Planned Parenthood Director Leaves

In the latest from Crunchy Con, an interesting article from TX about Abby Johnson, a Planned Parenthood director, leaving her position because she, as a person of faith, could no longer work there.  As the article reports…

According to Johnson, the non-profit was struggling under the weight of a tough economy, and changing it’s business model from one that pushed prevention, to one that focused on abortion.

“It seemed like maybe that’s not what a lot of people were believing any more because that’s not where the money was. The money wasn’t in family planning, the money wasn’t in prevention, the money was in abortion and so I had a problem with that,” said Johnson.

Johnson said she was told to bring in more women who wanted abortions…

The whole issue of abortion has been an evolving one for me.  As a person of faith, I took part in a couple marches on Washington back in the early 90’s but became disillusioned with the legislative/political battle.  It was ugly and nothing changed much.  Just more shouting and killing and mudslinging.  Recently, I’ve come to realize that adoption is part of the solution and one that I fully embrace.  I’m done with marches, I’m going to work to make sure that people know that I care about life and was willing to bring children into my own family to give them a chance at it.  What if everyone knew that Christians would take any unwanted children?  What if THAT was what we were known for?

Our relationship with our birth-mom has recently solidified this for me.  “I could have aborted him,” she told us, “but I didn’t.  I gave him life”.  I love it.  Abby Johnson is making a similar decision, I think.  Thanks, Abby.

Are faith and rap mutually exclusive?

Check out this podcast interview from 9Marks Audio with two men of faith who are also rap artists.

Shai Linne and Voice explain hip hop culture, rap music’s potential for the gospel, and why rap can’t replace preaching.

Interesting and insightful…I think it’s a good challenge for us to examine our own biases about ourselves and our music and see how other people express their faith through music.

How to get the most out of Christmas

Good article from Reform Worship about enjoying Advent and Christmas.  I have to admit that the difference between the two was one I only understood a few years ago.  Advent is the the time of anticipation as we get ready to recieve the Christ child again into our hearts.  (Maybe just another way of saying, “Pick up your cross and follow me”?)  Christmas is the season after December 25th when we work to understand the incarnation and the fact of the Christ child in our midst.

Anyway, this year we are celebrating the Jesse Tree as a church, which meant that Ryan’s mussings here struck a chord with me.  He has three main points which I’ll summarize…

1. Honor the Church Year. Hold off even thinking about Christmas until Advent, which begins November 30th. And when Advent rolls around, dive into it with your whole heart. Experience the emotions of anticipation, expectation, penitence, and hope as you wait anxiously for the coming Christ.

2. Do not listen to Christmas music until Advent…When Christmas day is here, scream “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” Bask in the wonder of His incarnation…

3. Do not fall prey to the ploys of consumer retailers, who play their Christmas music and decorate all Christmasy this early in order to manipulate your feelings into buying all kinds of stuff that most assuredly will not fulfill the life of the recipient. Give out of a generous heart. Give creatively, not obligatorily. Don’t ask what someone wants for Christmas. If you don’t know them well enough to know what they want, you shouldn’t be getting them anything anyway (Ooo, ponder that). If you absolutely have to give a gift to someone and you absolutely don’t know what they want, give them a Starbucks gift card or money with love. Generosity is the key, especially in its truest form, birthed out of the same kind of pure generosity with which the Father sent His Son to save the world.

Remembering Haiti

Noel Piper, John’s wife, writes a little bit about their adoption journey.  I was struck that her journey involved another country also.  It was over ten years ago when our adoption oddesy started.  We were on a missions trip to Haiti and stopped at an orphanage.  And it was there that God tore a few little holes in our hearts that needed to be filled.  Eliana and Silas are starting to heal those holy holes.  But it all start in Haiti and it was all a little like this…

Are we part of a bold, aggressive church?

Interesting quote from Taki’s Online Mag.  While he’s focused on the Catholic church and a conference at the Vatican, the debate is equally relevant for the Protestant part of the global church of Jesus.  What do you think?

…this discussion [the Scientific Conference Refuting Evolution Theory to be held in Rome, Italy] reminds me of some of the nostalgic reveries penned by prominent Catholic paleos about the Habsburgs and their empire, usually with Kaisers Franz Josef and Karl I depicted as saintly Christian rulers. There is, of course a great deal of truth to such portrayals, the later having made well-intentioned efforts to end the blood-letting of the Great War. But the House of Habsburg only became benign, warm, and fuzzy in its late, decadent period when the Old World was collapsing all around it. Three hundred years early, Habsburg rulers showed little compunction in ordering the slaughter of their Saxon Protestant enemies (my ancestors, by the way). I’m sure Genghis Khan, too, was a dear old chap on his death bed.

I don’t write any of this because I hold some excessively longstanding historical grudge—I don’t. To the contrary, I’ve always had a deep admiration for the glorious contributions to the arts the church patronized during the Renaissance and Counter-Reformation. I guess I just respect and admire the church more when it’s in a bold, aggressive, “pagan” mood, and less when its leaders demand universal tolerance and cry victimization. (emphasis mine)

Thoughts?

How Great the Father’s Love for Us

How great the Fathers love for us that He not only adopted us into his family, but let’s us experience adoption here on earth.  Today, my son Silas Scott Ira…was born. He is so precious, so fragile and he needs us almost as much as we need him.

Thank you, Father for opening my eyes to Your love though the eyes of my own adopted son.

Prayers for Finishing Strong

We’re beginning a new sermon series studying the end of King David’s life.  He went through some tough stuff so I’ve put together some prayers for Finishing Strong…

Jesus, help me to finish the race and to make my life a testimony to Your grace. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. -Acts 20:24

Lord, help me to rejoice in hard times because that shapes perseverance, character and hope in me.
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. -Romans 5:3-4

Lord, help me to live my life in such a way that I will be victorious in You and find You in eternity.
Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. -1 Corinthians 9:24b-25

Jesus, I am free in You so help me to stand firm, hold to the truth, and show Your love.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.  The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.  You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? -Galatians 5:1, 6b-7

Jesus, help me to live a life worthy of You and to grow in my knowledge of You.  Strengthen me with Your power and might so that I have endurance, patience and joy.
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father… -Colosians 1:10-12a

Lord, direct my heart into the love of Jesus and follow His perseverance.
May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.
-2 Thessalonians 3:5

Jesus, help me to fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
-2 Timothy 4:7

Lord, thank You for placing me in this community of believers to encourage me.  Help me to leave behind my sin and follow Your path for my life.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. -Hebrews 12:1

Jesus, help me to understand that when You test me, I grow in my faith and become complete in You.
…because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. -James 1:3

Lord, thank you for the example of other believers who have persevered.  Show me Your compassion and mercy to be like them.
As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.   -James 5:11

Jesus, help me to have faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness and love.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. -2 Peter 1:5-7

Jesus, You see my life, love and faith.  Help me to continue serving You and persevering in my faith.  In Your strength, help me to do more for Your kingdom than I have already.
I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. -Revelation 2:19