Respect For The Integrity Of Every Life!

I received an email today from my employer … below are several excerpts:

“Over the past few weeks, we have seen hatred and disregard for life resurge in our own back yard, across our country and throughout the world in ways, many of us thought we would never see again.”

“I believe this means that we must further strengthen our message of respect and acceptance of all people. We must be direct and clear in this message, supporting one another in our efforts to convey respect for the integrity of every human being, every life.”

“For me, these last few weeks have felt like stepping backward in time. But I believe that we will move forward by gaining a greater understanding of what drives the hatred and disregard for human life that we see around us.”

While I think this was a well written and moving letter from the CEO/Vice President of VCU/MCV, and understanding that these words were written in the wake of some disturbing racial/political/hate-group demonstrations, my first thought in reading this was not about how I or anyone else react to the color of someone’s skin … my first thought was: “what if we applied this same rhetoric to the terrible hatred that is abortion?”!

One person died in Charlottesville because of the wickedness and selfishness in people’s hearts toward those who are different … and though that is one too many and I DO NOT condone hatred of those different than you … over 25 hundred babies are aborted in the US every day!  We will scream and cry and argue and relive the tragedy of Charlottesville for weeks on the news and Facebook willing to lose friends and stand up for our “convictions” (condolences to the family of Heather Heyer’s family who will live with this for the rest of their lives), we will take down monuments and try to “erase” history so we don’t have to be reminded of our past and failures, we will turn against our neighbor and divide our country to be “right and justified” … but who will cry for the unborn, who will stand up for what is right and try to erase the millions of murders, and who will heal our country and unite us in the REAL fight for “conveying respect for the integrity of every human being, EVERY LIFE”?!?!?!

I recently saw a powerful video of John MacArthur speaking about the biblical reasons “why Charlottesville happened” (link at the end of this article).  He attributed it to three foundational reasons:

1. Breakdown of moral law
2. Breakdown of the family
3. Lack of respect for governing bodies (police)

In the same way I think these principles apply to the abortion debate as well …

1. We have gone away from the biblical view of love. We do not value life and the fact that we are made in the image of God.  We have selfishness in our hearts and think more about what a child would do to us then what that child can do for us and the world.  We rid ourselves of anything that might cause stress or make us look bad (an unwanted pregnancy, a deformed child, the shame or guilt of a decision fueling our want to rid ourselves of the “consequences”).  We disregard what God says about the love between a man and a woman and what responsibilities we have to each other within the parameters of that union.  We set our lustful desires above the obedience of a God who knows what is best for us.  And when we find ourselves in a situation that isn’t optimal for us, we throw aside moral law and life itself.  We have become a society of death and then we wonder why there is so much disregard for human life in other areas of our mindset.
2. When you disregard God’s structure of the family unit with rampant divorce rates, soaring out of marital conception numbers, gay unions, cultural disrespect for the father role, the government stepping in to teach our kids about sex (“safe” casual sex instead of abstinence), lack of discipline breeding an entitled generation, a porn driven society, and a “what is in it for me” mentality … no wonder there is no reverence for life on a basic scale!
3. We have not only thrown aside believing in the government (whom we have elected according to our corrupt views about what is important), built a thriving disrespect for our civil servants (I agree there are police that take advantage of situations, but there are just as many people if not more judging men and women on the basis of what they might do), and treated our elders with disgrace … we have stopped having a healthy fear and reverence for the law of God. We believe we can say anything we please on social media because it is not face to face with anyone, we think our opinion is all that matters while lashing out at others when they think the same thing about their opinion, and we allow adults to act like children because there is no discipline or consequences in our homes.

In my home state of Virginia this is coming to light in the fight for life against our governor (McAuliffe).  He has gone against laws that allow for stricter regulations of abortion clinics to ensure a safer experience for women.  In rolling back restrictions this allows clinics to operate in unsafe ways to make more money.  He also “awarded” Planned Parenthood (a company that was essentially founded as a way to keep the amount of black children born in this country at a lower rate) government funding to operate.  And now Planned Parenthood is thanking him by backing his political agenda and pouring campaign money into pro-abortion candidates (how is this even legal?!?!?!?!).  But at least one group is fighting back! (Link in bottom of article)  We need more people to stand up and fight for life and to let it be known, that just like taking a life because of racial discrimination, it is not acceptable to take a life by abortion either!

So today let us go forward with pure, unadulterated, Godly love (for our fellow man, for the unborn, for ourselves, and most importantly for God).  Let us break the chains of sin and death.  Let us value life in every form – not just what looks like us or makes us comfortable.

With love for EVERYONE,

Melissa

John MacArthur video I referenced: https://www.facebook.com/GracetoYou/videos/10155701072921602/?hc_ref=ARST_Wa43R3j5AF5kkXkqO3ea854QR7IZsxf_u1hSdmHFikQPMo0nv_y8qNosxsrpH8&pnref=story

Abortion/McAuliffe article I referenced:

http://www.nbc12.com/story/36201866/legal-challenge-to-abortion-regulations-can-proceed

http://www.richmond.com/news/local/henrico/henrico-judge-s-ruling-allows-case-over-state-abortion-regulations/article_b216ab8e-8708-54f9-a519-13726a2c5e9e.html

Advertisement

Number One Fan!

As I was driving down the road to work yesterday, I noticed alot of bumper stickers. The ones I tend to spot first are the Dallas Cowboys stickers because my husband is a fan. When I see these I know I am somehow connected to the person even if we don’t know each other. We are willing to slap an allegiance on our cars, wear all the team gear, spend hundreds of dollars to go see “our” team, memorize all the players names and stats, and fight almost to the death if someone slanders the precious name of (insert your team here)! What if we showed that much allegiance to Jesus?!?!?! What if we could say we were Jesus’ biggest fan?

I do not have a Jesus fish on the back of my car … 1. I’m not really a bumper sticker person. 2. Deep down I know that there are times when I don’t use my turn signal or cut someone off and I wouldn’t want them judging Jesus on my crazy driving habits … but I would hope that when people see me, I am bumper-stickered with the sayings of my Lord. I hope they can look at my earthly vehicle and read the joy and love of Jesus. Imagine if we treated church and God like we did our sports teams.

1. Fellow Fans: Imagine if we encouraged the body of Christ like we did the players on the field … die-hard support of each other whether we win or loose. Recognizing a fellow fan and smiling at strangers just because we love the same team. Anytime I am wearing my Cowboys jersey I have a million people high five me or smile and say they love them too. What if we treated everyone like they were part of our team? What if we made glitter signs to show support for the people in our lives?

 

2. Cheering Like A Banshee: I have seen so many people get hyped just because it is almost game day, talk about the game before and after for days, dress up in crazy outfits, scream at the top of their lungs in support … but I am seeing less and less people worshiping, and more people grumbling about getting up for church. We are not excited about singing God’s praises, willing to lift our hands in worship because people are looking and might think we are radical, and we have lost our love and zeal for reading and knowing what God’s word says. When is the last time you saw the wave done in church (I know this sounds silly, but where has the freedom to worship whole heartedly and without abandon gone?) I know some guys who think they are too manly or embarrassed to sing in church – but they are willing to paint their face, wear a wig, lock arms and dance and sing, and slap each other on the butts because their team is important to them and no amount of foolishness and pride is too much to show support (just saying).

 

3. Number One Fan: How many times have you heard someone say they are a teams biggest fan? I have literally seen grown men crying over a loss, getting in fist fights because someone disrespected their team, and camp out for days to get tickets. What would our lives and the world look like if we were willing to show that kind of pride and loyalty to Jesus. I am not saying get in a fist fight, but do we really stand up for what we believe no matter who it offends, or do we cower to the pressures of the world and hide so we don’t have to look like a fanatic? Are we that eager to see Jesus? Do we camp out in the word of God? Are we tailgating in the church parking lot? Are we generally offended when someone slanders the name of our Lord? Do we cry at the atrocities of this world? What can we do to show God that we are His biggest fan? Are we splurging for the front row seats or clamoring for the nose bleed section on Sunday mornings?

 

4. Team Gear: How many jerseys do you own? How many shirts with your church logo or a bible verse do you own? I have jerseys so I’m not saying there is anything wrong with that, but if we are willing to show support to a team no matter what anyone thinks, then why would we be scared to offend someone with a shirt about prayer or the name of Jesus on it? Are our hearts and actions stamped with the biblical team logo on them? When people see me do they notice my cowboys star or my Jesus attitude? Am I clothed with righteousness or filthy rags?

 

5. Team Stats: How many players can you name, do you know their batting average, what years they won the championship, the records they hold? Now … can you name the books of the bible, the 12 disciples, the 10 commandments? I admit sometimes I am a little fuzzy on those (I always forget Bartholomew), but my knowledge of these topics shows what my allegiance is to whom I say I represent. If I really loved the Jesus team, I would want to soak up any and all information I could … but sometimes it just isn’t as important as it should be in my life. Sometimes just saying I love the team becomes enough. Sometimes I just want to wear the jersey without knowing the facts.

 

*** My challenge to all of us is to be excited about the Christian team! ***

 

1. Support and love those around you … smile and high-five a stranger just because they are on the same team (the human race).

 

2. Get excited about worship … can you imagine if the sanctuary on Sunday morning exploded with excitement like the stadium on Monday night?

 

3. Be God’s number one fan … be willing to defend your faith to the death!

 

4. Rep your team with more than a logo … wear your righteousness with pride.

 

5. Know your team numbers … study the word of God so you can be prepared to tell others about Christ!

Melissa

 

Stake – The Supporting Factor

Lately I have been waiting (probably not as patiently as I should) on God for direction and have felt like I am in a weird state of limbo and confusion.  Have you ever felt like you are in a million places all at once and you aren’t really accomplishing anything, or you don’t know who you are or how you feel about anything but you can’t just go hide in a hole because people are depending on you?  You know there is something wrong but you don’t know what it is or how to communicate it! I was (trying to) explain this to a friend Wednesday night and then I came home to this note from my husband:

*Let me preface this note by saying I have a potted tree that is bending over and asked Trevor to pick up a stake so we can “straighten it out”.

“I was thinking about this stake on the way home.  How it will be the supporting factor that will straighten the tree and hold it upright.  How true is that about God in our life and marriage?  We sometimes might get tired, worn out, and be leaned over like that tree.  But then comes our God in the form of a stake and puts us back upright and holds us there on our journey.  And even more – he gave us each other.  I love that you are my stake given by God and I also love being your stake as well.  A stake … such a simple item, but what an important job it does.  Thank you for being mine.  Not a day goes by that I don’t thank God for you in my life and what you mean to me.  I love you so much.”

After my AWWWWWWW moment and some hugs I got to thinking … and since I am a word person I looked it up in the dictionary…

Stake:

1. (noun) a strong wooden or metal post with a point at one end, driven into the ground to support a tree, form part of a fence, act as a boundary mark

• God is our support system when we are tossed about by the storms of this world … but if our roots are not grounded like they should be, we are liable to fall over at the slightest wisp of wind!
• The Holy Spirit is the security fence that keeps us safe. If we play in the yard then that fence will hold the world at bay… but if we open the gate to just anyone then thieves can come in and steal our toys.
• Jesus and the bible are our boundary mark … when we are feeling like we want to rebel or don’t know our direction then we can look to these to keep us in line and find our way home.

2. (verb) to mark an area with stakes so as to claim ownership of it

• If we claim to be a Christian, then God has a claim of ownership on our hearts. I am reminded by the movie “Far and Away” when all of the western settlers make a mad dash to claim the perfect piece of land.  There were people cheating, stealing, killing, and fighting to get what they wanted.  The world will do whatever necessary to get a piece of you and that is why we have to be staked/claimed by God and not sell off pieces of ourselves to the highest (and most of the time cheapest) bidder.

 

So this week I am challenging myself to lean on God, lean on my husband, obey the bible, and rest in the safety of my Lord!  He controls the storms and straightens me out when I am bent over by the weight of the world!

-Melissa

_________________________________________________________________

Ephesians 3: 20-21  “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Luke 8:25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

Job 21:18  “How often are they like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a gale?”

Mark 4:39  “He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.”