Another Birthday. Another 14er.

To celebrate my 65th birthday on July 5th 2016, I returned to Colorado (the land of my admittedly misspent youth) and hiked up the 14,065 foot Mt. Bierstadt. For almost two years I had been doing a lot of walking here in Omaha (over 7 miles a day, several days a week) but I soon learned that walking a level, paved course wasn't nearly enough to prepare an elderly fellow for the challenge of hiking far above timberline. Yet, by the gracious permission and provision of God, I managed to make the summit.  (The pictorial review of that adventure can be viewed here.)

And so...for my birthday this year, I decided to try again. Here, in photos and brief descriptions, is the story of our quick trip trip to Golden, Breckenridge, and Mt. Quandary.

1) After a lovely day driving out to Denver, a day including conversation, prayers, in-car picnics, and a Louis L'Amour audio book, we went on into Golden, the town where I went to Junior High School and where my Father's and Mother's bodies are buried. Claire and I stopped to buy some fresh decorations for the grave and then spent a little time at the cemetery before heading on to Breckenridge.

2 & 3) Claire found us a great studio apartment to stay in Breckenridge and at a surprising price. It allowed us to fix our own meals, enjoy an unusual but pleasant shower, and experience a delightful view of the mountains. Early the next day (Tuesday), we ate breakfast at the Columbine Cafe and then found a place along Main Street to watch the 4th of July parade. To be honest, we found last year's parade in Frisco to be bigger, more fun, and more decidedly Americana, but this one was okay. The photos below show the town's fire engine, a high school marching band, and a portion of the very large crowds that the event drew.

4 & 5) Following the event, we drove south on Colorado 9 into the long grassland valley that is South Park in order to check out the trailheads for the two hikes I was considering. Along the way were the towns of Alma and Fairplay. Just south of Hoosier Pass, we stopped to snap a few photos. The first is looking south into the valley. The next photo is facing west and shows Claire with the gorgeous backdrop of North Star Mountain.

6-10) After our drive, we returned to Breckenridge. It was a refreshingly cool evening in which to saunter around and soak up some of the Rocky Mountain atmosphere we both love so much. The following photos were taken on the grounds of Beaver Run Resort where we were lodging -- or in the forest nearby.

11) And now the hike. I had chosen Mt. Quandary, mainly because of the information we had learned the day before from a forest ranger we met on our drive west of Alma towards Kite Lake where you begin the trail for Mt. Democrat. Because of the late snows in Colorado this year, the road was worse than usual (it's never good) and that meant that people were having to park 1.5 miles away from Kite Lake. The prospect of adding 3 miles onto the already daunting hike made my decision for Quandary pretty easy. The photo below shows Mt. Quandary, named by a group of miners in the 1860s who were unable to identify a certain mineral they had found.

12) I was up at 4:30, breakfasted and out of the hotel by 5:15, and actually on the trail just before 6. I took this photo maybe a half hour later to capture the exciting moment when the sun first slipped above the mountains.

13) The newly awakened sun illuminates this steep (but clear and well-travelled) part of the trail. It's a big help emotionally because I had been unpleasantly surprised by the sharp ascent I had encountered so early in the day.

14) It was really exhilarating when the sun rose high enough to brighten up the whole mountain.

15) Here's a look up the valley showing the Blue Lakes reservoir fed by Monte Cristo Creek. At the photo's left is the north face of North Star Mountain and deeper into the valley is the rise to Mt. Wheeler.  On the far right is Mt. Quandary. The trail is a bit rocky here but still quite clear. I would soon encounter a lot “rockier” going.

16) I've been hiking for 80-90 minutes before getting beyond timberline and getting my first real clear “peek of the peak” that is my goal. I've inserted an arrow so you will notice some of the hikers that are already ahead of me...way up yonder.

17) I meet another hiker on the mountain. Cute, isn't she?

18) Here's the first of 3 snow fields that needed to be traversed. Because I hadn't packed in spikes (I was, in fact, wearing tennis shoes), it was super slick and a bit tricky. I had the day's first fall here.

19) I took this shot after making it through the first snow belt. It looks east and back down the mountain towards Highway 9. I've put in an arrow marking where the hikers parked their vehicles. If it looks like an awful long way away, believe me, it was longer still!

20) The goal is in sight. Yes, it's a sharp ascent through a lot of rocks and still quite a long distance off...but I can at least see it. However, for some time already, I've been praying for strength just to make it a little further, then a little bit further, then...you get the idea. Tackling 14ers as a 66-year old Clydesdale (I'll explain the reference when you ask me) is a tough go.

21) Looking across the rocks of Mt. Quandary towards the northeast towards Gray's Peak and Mt. Evans.

22) Here's a loooong look down the south face of Mt. Quandary towards the Blue Lakes Reservoir. What a crazy place for a guy with vertigo to be hanging out, huh? The reservoir is at 11,700 feet while where I'm standing (nervously holding my camera out) is somewhere around 13, 500 feet

23) I've been climbing for almost three hours but there's still quite a way to go. And every time I look up, it seems farther away! (The truth is that I know it's farther away than even what it looks -- because the actual summit is a little ways past this “false summit” that you can see from the trail.) 

24) Talk about a tough job! There were four young people (2 guys, 2 gals) scraping away rocks, shoving big rocks into place to make “stairsteps,” and filling in the worst of the snowmelt ruts.

25) A breathtaking view to the southwest.

26) The final snow field is ahead. Just past it is the way to the top.

27) Atop Mt. Quandary looking west. I'm almost moved to tears with the beauty, the immense relief of finally making it, and the deep sense of gratitude to my Lord in giving me this amazing gift.

28) It's a party atmosphere at the summit yet, at the same time, there is a shared sense of solemn awe. Here is a 360 degree video clip.

29) The highlight of my birthday? I guess so!

30) I hang out at the summit for quite awhile -- resting, eating a bit, taking more water, and being almost overwhelmed by all elements of the experience. I also take a few more photos including some, like the one below, that again begs the question, “What in the world is a guy with vertigo doing up here?”

31) Okay, on the way down now, I occasionally look back and wonder how on earth I just managed to get up there!

32) It was a hard and slow climb down. It took two hours just to get back to timberline and, with my legs going “all noodly” on me, it took even longer for me to make it back to the car. Thank You, Lord, for bearing me up through the ordeal and for giving giving me patience, hope, and encouraging friends like these to cheer me up on the way down.

Because we had several things going this weekend (including a wedding reception for Jake and Tricia Malek on Saturday, teaching a Sunday School class and preaching the sermon at Lighthouse Baptist Church on Sunday morning, writing the monthly letter of Vital Signs Ministries, etc.), we left Breckenridge early Thursday morning and got into Omaha in the early evening. Our way home was helped by listening to an audio copy of Who Built That: Awe-Inspiring Stories of American Tinkerpreneurs by the incomparable Michelle Malkin. Terrific.

To all of you who prayed for my protection and for success in this venture, I express my deepest thanks.

Notes from Dennis Prager’s Omaha Talk

Thursday morning Claire and I joined Pat Osborne, John Malek, Quint & Carol Coppi, Jim & Jeanne Lawson (and another 150 or so conservatives) for a breakfast talk by columnist and radio broadcaster, Dennis Prager.  Sponsored by The Answer Omaha Radio and held at the Hotel RL, the event seemed to be a success on several levels. Kudos to 1420 AM.

Dennis Prager was certainly in fine form Thursday morning and his observations and exhortations regarding the culture wars were enthusiastically received by the audience. Want a few highlights of his talk? Well, I transcribe below some of the notes I took on the back of a bank envelope.

* Prager reminded us that he opposed Donald Trump’s nomination throughout the primaries. However, he supported Trump enthusiastically in the general election although frequently he presented the choice between Clinton and Trump to something like the choice of two doors. Behind one of them, you were guaranteed, was a man-eating lion while, behind the other, there only might be a man-eating lion. People of moral values thus had a clear choice for Donald Trump. That being said, Prager told the audience that he “is amazed at the great job Trump has done” so far.

* "The modern university is a wisdom-free institution."

* The left does not represent liberalism.  Indeed, the modern left is decidedly anti-liberal.  Examples?  Think of the ideals of Harry Truman, John Kennedy, or Henry Jackson (patriotism, optimism, strong national defense, freedom of speech, opposition to big government and government handouts, traditional moral values, etc.) vs. the whining, value-free authoritarianism of Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders and Nancy Pelosi.

* The left is actively, purposefully undermining the ideals of Western civilization.

* America’s historic trinity of ideals?  Liberty.  In God We Trust.  E pluribus unum.

* The left represents the legacy of the French Revolution – godless, intolerant, and violent.  It demands equality by denying liberty and justice.

* The Democrats are now all the same.  Republican candidates (at every level) must run against the Democrat Party and its positions and tactics.

* “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  (Proverbs 9:10)

* The question, not merely to ponder, but to excite action on our part should be, “How American is America going to be?”

* The left is, by valuing everything according to race and class, is proving itself racist and elitist.

* “Hysteria is to the left what oxygen is to biological life.”

* Canada is already lost.  So is Europe.  Are we next to fall, the last great hope on earth for freedom?

* The left does not hate evil.  They hate carbon emissions and pro-life advocates and Israel and conservative speakers on college campuses…but they don’t hate evil.

* “The university, at least for students in the humanities and social sciences, is a fraud.”

* A key problem in America? The grandchildren of Jews and Christians do not know Judaism or Christianity.

* The problem with Congress is democracy -- for voters today are addicted to government handouts.  Today’s Democrats do not, as did JFK, put the interests of the nation before the wants of the individual.  No, they literally pay for votes by promising more and more free benefits to voters.

A Weekend Roundup: News & Commentary You Shouldn't Miss

* “Mueller’s Empire” (Scott Johnson, Power Line)

* “Aftermath Of Alexandria Shooting Showed The Left’s Cultural Bullying At Its Worst” (Mary Katharine Ham, The Federalist)

* “The Double Murder of Otto Warmbier” (Michelle Malkin, Daily Signal)

* “Nonprofit Tracker Smears Dozens of Conservative Organizations as ‘Hate Groups’” (Rachel del Guidice, Daily Signal)

* “Welcoming Persecution?” (Mark Tooley, Juicy Ecumenism)

* “Oh, the Humanities!” The Scrapbook, Weekly Standard)

* “Potemkin Progressivism” (Roger Kimball, American Greatness)

* “Harry Potter and the millennial mind: How J.K. Rowling shaped the political thinking of a generation.” (Lara Prendergast, The Spectator)

* “The Danger of Incrementalism” (Rick Plasterer, Juicy Ecumenism)

* “Finding the Way Back on Immigration Isn’t Going to Be Easy for Democrats” (Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review)

* “Obama’s Feds Tried to Hack Indiana’s Election System While Pence Was Governor” (Richard Pollock, Daily Caller)

Audiences Love "When Swing Was King"

Comments from today’s “When Swing Was King” presentations:

1) “You know, I’m missing a College World Series game to come here. But that’s okay because I sure didn’t want to miss one of your shows.”

2) After assuring one woman that we would be back next month, she replied. “Oh, you can’t come back soon enough for us. You could come every week as far as we’re concerned. And you could show the same program too. We just love it!”

3) First lady: “I’m glad we got here early and got some good seats.”
Second lady: “But they never get very many people in here [the theater] for a program.”
First lady: “Maybe normally. But trust me, for THIS show the place will be packed.”

4) Fellow: “Oh, this is that big band thing. I hear it’s a pretty good show.”
First Lady: “Oh, you haven’t been to one of these yet? You’re in for a treat!”
Second lady: “Yes, of all the programs they bring in, this is the best.”

5) “Don’t mind me crying a little. It only is because your program is so beautiful that it makes me cry. The music, oh my. How wonderful it is to hear it again. And the pictures are wonderful too. And all the work in finding the history behind all those songs. It is just great that you do this for us. Thank you so much.”

6) “I never want your show to end.”

A Wild & Wooly Midweek Roundup

* “If a Trump Supporter Had Shot a Democratic Congressman” (Dennis Prager, Town Hall)

* “Chicago records 300th homicide over Father's Day weekend — just like last year” (Elyssa Cherney, Chicago Tribune)

* “The Army's New Shower Policy: Bare with Us” (Tony Perkins’ Washington Update)

* “Otto Warmbier, Moral Perversion, and the Social Justice Left” (Noah Rothman, Commentary)

* “Is being a Christian a sackable offence in UK politics now?” (Michael Kirke, Mercator)

* “Katy Perry Talks About Evil — Why Sentimentality Is No Response to Terrorism” (John Stonestreet & G. Shane Morris, Breakpoint)

* “Why Believing Atrocity Stories About Israel Is Stupid, Even When They’re on CNN” (Liel Leibovitz, The Tablet)

* “Exposing the EPA’s Gold King Mine Cover-Up” (Rob Gordon, Daily Signal)

* “Transgender laws threaten to erase women” (Women's Liberation Front and Family Policy Alliance, Mercator)

* “Perpetual Adolescence: When Coming of Age Doesn’t Come” (John Horvat II, The Stream)

* “Christian author destroys leftism after sons booted from Boy Scout troop over ‘anti-Muslim remark’” (Dave Urbanski, The Blaze)

The Images That Break Your Heart

The video clips play on the television and you are strongly tempted to turn away because the topic is so tragic and the images so wrenchingly disturbing. But you watch and your heart is touched, your conscience informed and challenged. You are seeing into the eyes of the victims - innocent victims of man’s indifference, neglect, and even cruelty. The narrator urges you to take a good look at those in need and she then urges you to personally, immediately intervene to deliver them from further suffering, even from being destroyed out of a false sense of compassion.

The voice of the narrator, by the way, is a pleasant one for it belongs to a Hollywood celebrity. The sense of moral authority she portrays underscores for you how right and important it is to act in behalf of the innocent, to rescue them from danger.  You are told that you can make a huge difference, that you can be a hero and a lifesaver, and that your action will enrich and ennoble your soul.  The video clip is a powerful piece and you are not surprised that the television station plays it often, unafraid of any charges of controversy, offense, or political bias. After all, the message is a critically necessary one; it is a message that the whole culture must heed if it truly aspires to be moral and kind and compassionate.

The video clips I’m talking about, as you might not have guessed, are those created by the Society for the Protection of Animals, the Humane Society, and so on.  They are run free of charge by television stations under the banners of public service and charity.  They are applauded by progressives of all sorts.

And yet, these same progressives, these same public service committees, these same television stations categorically refuse any announcement that would apply the same methods, the same reasoning, or the same emotional triggers towards action that might save human boys and girls from the wicked cruelty of abortion. Does it make sense?  No.  Is it fair?  No.  Do the so-called progressives not see the horrible irony of treating the plight of animals in shelters to be a greater moral responsibility than the fate of human children scheduled to be torn to pieces or poisoned by abortionists? Sadly, the answer is again, no.

And thus goes the terrible devolution of American culture.

(Postscript -- I have no problems with appeals for kindness to animals. Indeed, men and women are presented with a biblical responsibility to show wisdom and compassion as they serve as God's stewards over all of creation. Remember, for instance, the Sabbath rest that God commanded extended to animals as well as men. My point is a simple but profound one; namely, that Western culture has got its priorities completely turned round. Our refusal to protect preborn children, while yet posing as kind-hearted, is irrational, ugly, and evil.)

An Apology from Aristides (and a Few Vital Signs Ministries Notes)

First of all, I’d like to pass along a striking testimony concerning the early Christians, a testimony that creates an important perspective on our ministry, our times, and the upward call of believers throughout the ages. I will quote from a document written by Aristides of Athens, the early 2nd Century philosopher who converted to Christianity and penned a critically important description of the early Church.  

Most scholars believe that Aristides dedicated his Apology to Hadrian, the Emperor of Rome, who though a non-Christian was nevertheless interested in history, culture, and humanistic values. It is sad that this remarkable document is so little known, even in the Church, for it is a bold yet winsome argument that everyone (even unbelievers) would do well to honestly consider. 

The section of the Apology I print below describes the lifestyle of early Christians as it regards the search for truth, virtues devoutly practiced, the attractiveness that a love of God produces, practical egalitarianism, deeds of mercy, and a confidence in a glorious life to come.

(The Aristides Apology and the rest of this month's Vital Signs Ministries letter can be read right here.)

The Midweek List (Articles You Shouldn't Miss)

* “Teen Contraception Programs Are Counterproductive” (Dr. Michael J. New, National Review)

* “The Left Is Trying to Rewrite American History. We Must Stop Them.” (Walter E. Williams, Daily Signal)

* “Bernie Sanders Shows the Left’s Refusal to Coexist With Traditional Believers” (Daniel Davis, Daily Signal)

* “Rainbow Blight: State and Defense Fly LGBT Colors” (Tony Perkin’s Washington Update)

* “Don’t push population control on Africa: The continent needs employment, not pills.” (Shannon Roberts, Mercator)

* “James Comey Has A Long History Of Questionable Obstruction Cases” (Mollie Hemingway, The Federalist)

* “Weapons of mass distraction: Social media can be as damaging as drinking and drugs for Millennials” (Tony Rao, Mercator)

* “Dear Feminists, Please Stop Using The ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ To Push Your Agenda” (Bre Payton, The Federalist)

A Striking Testimony About Those Early Christians

It is believed by many scholars that Aristides of Athens, the early 2nd Century philosopher who converted to Christianity and penned a striking description/apology of the Faith, dedicated that document to Hadrian, the Emperor of Rome, who though a non-Christian was nevertheless interested in history, culture, and humanistic values.

But whoever were his intended readers, Aristides presented a bold yet winsome argument that everyone (believer or not) would do well to honestly consider.

I print below a small section of the Apology, one that describes the lifestyle of early Christians as it regards the search for truth, virtues devoutly practiced, the attractiveness that a love of God produces, practical egalitarianism, deeds of mercy, and a confidence in a glorious life to come. Check it out.

XV. But the Christians, O King, while they went about and made search, have found the truth; and as we learned from their writings, they have come nearer to truth and genuine knowledge than the rest of the nations. For they know and trust in God, the Creator of heaven and of earth, in whom and from whom are all things, to whom there is no other god as companion, from whom they received commandments which they engraved upon their minds and observe in hope and expectation of the world which is to come. 

Wherefore they do not commit adultery nor fornication, nor bear false witness, nor embezzle what is held in pledge, nor covet what is not theirs. They honor father and mother, and show kindness to those near to them; and whenever they are judges, they judge uprightly. They do not worship idols (made) in the image of man; and whatsoever they would not that others should do unto them, they do not to others; and of the food which is consecrated to idols they do not eat, for they are pure. 

And their oppressors they appease (lit: comfort) and make them their friends; they do good to their enemies; and their women, O King, are pure as virgins, and their daughters are modest; and their men keep themselves from every unlawful union and from all uncleanness, in the hope of a recompense to come in the other world. Further, if one or other of them have bondmen and bondwomen or children, through love towards them they persuade them to become Christians, and when they have done so, they call them brethren without distinction. 

They do not worship strange gods, and they go their way in all modesty and cheerfulness. Falsehood is not found among them; and they love one another, and from widows they do not turn away their esteem; and they deliver the orphan from him who treats him harshly. And he, who has, gives to him who has not, without boasting. And when they see a stranger, they take him in to their homes and rejoice over him as a very brother; for they do not call them brethren after the flesh, but brethren after the spirit and in God. 

And whenever one of their poor passes from the world, each one of them according to his ability gives heed to him and carefully sees to his burial. And if they hear that one of their number is imprisoned or afflicted on account of the name of their Messiah, all of them anxiously minister to his necessity, and if it is possible to redeem him they set him free. And if there is among them any that is poor and needy, and if they have no spare food, they fast two or three days in order to supply to the needy their lack of food. 

They observe the precepts of their Messiah with much care, living justly and soberly as the Lord their God commanded them. Every morning and every hour they give thanks and praise to God for His loving-kindnesses toward them; and for their food and their drink they offer thanksgiving to Him. 

And if any righteous man among them passes from the world, they rejoice and offer thanks to God; and they escort his body as if he were setting out from one place to another near. And when a child has been born to one of them, they give thanks to God; and if moreover it happen to die in childhood, they give thanks to God the more, as for one who has passed through the world without sins. And further if they see that any one of them dies in his ungodliness or in his sins, for him they grieve bitterly, and sorrow as for one who goes to meet his doom.

High ideals? Most certainly.

But ideals that are clearly taught in Holy Scripture as eminently do-able when the believer denies his baser passions and attitudes and instead yields his heart to the control of the Holy Spirit.

So, let’s make sure we’re aiming at those ideals. Yes, confessing to God and others when we sin and fail, but getting back in the Spirit and moving on.

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16, NASB)

A Weekend Roundup from the Culture Wars

* “A Quick And Easy Guide To The Planned Parenthood Videos” (Mollie Hemingway, The Federalist)

* “Ex-Communist Nations Confront European Union Diktat” (John Zimriak, The Stream)

* “The Ugly Racism of Karl Marx” (Walter E. Williams, Daily Signal)

* “Most Pro-Life Laws are Based on Sound Science” (Michael New, National Review)

* “What Happens When We Don’t Raise Kids to Become Adults” (Sen. Ben Sasse, Daily Signal)

* “Do Christian Kids Really Understand the Gospel?” (Sean McDowell, The Stream)

* “Bernie Sanders Shows How Religious Ignorance Breeds Progressive Intolerance” (David French, National Review)

* “A transgender military is a weaker, compromised military” (Peter Sprigg, The Hill)

* “Ted Cruz Lays Out 4 Priorities for a Blockbuster Year for Conservatives” (Christine Roe , Daily Signal)

Not Too Loud, Please (Or Too Emotional, or Manipulative, or Hip Either)

When the volume is turned up too loud, the message is in danger of being
misunderstood, ignored, even rejected. This is the case every bit as much as if the volume was turned down too low. In fact, the frustration created in the listener because of ineffective volume control can easily be linked to whatever he actually may pick up from the message. This is why you should avoid placing concertgoers right next to the speaker, or raising your voice in an argument with your spouse, or shouting out during your sermon in an attempt to convey importance or to spark emotional response. I fear that unnecessarily loud or flamboyant preachers betray their lack of confidence in the message itself; that is, they don’t really trust their argument, their preparation, their communicative skills, and worse yet, the moving of the Holy Spirit, to be sufficient to communicate.

But it’s not just volume that I warn against. I would suggest that the frequent overuse of histrionics, emotional manipulation, visual gimmicks, innumerable pop culture references, dependence on dramatic lighting, the ubiquitous tinkling of the piano and other things to to create a suitable ambience, reveals how far removed modern preachers are from carefully studying the Word of God, developing over time a sound and comprehensive theology, respecting the true needs of their congregations for solid teaching, and depending upon the power of the Holy Spirit to make the Bible truths come alive in each listener’s life.

Oh, for a radical reformation in our pulpits, one which would have preachers spend more time studying the Bible and preparing thoughtful, profound, and cogent expositions of the texts of Scripture, so that the star of the church service would once again be the Word of God for it alone holds the promise to transform lives…and culture.

Right Thinking: A Few "Must Read" Articles for Your Weekend

* “4 Reasons Trump Was Right to Pull Out of the Paris Agreement” (Nicolas Loris & Katie Tubb, Daily Signal)

* “Ted Cruz Crushes Bizarre Attack on Paris Withdrawal” (Paul Mirengoff, Power Line)

* “The Real Collusion” (Andrew C. McCarthy, American Greatness)

* “Report Finds Thousands of Noncitizens on Voter Rolls in Virginia” (Rachel del Guidice, Daily Signal)

* “Teenagers and the STD nobody is talking about” (Meg Meeker, Mercator)

* “Media Yawn at Venezuela’s Spiraling, Socialist Nightmare” (Kathryn Blackhurst, PoliZette)

* “Overpopulation Hoax” (Walter E. Williams, Town Hall)

* “Kathy Griffin, Cheap Grace, and the Mechanisms of Evil” (John Zimrak, The Stream)

* “Kathy Griffin is Not the Only One Guilty of Anti-Trump Hysteria” (Michael Brown, The Stream)

* “This Farmer Won’t Host Same-Sex Weddings at His Orchard. Now a City Has Banned Him From Its Farmers Market” (Fred Lucas, Daily Signal)

Pro-life Voices from Church History

This morning I will be preaching in the morning services of Community Bible Church at 90th and Q with the text being an exciting and particularly illuminating passage of Holy Scripture, Luke 1: 26-45. There are several highlights of the passage we will look at including a heavenly announcement of world-shaking importance, a trio of excellent role models in faithful living for God, and one of the most dramatic proofs of all time of the sanctity of prenatal life, even its very earliest stages of development.

The latter point reminded me of this 10 and a 1/2 minute video we created several years ago that illustrates  how consistent and clear has been the Church’s teaching against abortion throughout her 2,000 year history. Indeed, though not having the remarkable knowledge we now have of embryology, including the highly complex and individually exclusive DNA data that each human possesses even at the single cell stage which is conception itself, the Church has taught the sacred right to protect the preborn persons from the poisons that were used to induce abortion.

How did they know? Well, beyond the common sense of knowing that the beginning is the beginning, they had the knowledge provided by biblical texts like the one I’ll be expositing this morning.

Anyhow, the video really is worth the 10 minutes. It is illuminating, challenging, and inspiring as it features comments on the requirements Christians have to respect and defend the lives of the yet born. And those comments come from such distinguished figures as Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Athenagoras, Hippolytus, Basil the Great, Ambrose of Milan, Jerome, John Chrysostom, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Helmut Thielicke, and Francis Schaeffer.

What's In This Weekend's Treasure Chest? (Part 1)

* “Horrifying Video From Abortion Conference Shows Utter Disregard for Human Life” (Melanie Israel, Daily Signal)

* “Obama admin knew gang members were part of illegal immigrant surge: Whistleblower” (Stephen Dinan, Washington Times)

* “Abortion Pill Safe to Use at Home? Not So Fast, National Medical Consultant Says” (Liberty McArtor, The Stream)

* “Trump has done what Obama didn’t: Scare NATO into closer tracking of defense spending” (Franco Ordonez, McClatchy Bureau)

* “Shock: Abortion Clinic Did 55 Abortions With No Nurse, Improper Anesthesia” (Maria Gallagher, LifeNews.com)

* “Real Christian Persecution: Are We Near the Tipping Point?” (Tom Gilson, The Stream)

* “Debbie Wasserman Schultz Questions Criminal Probe of Her IT Staffer, Promising ‘Consequences’ for Capitol Police” (Luke Rosiak, Daily Signal)

* “The True Purpose of the University” (Heather Mac Donald, City Journal)

A Few Letters

A couple of weeks ago, Claire and I were invited to a meeting of one of the small groups from our church because they wanted us to show them how to create a letter-writing party, one that would feature some of the letter targets we regularly emphasize in our quarterly Vital Signs Ministries letter-writing parties, but would also blend in some that were more particular to their church. Great.  We were delighted to do it.

Many of the letters and cards written that night were sent to politicians and business leaders with fervent appeals to defund Planned Parenthood while several others were sent that dealt with religious freedom and protection of conscience. Still others concerned the "bathroom wars," judicial appointments, cutting ties to terrorist supporting nations, and thank you notes to missionaries and other heroes of the Faith.

I print below just a few of the 45 letters that were written that night. In showing you how brief (but purposeful) they are, perhaps they will prompt you to consider trying a letter-writing party of your own. Claire and I would be honored to help.

Dear Mr. Simpson,

After reading that Hersheypark has not yet changed its disastrous bathroom policy (i.e. allowing men who merely “identify” as female to use the female facilities), I must write and tell you that I am among the many who have crossed off Hersheypark from our vacation considerations.

Please return to a measure of sanity and safety on this matter.

Dear Vice-President Pence,

Just a quick word of thanks for your excellent services in this critical office and in demonstrating such principle, courage, fairness, and a winsome witness to the Christian faith.  We are proud of you and we pledge our continued prayers for God’s protection, wisdom, and all other needed graces.

Wes & Laurie,

A quick word of thanks for your ongoing work for the Lord at the orphanage.  We are profoundly grateful too for the opportunity to pray for the Lord to bless your work and keep you in the palm of His Hand.

Dear Cal, (Cal Thomas)

We miss you on Fox News but it makes us appreciate all the more your excellent columns.  Thank you so much for staying the course for the Lord and His truth over these many years.  And may God continue to use your voice.

Dear Ken & Joni, (Tada)

A few of us from Community Bible Church in Omaha, Nebraska are writing letters tonight in our efforts to be salt and light for the Lord.  And along with letters to politicians and business leaders, we thought we’d write a few thank you notes to some of the heroes of the Faith who we are so grateful for.  And so we write to you two dear saints with deep gratitude, admiration, and promise to keep you both (and the ministry of Joni & Friends) in our frequent prayers.

-->

A Midweek Roundup

* “Regime Change by Any Other Name?” (Victor Davis Hanson, National Review)

* “Leakers Found Inside White House, Trump Will Be Firing” (Ian Mason, Breitbart)

* “Two Presidents and Two Popes” (Paul Kengor, The Stream)

* “The GOP’s Path Out of the Doldrums: Govern” (Deroy Murdock, National Review)

* “President Must Declare War on Media, the True Enemy” (Jeff Crouere, Town Hall)

* “The Real ‘War on Women’ is Christian Women Who are Tortured for Their Faith, Not Laws to Stop Abortion” (Katie Yoder, LifeNews.com)

* “Undeniable Proof That America Has Gone Mad” (Michael Brown, The Stream)

* “Liberal Fight Against Freedom Turns Violent” (Star Parker, Town Hall)

* “The Underreported Success of the Trump Presidency” (David Prentice, American Thinker)

* “Journalists drink too much, are bad at managing emotions, and operate at a lower level than average, according to a new study” (Lindsay Dodgson, Business Insider)

* “‘Look it up on Google’ Planned Parenthood tells pregnant women looking for health care” (Live Action)

* “Trump appoints pro-life conservative to lead faith-based office” (Peter LaBarbera, LifeSiteNews)

* “20,000+ pro-lifers March for Life in Croatia” (LifeSiteNews)

The Best Of...For Your Weekend Reading

* “Trump’s Expansion of Mexico City Policy Is a Major Victory in Protecting Life” (Congressman Chris Smith, Daily Signal)

* “A Win for the Deep State” (Andrew Klavan, PJ Media)

* “Feminism Drives People to Deny Basic Facts” (Dennis Prager, Daily Signal)

* “Social-Justice Math Class: ‘Math Has Been Used as a Dehumanizing Tool’” (Katharine Timpf, National Review)

* “8 Major Reasons I Oppose Planned Parenthood” (Denny Hartford, Vital Signs Blog)

* “Strategies for Dealing with the Persecution of Christians” (Rick Plasterer, Juicy Ecumenism)

* “‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Come True? Just not in the Way Feminists Think” (John Stonestreet & Roberto Rivera, Breakpoint)

* “Destroying Donald Trump is all that matters in the newsrooms of the mainstream media” (Wes Pruden, Washington Times)

* “How Barack Obama Conspired with an Enemy to Undermine U.S. Foreign Policy” (John Hinderaker, Power Line)

* “When doctors say No: A law professor defends physicians' right to conscientious objection” (Michael Quinlan, Mercator)

* “Why Russia Can’t Be America’s Ally: What Putin Doesn’t Want You to Know About Moscow’s Persecution of Christians and Covert Support for Radical Islamists” (George Barros, Providence)

8 Major Reasons I Oppose Planned Parenthood

1) Planned Parenthood kills preborn babies for profit. Hundreds of thousands of babies. And by payments to surgical abortionists and sales of chemical abortifacients, Planned Parenthood is raking in millions of dollars every year. They are the largest abortion-providing business in the world.

2) Planned Parenthood is the most aggressive promoter of abortion rights in the U.S. and abroad. It's influence in Congress, the United Nations, in state governments, in social service agencies, and among government educators is huge.

3) Planned Parenthood promotes (and enables) sexual promiscuity, even among very young teenagers.

4) Planned Parenthood promotes sexual perversion and does so with obscene and blasphemous materials.

5) Planned Parenthood holds firm to the racism and elitism of its eugenics founders.

6) Planned Parenthood has been caught on many occasions in criminal cover-ups of statutory rape. They have also been caught in selling fetal body parts and other criminal activity.

7) Planned Parenthood operates many unsafe, unsanitary abortion clinics. It has had several abortionists who have killed adult women through botched abortion. It dispenses very dangerous abortifacient drugs in an unprofessional manner like over the phone and through "at home abortion kits." It works continually against parental rights and control. It works continually against any and all limitations on abortion.

8) Planned Parenthood now makes over $540 million from taxpayer-funded government health services grants — every year!

Shouldn't you be opposing Planned Parenthood too?

A Top Ten for Your Weekend

Among the examples of quality, relevant journalism from the last few days are these 10 gems.

* “World Cyber War I?” (John Hinderaker, Power Line)

* “Hysteria, overblown hooey part of the fake news cycle” (Charles Hurt, Washington Times)

* “The Feminization of Everything Fails Our Boys” (David French, National Review)

* “Walls fall in on Obamacare” (Editors, Washington Examiner)

* “The Ugly Racism of Karl Marx” (Walter E. Williams, Daily Signal)

* “After 100 years, there is still life in the Communist nightmare” (Marion Smith, Mercator)

* “Christians are Leaving the Girl Scouts Over Its Connection to Planned Parenthood” (Micaiah Bilger, LifeNews.com)

* “Scouts on the Outs with LDS” (Family Researh Council’s Washington Update)

* “West ignores Indonesia's slide toward Islamic extremism” (Michael Cook, Mercator)

* “Trump Should Adopt an International Religious-Freedom Policy with Teeth” (Tina Ramirez, National Review)

Surrendering...Without Even a Fight

I quote from  a recent letter from a dear brother in Christ and active pro-life colleague, Dr. Greg Gardner in Birmingham, England.

...My wife is reading the excellent biography of Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. I don’t know what Bonhoeffer would have made of all this accommodation to culture, biblical illiteracy and weak leadership. 

...There are several things you mention [in your letter] that resonate but none more so than your comments about the local church. To unfriendliness and a lack of engagement in the culture I would add a lack of intentional discipleship preparing young people for life. Yesterday I attended the annual conference of the Christian Medical Fellowship. There was a seminar given by two retirees from Glasgow on intelligent design which was very good. One of them showed a slide from the Discovery Institute that stated that in one recent survey only 1% of youth pastors ever addressed science-faith issues. Yet this is one area that youth struggle with and according to the book You Lost Me, bad teaching in this area makes a young person more likely to drop out of church in their 20’s. 

After the talk I went up to one of these guys and asked him if he had ever been invited to talk to the youth group in his local church on this subject (about which he is quite knowledgeable and a good teacher). 

He hadn’t.

Alas, the age of capitulation continues.

Want To Check Out Our "When Swing Was King" Newsletters?

To better inform and encourage those of you who are interested in our “When
Swing Was King” ministry, we thought we would start posting on the Vital Signs Ministries website the pdf versions of the quarterly newsletters that we distribute to the residents of the 13 senior care facilities that we visit every month.

We have so far created 3 editions of these 4-page, large-print newsletters which feature big band trivia, a personal note from us, seasonal quotations and Scriptures, and more. So, for your review (and a bit of fun too), here they are.

The Spring newsletter.

The Christmas edition (2016).

The Autumn edition (2016).

An Enlightening Compilation for Your Weekend

* “Killing babies no different from abortion, experts say” (Stephen Adams, Telegraph)

* “Islamist Terror: ‘The Real Bomb Is in the Books’” (Raymond Ibrahim, FrontPage Magazine)

* “Video Exposes Top Pro-Abortion Politicians Misleading People to Defend Planned Parenthood” (Brian Gottstein, LifeNews.com)

* “Why Conservatives Are Unhappy With the Final Spending Bill” (Rachel del Guidice, Daily Signal)

* “Trump’s Executive Order on Religious Liberty Is Worse Than Useless” (David French, National Review)

* “DOJ: One in Four Federal Inmates Is Foreign-Born: Justice Dept. says cost of incarcerating non-citizens in federal prisons exceeds $1.2 billion” (Brendan Kirby, Polizette)

* “The war on freedom is rotting our intellectual life” (Denyse O'Leary, Mercator)

* “Pope Francis’s Communist Mentor” (George Neumayr, American Spectator)

* “What Caused Venezuela's Collapse Is No Mystery — Except To Economically Illiterate Journalists” (Editorial, Investor’s Business Daily)

* “Airbnb’s political correctness hits home” (Peter C. DeMarco, Mercator)

Video: Politicians Lying About Planned Parenthood To Keep Tax Money Flowing