs tonight.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BOvWDs6JVl29EOTuV7YiqftjJIwFkQvI_Es1FuZAd47GUeJDfEfrYlWUcrA2Rlc2Gp5UBx9fsP4Q5kcTGwViMl68uqKq99-ChC-CIGEUWRwf0eJ-bASUWaCYKoHulHXtR3WLiwKTcqg6aR11fREJ3vPoX4Dt-pkf1sV6H1Svsxs0Nc6Japev/s4608/20240209_201757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2072" data-original-width="4608" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BOvWDs6JVl29EOTuV7YiqftjJIwFkQvI_Es1FuZAd47GUeJDfEfrYlWUcrA2Rlc2Gp5UBx9fsP4Q5kcTGwViMl68uqKq99-ChC-CIGEUWRwf0eJ-bASUWaCYKoHulHXtR3WLiwKTcqg6aR11fREJ3vPoX4Dt-pkf1sV6H1Svsxs0Nc6Japev/w640-h288/20240209_201757.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-57403825933808438132024-02-07T11:23:00.004-06:002024-02-07T11:23:59.969-06:00Tim Tebow Offers a Prayer<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvX7GylUkeAlZ7mkRcQNg5LzNqQ7RXzhYBObsgCbShPAA0MTOqd-zfXggipu_XZSQT8rY_j40tuaLi8pU1eGbZUAut_0m7Z0cK3_iLWF8_01-f1SpoYTsbY_lD9usc6Y9kJPm41RDXQOqm3gRWW9SQDxaZJ3xTD08Ev4XKlfQcRfisJbjYap-y/s400/00%20tebow.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="256" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvX7GylUkeAlZ7mkRcQNg5LzNqQ7RXzhYBObsgCbShPAA0MTOqd-zfXggipu_XZSQT8rY_j40tuaLi8pU1eGbZUAut_0m7Z0cK3_iLWF8_01-f1SpoYTsbY_lD9usc6Y9kJPm41RDXQOqm3gRWW9SQDxaZJ3xTD08Ev4XKlfQcRfisJbjYap-y/w205-h320/00%20tebow.jpeg" width="205" /></a></div>Let me share an example of why Claire and I have been so thankful for our decision to use Tim Tebow’s <i>Mission Possible Daily Devotional </i>as a spiritual disciplines resource. Here is a prayer he recently presented as that day’s entry…<p></p><p><i>Thank you, Father, for loving me so much that You want me to live a life of significance. Please remind me each day to 1st seek Your kingdom, believing that You’ll take care of the rest. As I wake each day, may my thoughts be aligned with what You say. You are the Lord of my life, heart, soul, and mind. Forgive me when my mind has been preoccupied with worry, questions, distractions, or lies from the enemy. Thank You that You’re will is for my thinking to be transformed day after day into Your likeness. I know transformation happens when I shift my focus from the things of this world to Your truth.</i></p><p><i>Show me the areas of weakness I need to change. Reveal to me the lies from the enemy I have been believing that keep me stuck and distracted. Empower me to be self-disciplined and a master of my body and mind and remain centered on you. Remind me of my job to take my thoughts captive, and give me the strength to fix my attention on what is right, noble, and true. Thank You for actively working in my life. I trust that Your purposes for me will prevail.</i></p><p><i>In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.</i></p><p><i>Based on: Matthew 6:33; Ephesians 4: 23-24; Romans 12:2; 1st Corinthians 9:27; 2nd Corinthians 10:5; Proverbs 19:21.</i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-65205096080353895072024-02-03T07:30:00.009-06:002024-02-03T07:30:00.139-06:00The Top 5 (February 3)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fjqAFZfRe3V3FXfRAw-LhsfLK0r_duPDHnsH1L_oh4jelzNyU8kucM-ATyLDVYFgNylyBuYwFuJnyEiBuRBTM4bhfLhf2H9OjHrRaeNol-oTGilHV821sT7LPuGJk-Z1AFWGnvtL5Ltlz9_Z6ifl5gxw2Jz-O_GTy23H3gxgjhRkRxrLCj5y/s448/alert.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="448" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fjqAFZfRe3V3FXfRAw-LhsfLK0r_duPDHnsH1L_oh4jelzNyU8kucM-ATyLDVYFgNylyBuYwFuJnyEiBuRBTM4bhfLhf2H9OjHrRaeNol-oTGilHV821sT7LPuGJk-Z1AFWGnvtL5Ltlz9_Z6ifl5gxw2Jz-O_GTy23H3gxgjhRkRxrLCj5y/s320/alert.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>* <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/02/02/decoding-democrat-joe-biden-2024-abortion-playbook/" target="_blank">"Decoding Democrat Joe Biden’s 2024 Abortion Playbook"</a> (Katherine Hamilton, Breitbart)<p></p><p>* <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2024/02/02/elon-musks-neuralink-heralds-the-beginning-of-a-dystopian-post-human-future/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=elon-musks-neuralink-heralds-the-beginning-of-a-dystopian-post-human-future&utm_term=2024-02-02" target="_blank">"Elon Musk’s Neuralink Heralds The Beginning Of A Dystopian, Post-Human Future"</a> (John Daniel Davidson, Federalist)</p><p>* <a href="https://www.frontpagemag.com/biden-appoints-ufo-nut-as-global-warming-envoy/" target="_blank">"Biden Appoints UFO Nut as Global Warming Envoy"</a> (Daniel Greenfield, Front Page Mag)</p><p>* <a href="https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20342/domestic-terrorists-of-tomorrow" target="_blank">"The Domestic Terrorists of Tomorrow are Blocking Traffic Today"</a> (Daniel Greenfield, Gatestone Institute)</p><p>* <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/02/02/trump-conviction-trial-jan-6-court" target="_blank">"Behind the Curtain: Trump's conviction scenario"</a> (Mike Allen & Jim VandeHei, Axios)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-18332356792804033592024-02-02T10:03:00.005-06:002024-02-02T10:16:04.054-06:00Hey! Do Your Pro-Life Political Reps Need to Hear from You?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9Q3LmyGQ0027Czn2HqtDtMJ4IiWeRFNjZ0Qs01WjIsapwzGYA4KkEvq-npfsQfEKwRSyFkw4mocIWt90J7XQ1_2rvCj0CU9tjeNpXXKJn_29aqU3ihfeRBX9f9ix3krEDWGqehWQl3TXBkkesGqXg-MR6g3Mc36vUPJBve54WFeEjJ6Co2PU/s300/letters%202.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="300" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9Q3LmyGQ0027Czn2HqtDtMJ4IiWeRFNjZ0Qs01WjIsapwzGYA4KkEvq-npfsQfEKwRSyFkw4mocIWt90J7XQ1_2rvCj0CU9tjeNpXXKJn_29aqU3ihfeRBX9f9ix3krEDWGqehWQl3TXBkkesGqXg-MR6g3Mc36vUPJBve54WFeEjJ6Co2PU/s1600/letters%202.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>The answer to the above question is...of course! So, get after it. You expect these guys to do the right thing <i><b>so you do your part</b></i> in supporting them, thanking them, praying for them, being a cheerleader for them, and passing along the need for those duties to your friends and church members.</p><p>Here's my latest. It's a letter, the basic form of which I sent to all 16 of the state senators who participated in the Walk for Life sponsored by Nebraska Right to Life last Saturday. (Note the addition of pro-life quotations at the end of the letter. I sometimes add Scriptures or quotes to my letters. You might try it too.)</p><p>Dear Senator -------------</p><p></p><p>We wanted to send along an enthusiastic thank-you for your presence at the Walk for Life last weekend. Your participation was a very important witness not only to your own constituents but to Nebraskans throughout the state. Your public support for pro-life advocacy is an encouragement of tremendous value, a “sanity check” for those peaceful, prayerful pro-life citizens who are continually assailed by the left, and a stimulant to “stay the course” in working to protect the sanctity of all human life, religious freedom, and traditional family values.</p><p>Of course, Senator, of even greater value is your principled advocacy for these crucial values as you discuss, strategize, and vote to save the lives of preborn kids, help their moms and families, rebuild a culture of life, and otherwise maintain Nebraska’s “good life” reputation.</p><p>Please know you are in our frequent prayers and we have recommitted ourselves to also enlist our colleagues, friends, and church members to be praying for you and your family also. Again, thank you and may God continue to bless and use you.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Denny & Claire Hartford<br /></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Vital Signs Ministries</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">“We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life “the unborn” without diminishing the value of all human life.” (President Ronald Reagan)</span></p><p style="text-align: left;">“The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion because if a mother can kill her own child, what is left but for me to kill you and you to kill me. There is nothing in between.” (Mother Teresa)</p><p style="text-align: left;">“Abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women.” (Pioneer feminist Alice Paul)</p><p style="text-align: left;">“The Bible makes it clear that God sees the unborn infant not as a piece of superfluous biological tissue, but as a person created by Him for life.” (Billy Graham)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-51924846550455407242024-01-30T16:18:00.006-06:002024-01-30T16:18:56.473-06:00When Battle Is Your Calling<p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6tiyGNd2pRR-iHjf7XqMPQcDPbZPjsDMh_M6rktPx3wS_kVMuffe0fstJDnPJqHxlXNY58KgRvGGMTHufONihpmnqzTGEg-6m7dziX4ZkBu5MV4ZzWU3MbySZfBJW3pZ9KKL0b6a-LTp83o5tJ_ZYk7YFw9f1RvFhkxYrY7bjc2sC8A4Xahf8/s320/Praying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="239" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6tiyGNd2pRR-iHjf7XqMPQcDPbZPjsDMh_M6rktPx3wS_kVMuffe0fstJDnPJqHxlXNY58KgRvGGMTHufONihpmnqzTGEg-6m7dziX4ZkBu5MV4ZzWU3MbySZfBJW3pZ9KKL0b6a-LTp83o5tJ_ZYk7YFw9f1RvFhkxYrY7bjc2sC8A4Xahf8/s1600/Praying.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">The opening remarks and prayer for Nebraska Right to Life's Gala Banquet I presented last Friday evening in Lincoln:</p><p style="text-align: left;">Good evening. In the face of what’s been happening in our culture, particularly in the raging, repulsive reactions of the left to the overturning of Roe v Wade, way too many Christians are trying to ride out the storm by staying out of it as much as possible. Yes, they prefer right to triumph over wrong. But, for all practical purposes, what they prefer most is to stay comfortable and safe and not rock the boat any worse by making waves themselves. They want to be -- at peace.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">But we need (we most desperately need) another kind of Christian in times like these -- Christians who care enough about truth to speak it, Christians who love enough to sacrifice and serve those who are in dire straits, to work hard and to pray hard that they might please God by being courageous warriors, loyal ambassadors, and obedient sons and daughters of their heavenly King.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Abraham Kuyper, the Dutch statesman, journalist, theologian, and Prime Minister of the Netherlands between 1901 and 1905, once wrote, “When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace has become sin. You must, at the price of dearest peace, lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy, with all the fire of your faith.”</p><p style="text-align: left;">So, in the service of He Who has called us to overcome the darkness (which, among other terrible wickedness in our day, has involved the massive shedding of innocent blood), let us humble ourselves before God, gratefully receive His gracious empowerment, and rededicate ourselves this night to, as our brother Kuyper urged us, “lay our convictions bare before friend and enemy, with all the fire of our faith.”</p><p style="text-align: left;">To that end, will you join me in letting Saint Patrick’s simple 5th Century prayer bring us before God. Our father in heaven, hear our prayer this night.</p><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">May the strength of God pilot us.</div><div style="text-align: center;">May the power of God preserve us.</div><div style="text-align: center;">May the wisdom of God instruct us.</div><div style="text-align: center;">May the hand of God protect us.</div><div style="text-align: center;">May the way of God direct us.</div><div style="text-align: center;">May the shield of God defend us.</div><div style="text-align: center;">May the hosts of God guard us against the snares of the evil one and the temptations of the world.</div><div style="text-align: center;">May Christ be with us. Christ before us. Christ in us. Christ over us.</div><div style="text-align: center;">May thy salvation, O Lord, be always ours this day and forevermore.</div></div><p style="text-align: left;">And Father, we also ask You now to bless our evening. Bless to our bodies this food we take with one another. Pour out Your grace upon those who have prepared the meal and so kindly serve it to us. Let Your Holy Spirit move mightily through each speaker and each part of the program. And may we all leave here more encouraged and better equipped to serve Your righteousness and truth. We pray in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.</p><div><br /></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-37575791334829659562024-01-30T15:46:00.003-06:002024-01-30T15:46:24.573-06:00What Did They Say About Abortion? (Part 2)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWmeyc0AbFPCFWDegRi55N078zEPxj9Z0ZIlSj_44fv1O2l9DCe-EAua4KxyOxqddtYWddUdr4BijkEiBERK5UQJd17AsPCNLa-RlwuRioyh8cstowJubBODDsaHwCFfgGBcPBBsX8vsIWe4KVq6w4njiQe4FUCUMpWao5r8AdIS7FqCHwlwq/s185/readingbook.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="180" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWmeyc0AbFPCFWDegRi55N078zEPxj9Z0ZIlSj_44fv1O2l9DCe-EAua4KxyOxqddtYWddUdr4BijkEiBERK5UQJd17AsPCNLa-RlwuRioyh8cstowJubBODDsaHwCFfgGBcPBBsX8vsIWe4KVq6w4njiQe4FUCUMpWao5r8AdIS7FqCHwlwq/w311-h320/readingbook.gif" width="311" /></a></div>“For those who conceal sexual wantonness by taking stimulating drugs to bring on an abortion wholly lose their own humanity along with the fetus.” (Clement of Alexandria, Pedagogus, 2nd Century)<p></p><p>“Thou shalt not slay thy child by causing abortion, nor kill that which is begotten. For everything that is shaped, and has received a soul from God, if slain, it shall be avenged, as being unjustly destroyed.” (The Apostolic Constitutions, circa 380 AD)</p><p>“Destruction of the embryo in the mother’s womb is a violation of the right to live which God has bestowed upon this nascent life. To raise the question whether we are here concerned already with a human being or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact is that God certainly intended to create a human being and that this nascent human being has been deliberately deprived of his life. And that is nothing but murder.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics)</p><p>“The most significant thing about abortion legislation in Biblical law is that there is none. It was so unthinkable that an Israelite woman should desire an abortion that there was no need to mention this offense in the criminal code. All that was necessary to prohibit an abortion was the command, ‘You shall not murder’ (Ex. 20:13).” (Meredith Kline, American theologian and Old Testament scholar)</p><p>“He who destroys germinating life kills a man.” (Karl Barth)</p><p>“When we consider that women are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit.” (Pioneer feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton)</p><p>“The right to life is the first right mentioned in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Every human being, born or pre-born, is entitled to this fundamental right.” (Dr. Jerome Lejeune, French pediatrician and geneticist)</p><p>“The Bible makes it clear that God sees the unborn infant not as a piece of superfluous biological tissue, but as a person created by Him for life.” (Billy Graham)</p><p>“It does not matter whether you take away a life that is born or destroy one that is coming to the birth. In both instances, the destruction is murder.” (Tertullian, Apology, 2nd Century)</p><p>“Surely at such a time (conception), the order of nature established by God in procreation should be followed.” (Martin Luther)</p><p>“Why sow where the ground makes it its care to destroy the fruit? Where there are many efforts at abortion? Where there is murder before birth? For you do not even let the harlot remain a mere harlot, but make her a murderer also. Why then do you abuse the gift of God and fight with His laws, and follow after what is a curse as if a blessing, and make the place of procreation a chamber for murder, and arm the woman that was given for childbearing unto slaughter?” (St. John Chrysostom, Homily 24 on Romans, late 4th Century)</p><p>“From conception to our final breath on this earth, all life is a sacred gift from Almighty God. It must be cherished in our hearts and protected through our actions, both in our capacity as individuals and also through our laws and policies as a nation.” (Dr. James Dobson)</p><p>“The solution [to a crisis pregnancy] is not to kill the innocent baby but to deal with the mother’s values and her attitudes toward life.” (Rev. Jesse Jackson, 1977 March for Life, Washington, DC)</p><p>“Abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women.” (Pioneer feminist Alice Paul)</p><p>“Probably nothing has been as damaging to our cause as the advances in technology which have allowed pictures of the developing fetus, because people now talk about the fetus in much different terms than they did 15 years ago. They talk about it as a human being, which is not something that I have an easy answer on how to cure.” (Harrison Hickman, pollster for the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, addressing NARAL’s 20th Anniversary Conference)</p><p>“The fetus carried in the mother’s womb is already a man and it is quite unnatural that a life be destroyed of one who has not yet seen its enjoyment. For, it seems more unworthy that a man be killed in his home rather than in his field because for each man his home is his safest refuge. How much more abominable ought it to be considered to kill a fetus in the womb who has not yet been brought into the light.” (John Calvin)</p><p>“How can the ‘dream’ [of Martin Luther King] survive if we murder the children? Every aborted baby is like a slave in the womb of his or her mother. The mother decides his or her fate.” (Dr. Alveda C. King)</p><p>“The unborn child is a human being created in the image of God, and to deny this is to deny the authority of the Bible. It is impossible to read Psalm 139 and truly believe what it says without realizing that life in the womb is human life. It is impossible to truly believe in the incarnation and not realize that the Child conceived in Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit was indeed the Son of God from the time of conception. If we truly believe the Bible, there is no question when human life begins. And to deny this is to deny the authority of the Bible. Are we so blind not to see what is involved?...But if we are not willing to take a stand even for human life, is there anything for which we will stand?” (Francis Schaeffer)</p><p>“I’ve noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born.” (President Ronald Reagan)</p><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-6135294585295935302024-01-27T07:30:00.001-06:002024-01-27T07:30:00.137-06:00The Top 5 (January 27)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis62J4MeVJRStYcsYVTE4eyCLQnAUwi-wHpzpfeNlwLUI3RIz8Rv2X4WmjSFt-trileQzA476dm7ouSHJWPTWqa7P8575NSc70H-X0ys45jC4jlPU738eAitph1OPmNMePNp_EDL_ypjLcaEI_YWrlxgVYXSMDEfw5Wv2UzmU0P7jwDNaUNNZI/s532/Reading,%20ignorance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="370" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis62J4MeVJRStYcsYVTE4eyCLQnAUwi-wHpzpfeNlwLUI3RIz8Rv2X4WmjSFt-trileQzA476dm7ouSHJWPTWqa7P8575NSc70H-X0ys45jC4jlPU738eAitph1OPmNMePNp_EDL_ypjLcaEI_YWrlxgVYXSMDEfw5Wv2UzmU0P7jwDNaUNNZI/s320/Reading,%20ignorance.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>* <a href="https://washingtonstand.com/commentary/4-ways-republicans-should-talk-about-life-in-2024" target="_blank">"4 Ways Republicans Should Talk about Life in 2024"</a> (Mary Szoch, Washington Stand)<p></p><p>* <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2024/01/23/congress-agency-says-bidens-deputies-took-in-6-2-million-illegals/" target="_blank">"CBO: Biden Admin Has Released 6.2 Million Illegal Migrants into U.S. in 3 Years, Often Through ‘Parole’ Loophole"</a> (Neil Munro, Breitbart)</p><p>* <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2024/01/24/sacking-unaccountable-bureaucrats-should-be-the-next-gop-presidents-no-1-priority/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sacking-unaccountable-bureaucrats-should-be-the-next-gop-presidents-no-1-priority&utm_term=2024-01-24" target="_blank">"Sacking Unaccountable Bureaucrats Should Be The Next GOP President’s No. 1 Priority"</a> (Jonathan Bronitsky, Federalist)</p><p>* <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/01/18/the-outsize-influence-of-big-laws-liberal-tilt/?utm_source=TDS_Email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MorningBell&mkt_tok=ODI0LU1IVC0zMDQAAAGQ2i9wzoZtEoEeiaq4N85d398QVosQiyAPchnJLdc8ZkmxO9uJFzYo3iKLnhv-0GHS0Ecs33boSBhukjleb9Tli06s23G6pjxS9N7Y3Ef0KHeCO-4Blg" target="_blank">"Big Law’s Troubling Sway at the Supreme Court"</a> (John G. Malcolm, Daily Signal)</p><p>* <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/niall-ferguson-treason-intellectuals-third-reich" target="_blank">"The Treason of the Intellectuals"</a> (Niall Ferguson, Free Press)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-38583095049489421332024-01-24T08:44:00.006-06:002024-01-26T11:53:12.648-06:00What Did They Say About Abortion? (Part 1)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR1vumzUgVZVNOS1PTB8u4IJfiIfY_DgdlwE9wilmQHKTm_yTUJCXRWVmXKtZrZn9bIwSsLXL_z5O3UgqWWynJ5hk5lZH-yD4PPQQKhk9NunU9SAAlTVPrFCi8O9YFtPd4IHZwqD8BNVNqbUQhPc_uulKDBXl1TvmfQlPsOz77rCLOToqi50Kp/s400/Facts.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR1vumzUgVZVNOS1PTB8u4IJfiIfY_DgdlwE9wilmQHKTm_yTUJCXRWVmXKtZrZn9bIwSsLXL_z5O3UgqWWynJ5hk5lZH-yD4PPQQKhk9NunU9SAAlTVPrFCi8O9YFtPd4IHZwqD8BNVNqbUQhPc_uulKDBXl1TvmfQlPsOz77rCLOToqi50Kp/s320/Facts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Here are several appropriate quotations regarding the sanctity of life and the abhorrent evil of abortion. They are from a variety of sources, some that may well surprise you. But please note that the reason I’m posting these brief statements is not merely to encourage and inspire you, but that you yourself will now pass along these quotes in your letters, conversations, social media posts, etc. Never forget that these truths are under constant attack in our culture so we must take our responsibility to counter the lies with the truth. <p></p><p>To that end I suggest this – copy these quotations; put them on your text edit page or in a notebook; and use them in the weeks to come (one or two at a time) in your correspondence. And, yes; look for another couple of installment of quotes here on Vital Signs Blog in the coming days.</p><p>And one more suggestion. Please utilize the other resources of Vital Signs Ministries relevant to the purpose of shining the light of truth regarding the sanctity of life including <a href="https://vitalsignsministries.org/articles_posts/key-scripture-passages-relating-to-the-sanctity-of-human-life/" target="_blank">Key Scripture Passages Relating to the Sanctity of Human Life</a>, <a href="https://vitalsignsministries.org/articles_posts/views-on-abortion-from-church-history/" target="_blank">Views on Abortion From Church History</a>, <a href="https://vitalsignsministries.org/articles_posts/an-old-testament-defense-of-preborn-children-a-brief-exposition-of-exodus-2122-25/" target="_blank">An Old Testament Defense of Preborn Children: A Brief Exposition of Exodus 21:22-25</a>, and so on.</p><p>“Thou shalt not destroy thy conceptions before they are brought forth; nor kill them after they are born. Thou shalt love thy neighbor more than thy own life. Thou shalt not murder a child by abortion.” (Barnabas, The Epistle of Barnabas 14:11, circa AD 125)</p><p>“We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life “the unborn “without diminishing the value of all human life.” (President Ronald Reagan)</p><p>“The first feminists were pro-life. Elizabeth C. Stanton called abortion ‘evil.’ Sarah F. Norton called abortion a ‘crime.’ Susan B. Anthony called abortion ‘child murder.’ Alice Paul called abortion ‘child murder.’ Alice Paul called abortion the ‘ultimate exploitation of women.’” (Lila Rose)</p><p>In answering the slanderous charge that Christian that Christians were cannibals who took the body and drank the blood of Jesus Christ, Athenagoras wrote in his Legatio (165 AD): “How could we kill a man -- we who say that women who take drugs to procure abortion are guilty of homicide and that they will have to answer to God for this abortion? One cannot at the same time believe that the fetus in the womb is a living being -- as such in God’s care -- and kill one already brought forth into the light.”</p><p>“Moreover, those, too, who give drugs causing abortion are deliberate murderers themselves, as well as those receiving the poison which kills the fetus.” (Basil the Great, Canon, 4th Century)</p><p>From a 1963 pamphlet by Planned Parenthood: “Abortion kills the life of a baby after it has begun.”</p><p>“A high view of Scripture and a high view of life go hand-in-hand. You cannot be faithful to what the Bible teaches about the value of human life and be in favor of abortion.” (Francis Schaeffer)</p><p>“We regard the destruction by parents of their offspring, before birth, with abhorrence, as a crime against God and against nature.” (Presbyterian Convention, Pittsburgh 1869)</p><p>“To accept the fact that, after fertilization has taken place, a new human has come into being is no longer a matter of taste or opinion. The human nature of the human being from conception to old age is not a metaphysical conception. It is plain experimental evidence.” (Dr. Jerome Lejeune, French geneticist and recipient of the Kennedy Prize and the William Allen Memorial Medal for his discovery of the genetic basis of Down’s syndrome.)</p><p>“You shall not slay a child by abortion.” (The Didache or the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles which was a 2nd century catechism for young converts to Christianity. Also from this document comes this statement, “The Way of Death is filled with people who are…murderers of children and abortionists of God’s creatures.”</p><p>“The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion…because if a mother can kill her own child, what is left but for me to kill you and you to kill me…there is nothing in between.” (Mother Teresa) </p><p>“We’re living in an age of genocide…And we do believe that there is not only the genocide of war, and the genocide that took place with the extermination of the Jews, but the whole program…of birth control and abortion is another form of genocide…They claim the poor are bringing forth tremendous numbers of children and so the solution is to kill them off.” (Dorothy Day, American advocate for justice and peace; founded the Catholic Worker Movement.)</p><p>“There are women who swallow drugs to stifle in their own womb the beginnings of a man to be -- committing infanticide before they even give birth to the infant.” (Minucius Felix, Octavius, circa AD 180.)</p><p>“There was a time when our enemies wore white hoods and drove old pickups. But today, they wear white lab coats and drive Jaguars. For our [black] community, the real weapon of mass destruction is the suction machine at the local Planned Parenthood.” (Dr. Johnny Hunter)</p><p>“Once impregnation has taken place it is no longer a question of whether the persons concerned have the responsibility for a possible parenthood; they have become parents.” (Helmut Thielicke)</p><p>“The child, by reason of higher physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth.” (United Nations’ Declaration of the Rights of the Child, November 1959)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-89106174610117033042024-01-20T08:00:00.001-06:002024-01-20T08:00:00.257-06:00The Top 5 (January 20)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvHZ7u2IpGeCMJrTWcHL8KCGHW-bGL7DPjR7WVHTZ_5OqYpfOhiadMlytnh5M1cJqwVhtppH3P36WOFjKsO548dUt3pFDd7GE4UQsQrOlRzQ38glSubBFkVu4Za_NYVJizkoGTLHiOo0t_RAix7dMi3RZ8bZv8_l29KlQBl2OXeQUVl_axsuQ/s1666/Top%205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1171" data-original-width="1666" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvHZ7u2IpGeCMJrTWcHL8KCGHW-bGL7DPjR7WVHTZ_5OqYpfOhiadMlytnh5M1cJqwVhtppH3P36WOFjKsO548dUt3pFDd7GE4UQsQrOlRzQ38glSubBFkVu4Za_NYVJizkoGTLHiOo0t_RAix7dMi3RZ8bZv8_l29KlQBl2OXeQUVl_axsuQ/s320/Top%205.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>* <a href="https://washingtonstand.com/commentary/gop-warns-candidates-to-stop-treating-abortion-like-a-hot-stove-they-wont-touch" target="_blank">"GOP Experts Warn Candidates to Stop Treating Abortion ‘Like a Hot Stove’ They Won’t Touch"</a> (Suzanne Bowdey, Washington Stand)<p></p><p>* <a href="https://washingtonstand.com/commentary/double-standard-of-justice-could-crumble-the-entire-system-former-fbi-agent-" target="_blank">"Double Standard of Justice Could ‘Crumble the Entire System’: Former FBI Agent"</a> (Suzanne Bowdey, Washington Stand)</p><p>* <a href="https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/01/diversity-is-going-to-get-us-killed.php" target="_blank">"Diversity Is Going To Get Us Killed"</a> (John Hinderaker, PowerLine) -- And, if you're interested in this story, you should also check out Lloyd Billingsley's <a href="https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/01/sully-phone-home.php" target="_blank">"Sully, Phone Home."</a></p><p>* Video Clip: <a href="https://vitalsignsblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/want-to-fight-poverty-then-fight-for.html" target="_blank">"Want to Fight Poverty? Then Fight for Freedom."</a> (Kite and Key Media via Vital Signs Blog)</p><p>* <a href="https://shepherds.edu/discipleship-is-more-than-a-sunday-experience/" target="_blank">"Discipleship is More Than a Sunday Experience"</a> (Dr. Andrew Burggraff, Shepherds Seminary) </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-9686352869408484502024-01-19T10:21:00.001-06:002024-01-19T10:21:23.512-06:00Want to Fight Poverty? Then Fight for Freedom.An excellent, eye-opening primer on the relationship between prosperity and freedom. Pass it on to your "progressive" friends.
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="327" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xLK7bcj1OZc" title="Why Do Some Countries Get Rich While Others Don’t?" width="580"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-83693718080316316752024-01-17T17:29:00.012-06:002024-01-20T11:27:34.612-06:00Appealing for Justice Towards Persecuted Christians<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhQ_K2U8xUgbsO8fVcnSfXyZMz9R1uucumVsVRdkw7_YN_lXzYD87zOy0KtvR5cFrlcrjEYNLYpJq4mMU4AA9vrOpwUKcbs82XWZzmj98dOmOux4gyEU9oLDrOC9CEKuc08CSfCvV4RX2LjmB7VV-p6oDRGzGPIWCQ9_o6YYxhfNVKRBwzJOh/s424/Persecuted%20Church.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhQ_K2U8xUgbsO8fVcnSfXyZMz9R1uucumVsVRdkw7_YN_lXzYD87zOy0KtvR5cFrlcrjEYNLYpJq4mMU4AA9vrOpwUKcbs82XWZzmj98dOmOux4gyEU9oLDrOC9CEKuc08CSfCvV4RX2LjmB7VV-p6oDRGzGPIWCQ9_o6YYxhfNVKRBwzJOh/w283-h400/Persecuted%20Church.JPG" width="283" /></a></div>“Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are badly treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.” (Hebrews 13:3)<p></p><p>In the next couple of days, Claire and I will be sending letters (like the one I’ve posted below) to political leaders and ambassadors of some of the countries who are the absolute worst in persecuting Christians: Burma, China, Eritrea, Belarus, India, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Vietnam. (<a href="https://www.embassy.org/embassies/index2.html" target="_blank">The addresses to the respective embassies can be found here.</a>)</p><p>We hope this action encourages you to lift up prayers for our brethren who are suffering under such despotic regimes…and you might even decide to write a letter or two or three on you own. Indeed, if you need information or assistance, just let us know.</p><p><i>A letter to the leaders of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,</i></p><p><i>I am writing as an American minister of Christ’s gospel with an urgent appeal for you to initiate new moves of justice and compassion regarding the sad plight of prisoners who are experiencing unfair and harsh imprisonment in your nation because of their faith in Jesus for eternal salvation. Please recognize that sincere Christians represent a wonderful blessing to your nation as they are morally upright, diligent workers, respectful, kindhearted, and generous. They do not seek to undermine the State, but indeed seek to enhance your nation's strength and culture through prayers, devotion to family life, and peaceful service.</i></p><p><i>Therefore, to mistreat persons merely because of religious differences (or other acts of conscience) is a tragic mistake, one that frustrates, angers, and saddens people of tolerance and goodwill throughout the world. Please act quickly to open the jail cells of those enduring undeserved punishment for their religious faith. </i></p><p><i>“Religious freedom, an essential requirement of the dignity of every person, is a cornerstone of the structure of human rights, and for this reason, an irreplaceable factor in the good of individuals and of the whole of society as well as of the personal fulfillment of each individual.” (John Paul II)</i></p><p><i>Thank you for your consideration of this crucial human rights matter.</i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12777490.post-3369212634091061042024-01-15T10:14:00.000-06:002024-01-15T10:14:06.618-06:00Still "Swinging" After 13 Years<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjie1gilEe_yNI84HpJ0aJTyDDx_5RWZI4JYqhIbeIv5ZcL_pXZp2ZuQK-0h0nWCn-kHxTpl7bc0WbJzddO_xASF_ahzqmfirWQCujmr92crrIe0O5rB4NYgztUdkzrA755xH9doVDLK7rouiY6NDWkGFzgb19944IGNHQAkZtiSKFACIAykjdt/s1124/WSWK%20logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="715" data-original-width="1124" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjie1gilEe_yNI84HpJ0aJTyDDx_5RWZI4JYqhIbeIv5ZcL_pXZp2ZuQK-0h0nWCn-kHxTpl7bc0WbJzddO_xASF_ahzqmfirWQCujmr92crrIe0O5rB4NYgztUdkzrA755xH9doVDLK7rouiY6NDWkGFzgb19944IGNHQAkZtiSKFACIAykjdt/w400-h255/WSWK%20logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Well, we are certainly into the “swing” this month as we begin our 14th year of “When Swing Was King” shows to area senior living facilities. We are blessed beyond description at the fact that the presentations are more popular than ever. And our comeback from the covid hysteria seems pretty well complete with our schedule now back to 12 (sometimes 13) every month. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Of course, please remember that you can always join in the nostalgia, beauty, fascination, and fun of “When Swing Was King” simply by coming along to any of our shows. The schedule is always on the Vital Signs Ministries website.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />And the January songlist? As always it's a very an impressive one:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />1) Glenn Miller Orchestra (Ray Eberle, vocals) -- “The Nearness of You”<br />2) Bob Crosby & the Bobcats -- “Skater's Waltz in Swing Time”<br />3) Count Basie Orchestra (Helen Humes, vocals) -- “And the Angels Sing”<br />4) Benny Goodman Orchestra -- “Let’s Dance”<br />5) Chick Webb Orchestra --“There’s Frost on the Moon”<br />6) The Andrews Sisters -- “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen”<br />7) Artie Shaw Orchestra (Helen Forrest, vocals) -- “All the Things You Are”<br />8) Les Brown Orchestra (Doris Day, vocals) -- “Sentimental Journey”<br />9) Bing Crosby -- “Moonlight Becomes You”<br />10) Harry James Orchestra -- “Deep Purple”<br />11) Gordon MacRae -- “Oklahoma”<br />12) The Four Lads -- “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing”</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com