Thursday, December 15, 2011
Here's "Chesterton & Christmas" For You
It gets better.
By ordering anything from the Chesterton Society, you can (for awhile) get a free download of a delightful address, "Chesterton and Christmas." It's a neat present that the ACS is giving in thanks for your patronage.
Of course, I risk calling this present neat and delightful -- because the address is one delivered by yours truly at an ACS conference a few years ago. But, believe me, those words are appropriate because the lecture is about terrific subjects: namely, the great G.K.Chesterton, the great C.S. Lewis, and the great holiday that is Christmas.
Check things out at the American Chesterton Society's nifty website right here.
(Actually, you can listen to "Chesterton and Christmas" without buying anything but the good people at the ACS would sure love you to consider their wide array of neat stuff. Please do.)
Christmas Readings
Okay, I've got a few of those for you too.
Here (also from the Book Den) are posts which review the following:
* Christmas-Themed Reading Suggestions (This is a general list of wonderful Christmas-oriented reading. It includes our traditional favorites, ones we read over and again. Novels, Christian theology, and poems like Charles Dickens' many Christmas books, Joni Eareckson-Tada's A Christmas Longing, Calvin Miller's Snow, and Dylan Thomas' "A Child's Christmas In Wales.")
* Don Reid’s wise and winsome little novel, O Little Town.
* Fannie Flagg's A Redbird Christmas.
* Richard Paul Evans’ rather brief but beautifully constructed story, Finding Noel.
* John Snyder’s The Golden Ring: A Christmas Story
Komen & Planned Parenthood Still Partners? One Christian Business Acts Appropriately. You Can Too.
Here's Tyrrell:
Much debate has arisen lately on whether or not the Susan G. Komen Foundation plans to continue to fund Planned Parenthood. Reports briefly surfaced that it had agreed to stop, but within two days of the initial reports, Komen in Orange County, CA confirmed it had given Planned Parenthood two more grants.
After this report I made a media contact with Komen officials to ask if there was any verity to the potential defunding of Planned Parenthood. Their answer, at least thus far, is that they have funded Planned Parenthood and will continue to fund Planned Parenthood...
The money Komen gave to Planned Parenthood two days after the alleged stopping of funding was to the abortion provider headquartered in metropolitan area of Orange County, CA. Is Komen really saying it could not donate money to another women’s health agency in that hugely populated area that could serve women’s breast health without killing babies in the next room? That’s pretty unbelievable.
What’s more astounding is that the Orange County Planned Parenthood alone (and Komen has 18 others on the list) had a 2010 total revenue of $31,518, 017. It’s hard to grasp with the human mind how an agency with that kind of money coming in can be the place with the greatest need to reach out “low-income, uninsured, or medically under-served women.” Let’s also remember that Planned Parenthood does not provide mammograms...
Money given to Planned Parenthood is fungible. The more money it gets to funnel into its "breast health program"—whatever that is, since it can’t even do mammograms—is more money freed up for its abortion program. You cant give clean money to a dirty organization.
We hope, we pray, this rumor that Komen will stop donating to Planned Parenthood may prove reality. So far there is no evidence of it, but we will wholeheartedly rejoice if it happens.
Until that day we mourn for the babies whose death might have been funded because Planned Parenthood had a bit of extra money to give because it is so well-funded.
This bizarre and thoroughly immoral practice of the Komen Foundation giving money to the mega-abortion corporation is more than enough reason for Christians to avoid any connections to Komen. Komen officials continue to insist that they do not donate money to Planned Parenthood from the national office. However, they allow local chapters to do whatever they want. How easy would it be for Komen officials to draw the line and insist -- as national policy -- that local chapters cannot partner with abortionists? That doing so is bad for the Komen image, bad for the overall fundraising effort, bad for women?
Yet Komen's head office stubbornly, arrogantly refuses to make this common sense decision.
That's why there will be more decisions on the part of Christian organizations and companies to sever ties with the Susan G. Komen Foundation -- decisions like Lifeway Christian Bookstores removing from its bookshelves a Bible sold to help fund the Komen Foundation. (By the way, thank yous are in order for LifeWay's principled action. And since they will certainly be taking heat because of their stand, notes of encouragement for the business doing the right thing are very much in order. Lifeway Christian Bookstores can be contacted at One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0162. Or you can use this page to contact them by e-mail. I sent an e-mail AND a Christmas card with my thank you!)
My prayer is that many others will follow LifeWay's principled action and begin donating to organizations and care centers that do not give money to abortion businesses. Options? Instead of helping Komen help Planned Parenthood, I suggest that our fervent prayers and financial donations go to help organizations that fight breast cancer without the sordid connections that Komen has fostered with Planned Parenthood. These would include:
National Breast Cancer Foundation
Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy
Breast Cancer Society
And it would include actions taken to support local care centers as in this case cited by Physicians for Life:
Donna and Wayne have taken a lemon and turned it into lemonade. Recently, their friend's wife passed away from breast cancer. Kathy was a truly pro-life Christian woman. After hearing of a team running in the Komen Race for the Cure in Kathy's name, they went into action. Discouraging all those who signed up from running in her name, they found the perfect way to memorialize Kathy and help other women fight breast cancer without supporting Planned Parenthood.
Donna and Wayne contacted [a local hospital] and set up a memorial account in Kathy's name. The money will be used for mammograms for women who do not have the ability to pay.
Many people make the mistake of thinking that Susan G. Komen is the only source of helping and treating women with breast cancer. The Komen organization grows fatter each year and refuses to inform women of the abortion/breast cancer link while partnering with Planned Parenthood abortion facilities.
Here is your alternative to help women in your own community!
Great ideas! Let's spread the word and act in the same spirit. With a bit of unified dedication, we will make a huge difference in the fight against breast cancer. We might even persuade Komen to draw that long-overdue line between itself and the grisly abortion business that is Planned Parenthood.
The White House Christmas: A Study In Contrasts
Virtually every room has also been decorated for the holidays with some kind of a replica of the Obamas' dog, Bo, who's being made into a kind of first family Christmas canine symbol.
The Bo's are made of all sorts of materials and come in all sizes. There are Bo's made of pom-poms (750 of them), Bo's made from about 2,000 pieces of licorice, Bo's made from some 35 yards of wool felt and Bo's made from nearly 7,000 feet of plastic trash bags. There's even a nine-inch Bo made from hundreds of buttons...
Of course, every administration decorates the White House in some way for holidays, from green fountain water in mid-March to evergreen wreaths come December.
The extravagance of 2011's decorations, however, are striking given the widespread joblessness, pale economic growth, home foreclosures and grim outlook for 2012, not to mention the incumbent president's historically low approval rating heading into his reelection bid.
How simple, politically astute, symbolically helpful and cost-effective it would have been for the Obamas this year to say that in sympathy with so many struggling countrymen, they were curtailing holiday decorations to match the sacrifices of others.
Mrs. Obama took another tack, however. She said the massive holiday displays in her White House are designed to make others feel better, especially military families...
Yes, the Obama presidency is always about others, isn't it? The apology tours, the sneering put downs, the arrogant and constantly out-of-touch governing style, the endless vacations and golfing outings and basketball games, the coercion, the lack of transparency, the pernicious paternalism, the lies, the blame game, the spiteful and unjust rhetoric, the hypocrisy, the forever fundraisers, Michelle's super expensive threads and shopping sprees and jet setting hops -- the Obamas are all about others.
But instead of getting ill over the over-the-top hype (and hypocrisy) of the Obamas, I suggest you remember with me a time when Christmas at the White House was celebrated wisely, humbly and appropriately by an American President. Listen to Ronald Reagan's 3 and 1/2 minute Christmas address from 1981. Ponder his stirring exhortations. And then promise to do your part in sending to Washington next year someone more in keeping with these noble values.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Obama Campaign Asks Dems To "Have Fun at the Expense of a Republican"
Does the fact that the President of the United States is asking Democrat supporters to "have a little fun at the expense of a Republican in your life" by sending in (without your assent) your e-mail address to the Obama Campaign make you queasy?
Does the whole thing smack of impropriety and childishness -- if not something even more sinister?
Guys, this is really an ugly move.
Season's Greetings to Dems and Conservatives
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, diversity appreciative, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.
We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted calendar year 2012, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. And without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishes.
By accepting these greetings you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself or himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.
And to my conservative friends -- Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Christmas Prayers
* Christians in Syria are suffering theft and violence at the hands of radical Muslims under cover of the civil unrest. The 1.5 million Christians in Syria, including 100,000 Christian refugees from Iraq, are fearful for their future.
* Jameel Sawan, preacher, evangelist and champion of minority rights, was shot dead in Pakistan. He had a shop in Karachi, but spent much of his time pastoring Christians and sharing the gospel with Muslims. He leaves a wife and five children.
* Authorities continued their crackdown on religious freedom in Kazakhstan. Increased harassment is reported. A teenage girl was knocked unconscious by a policeman in a raid on a church meeting.
* At least 45 Christians were killed in Plateau state, Nigeria. Thousands of Christians have left the area. ‘We have no guns to fight back,’ said one. ‘Muslims have guns, and they have their soldiers fighting for them, so we have no choice but to leave.’
* MacArthur Arbado, a Baptist church elder in the Philippines, was shot in the leg, back and abdomen before being decapitated by attackers, believed to be members of a separatist Muslim group. He leaves a wife and 13 children.
* Rioting broke out last week in Iraqi Kurdistan, previously a safe haven for Christians. In one town, gangs set fire to more than 30 shops and bars and damaged three hotels, most of them Christian-owned. In another town, two Christian areas were attacked. Christians have received death threats.
Christmas Poems by Leslie Norris
Here are a couple of interesting articles about Norris (1 and 2) and printed below are a couple of my favorite Norris poems, both revealing through unfamiliar eyes, the glory of Christmas.
The Shepherd's Dog by Leslie Norris
Out on the windy hill
Under that sudden star
A blaze of radiant light
Frightened my master.
He got up, left our sheep,
Tramped over the moor.
And I, following,
Came to this open door,
Sidled in, settled down,
Head on my paws,
Glad to be here, away
From the wind's sharpness.
Such warmth is in this shed,
Such comfort from this Child,
That I forget my hard life,
Ignore the harsh world,
And see on my master's face
The same joy I possess,
The knowledge of peace,
True happiness.
Camels of the Kings by Leslie Norris
'The Camels, the Kings' Camels, Haie-aie!
Saddles of polished leather, stained red and purple,
Pommels inlaid with ivory and beaten gold,
Bridles of silk embroidery, worked with flowers.
The Camels, the Kings' Camels!'
We are groomed with silver combs,
We are washed with perfumes.
The grain of richest Africa is fed to us,
Our dishes are silver.
Like cloth-of-gold glisten our sleek pelts.
Of all camels, we alone carry the Kings!
Do you wonder that we are proud?
That our hooded eyes are contemptuous?
As we sail past the tented villages
They beat their copper gongs after us.
'The windswift, the desert racers. See them!
Faster than gazelles, faster than hounds,
Haie-aie! The Camels, the Kings' Camels!'
The sand drifts in puffs behind us,
The glinting quartz, the fine, hard grit.
Do you wonder that we look down our noses?
Do you wonder we flare our superior nostrils?
All night we have run under the moon,
Without effort, breathing lightly,
Smooth as a breeze over the desert floor,
One white star our compass.
We have come to no palace, no place
Of towers and minarets and the calling of servants,
But a poor stable in a poor town.
So why are we bending our crested necks?
Why are our proud heads bowed
And our eyes closed meekly?
Why are we outside this hovel,
Humbly and awkwardly kneeling?
How is it that we know the world is changed?
For Christmas, Give Books
Even if you give them to yourself!
And here's a hint to help in that project -- "All I Want for Christmas Is A Good Book (Or Two)"
And here's a hint to help in that project -- "All I Want for Christmas Is A Good Book (Or Two)"
Tim Tebow's Winsome, Winning Witness
Tebow’s commitment to Evangelical Christianity is well known and his displays of that faith are often public. However, he’s never said God is deciding who wins football games, other than when joking about an opponent’s miscue...
This is the beauty and brilliance of Tim Tebow. He puts his faith on display, but never seems to get too direct about it. He shrugs off criticism. He even jokes about it. He is unfailingly polite, accepting of doubters and moderate in his proclamations.
“If you believe, unbelievable things can sometimes be possible,” is about as bold as he gets.
Very few people, even the ultra religious, believe God cares about the result of a football game. There are plenty of believers on the other teams also.
There is no question that Tebow’s faith has played a role in his success. It’s a part of him. It’s what works for him. It’s what drives him. It’s what provides the confidence to overcome all odds – be it in the fourth quarter or in offseason preparation. All the great ones have that and Tebow derives his from his religion.
That’s a powerful message and, it appears, the one that Tim Tebow wants put out there.
This is what works for me, he is saying. This is how I do it. This is what has shaped me as both a successful player on the field and an undoubtedly polite and respectful person off of it.
If you want to give it a shot, then come join me.
And he pretty much leaves it at that. You don’t have to be religious at all to enjoy Tim Tebow the football player, the role model or the well-meaning star.
While he’s aggressive in his missionary work overseas, for the most part his public offerings, especially since joining the NFL, are extremely reasonable. He’s even laughed off opponents “Tebowing” after sacking him. There doesn’t appear to be a confrontational bone in his body – other than his willingness to lower his shoulder in the open field.
Isn’t that how you want people of other religions, or non-believers, to act?...
Religion is said to be the third rail of politics. Many people don’t want it involved in sports at all – they’d prefer to compartmentalize it. Besides, in a country that is hyper-partisan and divided in so many ways, one of the great things about the NFL is its ability to provide common grounds for people of all religions, races, ages, sexes and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Tebow seems to understand that, seems determined to express his personal faith in the most benign and welcoming way possible...
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Today's Posts
How Did That Occupy Wall Street Thing Work Out?
"Death On Wheels" & Other Culture of Death Updates
America's Black Community Has Been Guttmacher'd
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...The Winter Solstice Holiday
"War on Christmas" Takes On a New Meaning
Yet More Evidence of Abortion-Breast Cancer Connection
Damn the Evidence; Obama Insists He's a Great President
Reviewing Vital Signs' 2011
True, our finances aren't in great shape but there's been an awful lot accomplished with what we do have. And we are very grateful to all who have helped us out this year...including those of you who can only give of your prayers and encouragement. Thank you.
Among the things we'll be reviewing are our prayer and sidewalk counseling ministry outside the Planned Parenthood abortion center. Earlier this year we moved our team from the abortion mill down in Bellevue to the one in northwest Omaha. We have emphasized our opposition to the nation's number one abortion promoting, abortion performing organization in many other ways this year too, most notably in our helping develop Nebraskans Against Planned Parenthood, creating a special blog for NAPP, featuring more posts on Vital Signs Blog about the sinister purposes and policies of Planned Parenthood, and co-sponsoring a public information meeting with Rita Diller here in Omaha.
Tonight we will also discuss our expanding Russian-language outreach, our letter-writing activities, and the work put into Vital Signs Blog which, by the end of 2011, will have drawn over 130,000 page loads. We will also talk about upcoming events like the March for Life in Washington, D.C. and the Walk for Life (this year featuring Ryan Bomberger) sponsored by Nebraska Right to Life down in Lincoln.
And we will also be rejoicing together this evening over the phenomenal success in 2011 of "When Swing Was King," our ministry in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. By the end of December, we will have given 105 presentations. That's right, 105.
So the Vital Signs Ministries Governing Board moves into the Christmas season with all kinds of reasons to be encouraged -- and reasons to emboldened to keep fighting for the sanctity of life in the year to come.
"Death On Wheels" & Other Culture of Death Updates
* The most comprehensive review to date into the link between abortion and mental health problems -- a review commissioned by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges -- has confirmed that women who have an unwanted pregnancy are at increased risk of experiencing mental health problems after an abortion. And connected to that highly alarming news is that 98% of all abortions carried out in Great Britain are thus...technically illegal!
* As shocking, as sickening as sex selection abortion is, the terrible fact remains that sex selection abortion is big business in several parts of the world. So it makes sense to guard against it (and abortions based on race) by Congressional action, right? Who on earth could be so disgustingly, radically pro-abortion as to oppose even this limitation? Planned Parenthood, that's who -- along with NARAL, the ACLU and a whole bunch of other pro-abortion organizations.
Pro-life blogger Rebecca Taylor has noted that feminist groups frequently remain silent on the issue of sex-selection abortions. “One may ask where are the feminists in the face of this disastrous practice that marginalizes all women? Where are the champions of women and their reproductive rights? They are mostly silent,” she said. “They championed choice and now that choice is being used to kill millions of female fetuses and subjugate women, they have nothing to say lest the sacred abortion cow be slaughtered.”
But Planned Parenthood and their pals aren't silent now. Indeed, they are loudly and aggressively opposing the proposed law.
And these dastardly villains receive $1 million a day from our government?
I suggest it's time for a few more letters and calls to your political representatives demanding that such cold-hearted abortion zealots as Planned Parenthood stop getting free cash from the government. Here's the page for contact information.
America's Black Community Has Been Guttmacher'd
This provocative video clip isn't just clever propaganda; it's a fact-based flash which draws attention to the tragedy of abortion among African-Americans, a tragedy that is most definitely connected to the eugenic philosophy of Alan Guttmacher, Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger, and others.
The clip comes from The Radiance Foundation and is just one of the NUMBERS DON'T LIE video series created by the National Black ProLife Coalition. The vocals are provided by Joy Hargett (aka Haddie Nuff). The creators of the series encourage you to find out more about racial targeting by clicking on the above links.
The clip comes from The Radiance Foundation and is just one of the NUMBERS DON'T LIE video series created by the National Black ProLife Coalition. The vocals are provided by Joy Hargett (aka Haddie Nuff). The creators of the series encourage you to find out more about racial targeting by clicking on the above links.
"War on Christmas" Takes On a New Meaning
The South's defense ministry said earlier it was considering a request by a Seoul church group to put up Christmas lights on a steel tower shaped like a tree atop a military-controlled hill near the border.
The North's official website, Uriminzokkiri, called the plan "a mean attempt for psychological warfare" against the communist state and threatened to retaliate immediately if the lights are switched on.
The 511-feet hill in the South, about two miles from the border, is within range of North Korean gunfire.
The tree-shaped, 98-feet high steel structure is illuminated by thousands of small light bulbs and can be seen from the North's major city of Kaesong just north of the border, according to media reports.
"The enemy warmongers ... should be aware that they should be held responsible entirely for any unexpected consequences that may be caused by their scheme," Uriminzokkiri said. "This issue ... is not something to be ignored quietly."...
The North has previously accused the South of displaying Christmas lights to spread Christianity among its people and soldiers.
Yet More Evidence of Abortion-Breast Cancer Connection
The study, published in the peer-reviewed medical journal, Taylor & Francis, demonstrated that delaying a first full-term pregnancy raises the breast cancer risk while giving birth resulted in a 64% reduced risk. The researchers succinctly summarized their findings -- “Any birth was protective. Each year delay in first pregnancy increased risk as did induced abortions.”
However, the researchers then conclude their remarks with a very strange turn; namely, by asking the reader to ignore the science just presented and dismiss any ideas that abortion and cancer are linked.
Bizarre? What else is new?
Dr. Joel Brind concluded that the researchers “did not -- and perhaps were not allowed to -- characterize their findings honestly in the politically correct atmosphere of the U.S. and Europe. The good news is that they were able to report their findings in a prominent peer-reviewed journal at all."
Here's more.
Damn the Evidence; Obama Insists He's a Great President
So despite his muddled, ad hoc approach to foreign policy: his mistreatment of Israel, his pattern of insulting foreign leaders, his fair-weather support for some democratic movements and betrayal of others (Iran, Honduras), his manifest unpopularity in the Muslim world, and his gutting of our military defenses (F-22, our missile defenses and Europe's, and our nuclear arsenal) while China, Russia, Iran and others augment theirs, he claims that we are now respected again around the world and that we are stronger.
How about the economy? Well, he thinks that the people will come to see he's turned things around and saved us from a depression but that it's going to take a long time for a complete recovery because it took so long to get "us into this mess." So he believes he's even performed well on the economy, except a) he would have done even better had it not been for congressional Republicans, b) the people don't realize how well he's done because too many are still hurting, c) even if things are bad, it's Bush's fault or, if you prefer, it's because we're going through an economic disruption that occurs every 75 years, and d) whatever economic problems remain could be solved by pouring yet more money into education, green technology and the infrastructure...
He insists he didn't overpromise, never mind his promises to find "good jobs for the jobless," to lower the oceans and keep unemployment at less than 8 percent. He takes credit for bending our health care cost curve down when it is now indisputable already -- even before the bulk of it has been implemented -- that Obamacare is greatly increasing health care costs...
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