Must A Child Be "Wanted" In Order To Be Priceless?

“Every child a wanted child.” It is one of the pro-abortion forces most common slogans because it sounds so soft and loving yet it’s logical conclusion is as cold and ruthless as...well, as an abortionist’s curette.

You see, the phrase “every child a wanted child” operates out of several intellectual and moral errors, all of which presuppose that a child’s worth is based solely on the affections of others.  It reduces children to objects whose only value is in their desirability as others evaluate it.

“Wantedness” is at the very least a silly term but in the worst case, like when it is used in this pro-abortion slogan, it measures merely a bystander’s feelings, not the intrinsic value of another human being.

As I often declare, I am a pro-life activist because I am a Christian, one who knows from Holy Scripture that any child, regardless of health, gender, race, or any descriptive condition of his parents, is created in the image and likeness of Almighty God.  That child is therefore immeasurably sacred and valuable.

The child’s worth is part of his very existence; it is something bestowed by God and no slogan or evil attitude or law can deny it without the most horrible of divine judgments.

And, oh yes, one more error that is related to this slogan is the assumption that an unwanted pregnancy inevitably leads to an unwanted child.  Ask perhaps the majority of real-life moms about how that works.

On Reading Books

“The Pew Research Center reported that nearly a quarter of adults had not read a single book in the last year.  As in, they hadn’t cracked a paperback, fired up a Kindle, or even hit play on an audio book while in the car.  The number of non-book-readers has nearly tripled since 1979.”

The above paragraph is from Charles M. Blow in an op-ed he wrote for the New York Times last year.  He went on to observe, “I understand that we are now inundated with information, and people’s reading habits have become fragmented by bite-size nuggets of text messages and social media, and that takes much of the time that could otherwise be devoted to long-form reading.  I get it.  And I don’t take a troglodytic view of social media.  I participate and enjoy it.  But reading texts is not the same as reading a text.”

Is this diminished interest in reading books a problem?  I believe so.  Indeed, it reveals several things of serious importance – and none of them are good.  For instance, it gives us an indication of how our ultra-expensive education system is failing.  We’re paying more and more and our kids are in the hands of the state educators more and more. Nevertheless, America is getting dumber by the day. This diminished reading also illustrates that American society is corrupted by the shallow, self-centered atmosphere produced by television shows, smart phones, computers, etc. in which modern society lives and breathes.  And as Marshall McLuhan warned us long ago, our minds are being shaped not only by the content of media, but by its methodology, its sensuality (think not merely of sexuality but sensual pleasures of other sorts too), its all-encompassing nature, and its demand for our immediate subservience.

So, yes. I think America’s decline in reading books is a big deal.  We’re becoming dumber, lazier, more superficial, less discerning, and thus more easily led by an array of elite social controllers.  Beginning to read books again isn’t the solution to the messes America is in, of course.  But I contend it can be an important part of one’s personal defense against the encroaching acculturation and, if carried out well and by enough of us, it could even help provide for others a lighted path out of the darkness...

Read the rest of this month's LifeSharer at the Vital Signs Ministries website right here.

The ABCs of Adult Stem Cell Research

Adult stems cells come from a variety of sources and from people of all ages and races. Some common sources are bone marrow, skin and various other tissues such as the placenta, and umbilical cord blood. Because they are multipotent (able to turn into many different cell types), adult stem cells are very versatile. In 2007 scientific studies were even able to manipulate these stem cells into a pluripotentstage (iPS cells). Pluripotentcy is the ability to become every cell type in the body. Most importantly, there is no harm to the donor when adult stem cells are collected.

While much of the discussion going on in the stem cell debate is centered on embryonic stem cell research (ESCR), it is only adult stem cell research (ASCR) that has had any success in yielding treatments for various medical conditions. Furthermore, through iPS, adult stem cells can possess the flexibility of embryonic stem cells. For these reasons, there is no need to continue the life-destroying, unsuccessful, unethical, and unnecessary ESCR.

ASCR has produced treatments for more than 73 medical conditions, including brain cancer, breast cancer, type I diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, osteoporosis, and stroke damage. ASCR does not destroy human life, is ethical, and effective.

Embryonic stem cells have yet to provide any treatments. Dead-end ESCR usually results in uncontrollable, tumorous growths, and always destroys human life. Additionally, treatments would require the cloning of humans. 

In 2007, scientists were able to reprogram ordinary skin cells back to a pluripotent stage. These cells are called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells). Since iPS cells come directly from the person who needs them, the threat of rejection problems no longer exists when using these reprogrammed adult stem cells. Adult stem cells have already been proven to be everything embryonic stem cells are only speculated to be; there is no need to continue with ESCR, which always destroys human life. 

(ASCR Basics, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life)

Today's RRR (Really Relevant Reads)

* “Why I’m speaking to Congress” (Benjamin Netanyahu, New York Post)

* “The Coming of Medical Martyrdom” (Wesley J. Smith, First Things)

* “Our Dangerous Historical Moment” (Victor Davis Hanson, National Review)

* “Obama Changed His Party, Not the Country: President Obama has gotten Congressional Democrats to do what he wants. No one else is following suit.” (Josh Kraushaar, National Journal)

* “Moscow’s Mad Philosophers” (Robert Zubrin, NRO)

* “Obama: ‘Islam Has Been Woven Into the Fabric of Our Country Since Its Founding’” (Susan Jones, CNS News)

* “America Shouldn’t Tolerate ‘Biden Being Biden’” (Karol Markowicz, TIME)

What's ISIS Really About, What Does It Want, And What's To Be Done About It?

It’s a long, detailed piece. But it’s an important, fascinating one too — an eye-opening article that will season your conversations and motivate more frequent prayers. The article is “What ISIS Really Wants” and it’s written by Graeme Wood for The Atlantic.

The below title description of the piece is “The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse. Here’s what that means for its strategy—and for how to stop it.”

I would heartily recommend reading the entire article. But knowing that many of you may not, I’m dropping several key paragraphs below.

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The reality is that the Islamic State is Islamic. Very Islamic…the religion preached by its most ardent followers derives from coherent and even learned interpretations of Islam. Virtually every major decision and law promulgated by the Islamic State adheres to what it calls, in its press and pronouncements, and on its billboards, license plates, stationery, and coins, “the Prophetic methodology,” which means following the prophecy and example of Muhammad, in punctilious detail.

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But Muslims who call the Islamic State un-Islamic are typically, as the Princeton scholar Bernard Haykel, the leading expert on the group’s theology, told me, “embarrassed and politically correct, with a cotton-candy view of their own religion” that neglects “what their religion has historically and legally required.” Many denials of the Islamic State’s religious nature, he said, are rooted in an “interfaith-Christian-nonsense tradition.”

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All Muslims acknowledge that Muhammad’s earliest conquests were not tidy affairs, and that the laws of war passed down in the Koran and in the narrations of the Prophet’s rule were calibrated to fit a turbulent and violent time. In Haykel’s estimation, the fighters of the Islamic State are authentic throwbacks to early Islam and are faithfully reproducing its norms of war. This behavior includes a number of practices that modern Muslims tend to prefer not to acknowledge as integral to their sacred texts. “Slavery, crucifixion, and beheadings are not something that freakish [jihadists] are cherry-picking from the medieval tradition,” Haykel said. Islamic State fighters “are smack in the middle of the medieval tradition and are bringing it wholesale into the present day.”

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Leaders of the Islamic State have taken emulation of Muhammad as strict duty, and have revived traditions that have been dormant for hundreds of years. “What’s striking about them is not just the literalism, but also the seriousness with which they read these texts,” Haykel said. “There is an assiduous, obsessive seriousness that Muslims don’t normally have.”

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After its battle in Dabiq, Cerantonio said, the caliphate will expand and sack Istanbul. Some believe it will then cover the entire Earth, but Cerantonio suggested its tide may never reach beyond the Bosporus. An anti-Messiah, known in Muslim apocalyptic literature as Dajjal, will come from the Khorasan region of eastern Iran and kill a vast number of the caliphate’s fighters, until just 5,000 remain, cornered in Jerusalem. Just as Dajjal prepares to finish them off, Jesus—the second-most-revered prophet in Islam—will return to Earth, spear Dajjal, and lead the Muslims to victory…

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In London, Choudary and his students provided detailed descriptions of how the Islamic State must conduct its foreign policy, now that it is a caliphate. It has already taken up what Islamic law refers to as “offensive jihad,” the forcible expansion into countries that are ruled by non-Muslims. “Hitherto, we were just defending ourselves,” Choudary said; without a caliphate, offensive jihad is an inapplicable concept. But the waging of war to expand the caliphate is an essential duty of the caliph.

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Choudary took pains to present the laws of war under which the Islamic State operates as policies of mercy rather than of brutality. He told me the state has an obligation to terrorize its enemies—a holy order to scare the shit out of them with beheadings and crucifixions and enslavement of women and children, because doing so hastens victory and avoids prolonged conflict.

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One way to un-cast the Islamic State’s spell over its adherents would be to overpower it militarily and occupy the parts of Syria and Iraq now under caliphate rule. Al‑Qaeda is ineradicable because it can survive, cockroach-like, by going underground. The Islamic State cannot. If it loses its grip on its territory in Syria and Iraq, it will cease to be a caliphate. Caliphates cannot exist as underground movements, because territorial authority is a requirement: take away its command of territory, and all those oaths of allegiance are no longer binding. Former pledges could of course continue to attack the West and behead their enemies, as freelancers. But the propaganda value of the caliphate would disappear, and with it the supposed religious duty to immigrate and serve it. If the United States were to invade, the Islamic State’s obsession with battle at Dabiq suggests that it might send vast resources there, as if in a conventional battle. If the state musters at Dabiq in full force, only to be routed, it might never recover.

And yet the risks of escalation are enormous. The biggest proponent of an American invasion is the Islamic State itself. The provocative videos, in which a black-hooded executioner addresses President Obama by name, are clearly made to draw America into the fight. An invasion would be a huge propaganda victory for jihadists worldwide: irrespective of whether they have given baya’a to the caliph, they all believe that the United States wants to embark on a modern-day Crusade and kill Muslims. Yet another invasion and occupation would confirm that suspicion, and bolster recruitment. Add the incompetence of our previous efforts as occupiers, and we have reason for reluctance. The rise of ISIS, after all, happened only because our previous occupation created space for Zarqawi and his followers. Who knows the consequences of another botched job?

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Given everything we know about the Islamic State, continuing to slowly bleed it, through air strikes and proxy warfare, appears the best of bad military options. Neither the Kurds nor the Shia will ever subdue and control the whole Sunni heartland of Syria and Iraq—they are hated there, and have no appetite for such an adventure anyway. But they can keep the Islamic State from fulfilling its duty to expand. And with every month that it fails to expand, it resembles less the conquering state of the Prophet Muhammad than yet another Middle Eastern government failing to bring prosperity to its people…

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Properly contained, the Islamic State is likely to be its own undoing. No country is its ally, and its ideology ensures that this will remain the case. The land it controls, while expansive, is mostly uninhabited and poor. As it stagnates or slowly shrinks, its claim that it is the engine of God’s will and the agent of apocalypse will weaken, and fewer believers will arrive. And as more reports of misery within it leak out, radical Islamist movements elsewhere will be discredited: No one has tried harder to implement strict Sharia by violence. This is what it looks like.

Catching Up

Having been busy with the sessions at the L'Abri Conference up in Rochester, Minnesota the last few days, I submit the following as particularly important reads I've since come across.

* “Obamacare and Abortion: Americans are often forced to pay for abortion coverage they do not want.” (Genevieve C. Plaster & Arina O. Grossu, NRO)

* “The Morning After” (Mark Steyn, Steyn Online)

* “Obama’s so selfie absorbed” (Michael Goodwin, New York Post)

* “Dissident savagely attacked by Castro thugs” (Carlos Eire, Babalu)

* “Over 65 Cuban Dissidents Arrested Today” (Capitol Hill Cubans)

* “Standing By His Woman, Killing His Career” (Katie Kieffer, Town Hall)

* “HHS Pushes Church Talking Points, Bulletins to Promote Obamacare” (Jerly Bier, Weekly Standard) There are times when the President likes churches; that is, when they can be used for his political ends.

It's Music (And Moos) for "When Swing Was King"

It's a month in which we are presenting "When Swing Was King" in our regular
11 senior living centers but also in three other places: two church audiences and a special trip into northwest Iowa to do a show for a nursing home in the little town where I used to do some guest preaching. It's also a month where we're able to use new brochures (thanks to Pat Osborne and Regal Printing) to promote this unique outreach.

One activities director has called the new brochure "a true work of art." That ought to make Pat's day.

Of course, the music is superb and the residents are warm, welcoming, and wonderfully enthusiastic -- about the show and about sharing stories as we visit. Yesterday, for instance, we got into a group conversation about (of all things) cows before the show started. One fellow told about watching his uncle milk cows and shoot milk over to the cats who were waiting in line for a treat. Another described how they made their own cream and butter and cheese from the milk they got from their cows. And Beverly laughingly admitted that she and a friend used to play school with the cows as students. "They weren't all that interested in our lessons but we had fun trying to teach them anyhow."

Earlier in the week we had opportunities to talk about spiritual matters with residents, both in their mid 90s. We spoke of the splendor of heaven that was a sure thing for Christians and we spoke of the power of prayer to connect with the God of strength, security, and joy.

And then there's the music, the photographs, and the commentary that takes us all along on a "sentimental journey" back to the days of the big band era. It's another month of fun and fellowship for "When Swing Was King."

This month's songlist?

1) Glenn Miller Orchestra -- Moonlight Cocktail
(Vocals by Ray Eberle and the Modernaires)

2) Kay Kyser -- Playmates

3) Duke Ellington Orchestra -- Chelsea Bridge

4) Harry James -- I Had the Craziest Dream
(Vocals by Helen Forrest)

5) Artie Shaw Orchestra -- Blue Skies

6) Tommy Dorsey Orchestra -- Oh, Look At Me Now
(Vocals by Frank Sinatra, Connie Haines, and the Pied Pipers)

7) Gene Kelly -- Singin' In the Rain

8) Chick Webb Orchestra -- Strictly Jive

9) Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra -- I'm Stepping Out with a Memory Tonight
(Vocals by Helen O'Connell)

10) Benny Goodman Orchestra -- Here's Love In Your Eyes

11) The Mills Brothers -- Glow Worm
(Backed by the Hal McIntyre Orchestra)

12) Ethel Merman -- There's No Business Like Show Business

Please know that you are always welcome to join us in visiting the residents before and after the shows, even to sit with them during it so they can share their reactions with you. You's be a terrific help in lifting spirits and bringing joy. Just look at our month's schedule right here for a time best for you.

Catching Up From the Weekend's Reading

Among the most noteworthy articles from this weekend...

* “Obama’s week of jaw-dropping follies” (Ed Rogers, Washington Post)

* “Obama Makes Up Facts - Again” (Douglas Murray, Gatestone Institute)

* “Abortion, Inc.: Cecile Richards’ Planned Parenthood” (Americans United for Life)

* “The fiddling with temperature data is the biggest science scandal ever” (Christopher Booker, Telegraph)

* “The Scorching of California: How Green extremists made a bad drought worse” (Victor Davis Hanson, City Journal)

* “On the Bright Side, We’ll Only Be $20 Trillion in Debt” (John Hinderaker, Power Line)

* “Man in vegetative state for 12 years wakes up to tell remarkable story” (Fox News)

* “Lying Isn’t What It Used To Be” (Paul Mirengoff, Power Line)

* “Why do Nebraska reporters ignore senator’s racist rants?” (Deena Winter, Nebraska Watchdog)

How Can My Friends and I Serve Seniors?

Dear _________,

Thanks for your note and for your interest in serving senior citizens and others who tend to be marginalized by our culture. Claire and I would certainly find time to talk to your friends about ministries to seniors if you'd like. But let me start by listing a few of the basic possibilities.

1) Visitation and friendship development.

One of the best ways to begin this kind of ministry is to start with a relative or maybe someone from your church who resides in a nursing home or senior living facility. Just go visit. Talk. Share. Pray together. Listen to the stories of their lives. Read the Bible or the newspaper to them, maybe poetry. And then naturally branch out to that resident's roommate and other friends.

Another option is to contact the pastor of your church and ask him if he'd like some company when he visits the senior care facility (if he does.) You can meet people that way. And you can always contact the activities director of the facility and ask about people living there who most need a little diversion, a little encouragement, a little friendship.

2) Helping out

Just about any nursing home or other senior facility needs help in carrying out its programs and volunteers willing to help are a great treasure. Examples? Transporting wheelchair-bound residents to events. Providing company while the resident goes through therapy. Helping with parties, meals, bingo games, playing cards, worship services, special holiday events, shopping excursions, etc.

3) Entertainment

Singing and/or helping with sing along events. Playing an instrument. Dancing. Short skits. Reading aloud. Sharing hobbies. Coming along with us to visit when we present "When Swing Was King" shows. All kinds of things. Talk to your friends and pray about these opportunities to decide on what you'd most like to do. Then make sure you contact the activities director of the facility for permission and guidance.

4) Seniors outside of "the system."

Be careful to not overlook the possibility of making friends and helping out with the elderly (or others with special needs like the physically or mentally challenged) who still live on their own. There's probably a lot of grandparents among your circle of friends who would love to have a visit and make some young friends. The same is true with other seniors from your various church congregations.

We will say a prayer for you and your friends, asking our Lord to carefully guide and bless your decisions. And again, thanks so much for your note.

Denny

Important Reads

* “Obama Again Shows His Contempt for America & the West” (Paul Mirengoff, Power Line)

* “Horse Pucky from Obama : The president’s comparison of Christianity to radical Islam defies logic.” (Jonah Goldberg, NRO)

* “A Jew Examines Why Obama Never Names Islam” (Roger L. Simon, PJ Media)

* “Man on a High Horse” (Scott Johnson, Power Line)

* “‘Amnesty Bonuses’ in Tax Code: Illegal Immigrants to Receive Earned Income Tax Credit” (Daniel Halper, Weekly Standard)

* “IRS knowingly rehired tax cheats, other employees with ‘performance’ issues” (Stephen Dinan, Washington Times)

* “Hundreds More Muslim Rape Gang Cases Discovered in UK” (Robert Spencer, Front Page Magazine)

* “Gallup CEO: Number of Full-Time Jobs as Percent of Population Is Lowest It’s Ever Been” (Video clip posted on Gateway Pundit)

* “Lies Are Lies Whether They ‘Offend’ Anyone Or Not" (Paul Mirengoff, Power Line)

More Violent Hypocrisy from Planned Parenthood

“Planned Parenthood, founded by outspoken eugenicist Margaret Sanger, has led the charge on promoting abortion among the African American population for decades. Since 1973, over 13 million black babies have been aborted, with African American women more than four times as likely to have an abortion than non-Hispanic white women (Hispanic women are 2.7 times more likely than whites). In 2012, there were more black babies killed by abortion in New York City than were born, while the total number of African American abortions comprised 42.4% of abortions performed in the city that year.”

Read more of “Planned Parenthood Celebrates Black History Month” at Ben Shapiro’s Truth Revolt.

Don't Miss These

Among the most important dispatches from the culture wars in recent days are these articles. All of them deserve careful consideration.

* “Cosmo and the Business of Abortion” (Abby Johnson, NRO)

* “Obama’s Nonsensical Claim That 99.9% of Muslims Reject Radical Islam” (Aaron Goldstein, American Spectator)

* “The Quarrel That Blew Up the GOP Abortion Bill” (Joel Gehrke, NRO)

* “Pro-Palestinian students heckle Cal-Davis opponents with cries of 'Allahu Akbar!’” (Adam Kredo, Fox News)

* “Saint Louis University to Erect Monument Honoring Anti-Police Protest” (Nathan Rubbelke, The College Fix)

* “Why Obama Needs to Pretend the Taliban Aren’t Terrorists” (Andrew C. McCarthy, NRO)

* “Obama Budget Creates Second Death Tax” (Ryan Ellis, Americans for Tax Reform)

A Quick Walk for Life Review

The photo above shows just a portion of the 4,000 who showed up in the rain and snow for this year's Walk for Life, an annual pro-life witness sponsored by our friends at  Nebraska Right to Life. 

Here at the Capitol steps, we were encouraged by some of the best pro-life speeches we've heard in quite awhile. Those remarks came from NRL leaders, a couple of very sharp college students, and from Nebraska's new Lieutenant-Governor Mike Foley and Congressman Jeff Fortenberry. My favorite line of the morning? The University of Nebraska at Kearney student who said of her generation, "We survived Roe v Wade but Roe v Wade will not survive us."

Of course, Claire and I were able to enjoy the fellowship of many, many good friends and true -- friends we have made from around the state in our long involvement in pro-life ministry. 

The above photo shows that Don Kohls and I seem to be handling the cold, wet weather pretty well. That's because we were talking about one of our favorite topics; namely, our future life with Christ and all His saints on the New Earth! But obviously we weren't alone in this important pro-life witness. At various times during the day we made new friends and met up with friends of longstanding too. I'll be sure to leave some out but here's a partial list: Keith & Barb, Dick, Cindy & Allen, Pat, Jo, Pam, Julie, Sandy, Chuck, Keith & Carol, Don & Vicki, Barb, Kathy & Lynette, Marilee, Paul & Bev, Msgr. Hanefeldt, Joe, Del, Steve, Pat, Greg, Joe & Carol, Sheryl, et al.

After the talk by Mario St. Francis at the Student Union and after the Vital Signs Ministries information booth was very near to running out of the free literature we offer (Randy Alcorn books, Vital Signs brochures, postcards, bookmarks relating to chastity and our "3 for 5" prayer campaign against Planned Parenthood, Claire and I finally dried out a bit from our wet walk through downtown Lincoln. Dick took this final picture before we cleaned up and got ready to head back to Omaha. 

Thanks again to Nebraska Right to Life for a momentous Walk for Life.

“Pro-Life Witness: What’s a Congregation to Do?”

Last Sunday I delivered a sermon to the congregation of Grace Bible Church as part of their observance of Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.  We had a great time at church as we reunited with several longstanding friends and we really appreciated the opportunity.

My talk was a very practical one, “Pro-Life Witness: What’s a Congregation to Do?”  It began with a brief exposition on the purposes of Sanctity of Human Life Sunday: mourning, repentance, education, and a renewal of dedication to defend “the least of these.”  Next, I shared several Scriptural exhortations to “do justice” in the cause of the innocent, the orphan, the widow, and others who are in danger of violence and exploitation.  And then I gave examples of specific actions that can be taken to “improve one’s serve” regarding effective pro-life ministries.  Included in that list were intercession, crisis pregnancy centers, sidewalk counseling, public pro-life witness, letter-writing advocacy, education, outreaches to seniors and the infirm, and promotion of chastity and lifestyles of holiness.  I spoke too of some things a whole church family could engage in.

Along the way through these topics I shared examples from our own years of work with Vital Signs Ministries – stories that are interesting, moving, adventurous, and challenging.  Some are even entertaining.  Pastor Dan Hauge wrote me later saying, “We appreciated Denny's challenge to us this Sunday past. It was a challenge to impact culture instead of allowing culture to impact us. What a great thing it is to come face-to-face with the realities of our commitment to a culture of life and what that looks like in practice. Denny gives a practical ‘to do’ list to help us put legs on the challenges before us. It's difficult to walk out and say, ‘I’m not sure where to go from here’ after a map has been drawn during the message.”

Dan’s kind words motivated me to write up this brief report as an encouragement for you to consider a similar presentation for your church, Sunday School, Bible study group, or whatever.  We come with enthusiasm, a lot of experience, and, as always, we come free of charge!  And, because I have stepped down from being the “perennial guest speaker” at the little church where I’ve been preaching the last 7 years, Sunday mornings can now be fit into the schedule too.  Just give us a call or an e-mail and we’ll work it out.

What Else Is "When Swing Was King" Producing?

A very important goal of our “When King Was Swing” ministry in nursing
homes and other senior centers is to develop quality, ongoing friendships with residents, residents’ families, and staff.  It is why we present the program in the same facilities every month, why we include time for personal visits before and after each show, and why we continually invite volunteers along to help us involve more residents in those visits.

Though we remain disappointed at the lack of “visitor helpers,” our efforts have been blessed.  We have thus won not only a loyal fan base for “When Swing Was King” but, over these last four and a half years, we have made a lot of genuine friends too. We have been able to express that friendship in various ways; always presenting “When Swing Was King” free of charge to the facilities; making a framed photo of a Navy PV-1 Ventura bomber for Glen; giving tapes of Stan Freberg’s radio show to Michael; sharing a compilation tape of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin songs with Minnie; bring cookies and candy to the LCC staff on Christmas morning and on many other visits; and so on.

We are rightfully wary about about accepting gifts from residents but there have been times when we know it’s okay. The walnuts from Tom. The root beer barrel candies from Evelyn. The honor of conducting Doc’s funeral and preaching the gospel there. Being asked to pray at the bedside of dying friends. Bernie’s personal signature on the book about the experiences of his outfit in World War II.

But, not surprisingly, it is the gifts we receive of the audience’s enjoyment, their applause and complements, their urging us to come back soon, and all of the wonderful stories they tell – those are the priceless gifts we will forever treasure.

One of the newest extras created by our “When Swing Was King” outreach are oral history interviews we are doing with selected residents.  Claire and I schedule a personal visit, bring along the recorder, and invite our friends to tell stories of their lives and special interests.  We then have a CD that can be given to the resident and his or her family members.  In some cases, we believe that groups like the Nebraska Historical Society will be interested as well.

Our first project involves Michael, an engaging fellow who was a popular musician here in the Omaha area. Michael played almost every night for over two decades – even though he had a full-time job at Union Pacific!  When we first asked Mike if he would like us to interview him, he cried with joy.  And when we were thanking him after our first session, he said, “No, I should be thanking you.  In fact, it is a double thank you – for taking the time and for helping me remember all these stories.”  Mike is 78 and not in the greatest health. He is blind, cannot get out much anymore, and the many friends he once had have drifted away. He told us a few days after our first interview that it had been the highlight of his year!

It is another example of how “When Swing Was King,” as delightful an entertainment program as it is in its own right, opens doors for other ministry too.  No wonder we thank the Lord every day for the blessing of being involved in it.  But perhaps you can see how your involvement could expand this blessing even further.  Your prayers, your financial support of Vital Signs Ministries, and your direct participation in helping us build friendships with the residents of nursing homes and other senior living facilities can be of immeasurable worth. Please consider it prayerfully.

Doomsters vs Boomsters? In Which Camp Are You?

Who do you side with, the Doomsters or the Boomsters? Have you, for instance, bought into the alarmism over population growth? Do you believe in the violent end of society as we know it because we’re running out of oil? Do you still feel the chills when you remember what your public school teachers taught you from the books of Paul Erlich and Rachel Carson?

Then you need to check out the calmer, more sensible perspectives from people who value reality over panic, genuine scientists who bring evidence to the table instead of political and ideological fixations.

A great start — and, I mean, a really great start — is to watch these two short videos. They are enlightening to the max. They’re also very well done, using both facts and fun to communicate remarkably important messages. Theses quick films are entitled “Why Haven’t We All Starved to Death” and “Why Haven’t We Run Out of Oil?” They are produced by Passing Lane Films from Pacific Research Institute. They are written and directed by Erin Michelle Kruger and are based on “Environmental Alarmism in Context: Hysteria’s History” by Dr. Amy Kaleita with Gregory R. Forbes. 

(Thanks to Stephen Hayward over at Power Line for the alert.)

Aping Culture vs Changing It

The Christian who thinks that one must be like culture

in order to positively influence culture is sadly ignorant

of history, the true substance of conversion, and the clear teaching of the Bible.

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1,2 — NASB)

Why A Pro-Life Witness Outside Abortion Clinics?

Giving public witness to the sanctity of life in this culture is certainly not easy.  And testifying against the horror that is abortion outside a business where preborn boys and girls are actually killed? Well, that is particularly disheartening, disgusting, and disillusioning.

So why do I do it?  Indeed, why have Claire and I and many of our close friends participated in sidewalk counseling and pro-life witness outside abortion mills for 32 years and counting?  Here are 5 quick reasons.

5) The presence of peaceful, prayerful pro-life advocates outside an abortion clinic has a profound and ongoing effect on those going inside, on the workers, on the people walking or driving by.  It provides multiple and memorable messages regarding the wrongness of abortion, the availability of alternatives, and the offer of forgiveness through Christ’s gospel. 

4) A pro-life witness outside an abortion business insures that men and women – even those who ultimately decide to commit the abortion – will forever remember that someone was there to plead with them, “no, don’t do this.”  They will retain in the memory of their abortion experience that someone was standing up for their child…and for the mother’s spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being. That provides a tremendous incentive for repentance, a motivation to seek forgiveness and healing from the God Who delivered His Son to die for mankind’s sins.

3) Being regularly at an abortion clinic and coming face to face with the persons availing themselves of the demonic opportunities for child sacrifice fuels, as nothing else can, one’s zeal and commitment to fight against abortion on all other fronts. Political action?  Spiritual intercession?  Crisis pregnancy work?  Pro-life education?  Chastity campaigns?  Efforts to de-fund Planned Parenthood?  Conversion of the arts to provide for effective sanctity of life expressions?  All of these (and more) are powerfully stimulated by being there at the very doors of death, being regularly challenged by what the stakes are in this fight.

2) Pro-lifers outside abortion mills save lives by dissuading people from aborting their children.  Even when they are not aware of their impact, pro-life advocates provide an impressive force for life that changes minds.  Would-be abortion clients are challenged in their conscience and end up driving by.  Even clients inside the place change their minds and leave.  And, among the dozens or hundreds or thousands who drive by and see peaceful protestors who carry pictures of babies and words like “Choose Life” and “Mother and Child: Love Them Both” and “Life: What a Beautiful Choice,” there are countless numbers of people whose consciences are challenged. Do you not expect that the Lord will tend those seeds of winsome truth and that they will not be relevant in future meditations, conversations, and especially when people are pressed by abortion temptations? Oh yes, the presence of pro-life advocates provide illumination and spiritual challenge that goes far beyond what we can imagine.

1) Because my honor as a Christian is at stake.  Where such brazen, violent injustice is occurring, how can I refuse the opportunity to testify against it?  What does it mean to the reputation of the Church (not to mention her sense of moral priority) if children are brutally murdered in our neighborhoods without us raising our voices in principled protest?  How much is our evangelism and discipleship tarnished and weakened if we do not take seriously such charges as Jeremiah 22:3 and Isaiah 1:16-17:  “Thus says the LORD, ‘Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place.’” And “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Reprove the ruthless. Defend the orphan. Plead for the widow.”

Fewer and fewer American Christians bother nowadays to go in front of abortion mills to pray and give pro-life witness. That is an ominous warning of how far we have been co-opted by the world around us.  We have become indifferent, callous, distracted, and cowardly. Nevertheless, the grace of God remains available to us all – grace that forgives and cleanses, grace that yields wisdom and strength, grace that yet can bring personal and cultural revolution.

Our marching orders are quite clear. We read them in the Scriptures already listed. And in others like Psalm 82:3,4: “Vindicate the weak and fatherless. Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.  Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.” And Proverbs 24: 11,12: “Deliver those who are being taken away to death, and those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back.” And James 1:27: “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

As I said at the beginning of this column, giving public witness to the sanctity of life in this culture is certainly not easy.  But it remains extremely high in the values expressed by our Lord.

And that’s why, by the grace of God, we continue to do it.

"If You Take Away Religion, You Can't Hire Enough Police"

Clayton Christensen from the Harvard Business School talks about the foundational values to culture that religion provides.

Priority Items for the New Congress (A Quick Video Clip)

What do you think should be the priority items for members of the new Congress and Senate? Have you let them know yet?

Perhaps my letter will give you a few ideas to consider.



The CP article on Planned Parenthood.

Contacting government officials.