Dollars for Missionaries! - Gospel for Asia

Dollars for Missionaries! - Gospel for Asia

The Prolife Message of the Christmas Season

The Prolife Message of the Christmas Season

Are Some Forms of Prolife Work More Valid Than Others?

Are Some Forms of Prolife Work More Valid Than Others?

Are Prolifers To Be Blamed for the Recent Planned Parenthood Attack?

Are Prolifers To Be Blamed for the Recent Planned Parenthood Attack?



This post is from my new site and I hope you will check it out.

Followers of Jesus, Give Moms & Babies the Gift of Life This Christmas!

I'm sure your mail and your email inbox are full of calls to give to charities. Many of these charities and causes they stand for are legitimate and worthy of support.

Christians and other refugees of minority religions are fleeing ISIS and desperately need help. Millions have never heard of Jesus and their evangelization must be paid for by God's people. Girls and women are trapped in the sex industry and need to be rescued and then be given help to rebuild their lives. Always, children and families throughout the world need resources and ongoing support just to live. Persecuted Christians need resources and support to live out their faith and know that they are not forgotten. I'm sure you have heard the TV commercials for monthly support to support wounded veterans, starving children, and abused animals.

All deserving causes.

I would appeal to you to consider one public charity that empowers prolife pregnancy resources to extend and expand their ministry of helping moms and dads in crisis and in so doing, saving their babes from being aborted. How does this work?

Save the Storks is a public charity, according to my research. All they do supports the work of prolife pregnancy resource centers and virtually all these centers are faith-based, Christian nonprofits which receive no federal funds. This is unlike Planned Parenthood, which receives federal funds and which many in the prolife movement are seeking to get stripped of all their federal funding. Save the Storks partners with pregnancy resource centers by offering them grants, often up to $50,000 at a time to more effectively do their lifesaving work.

I know that I have written of these prolife pregnancy resource centers and you may already know about them. IN fact, you may be one who volunteers in such a center. If you do not know what a pregnancy resource center is, these are places designed to empower those facing crisis pregnancies to choose life for their babies in spite of often being pressured to abort by well-meaning parents, husbands, boyfriends or others whom they trust and whose opinions matter to them. All the services these centers offer are free, and this is possible because these centers rely heavily on donors and volunteers to keep them afoat. No matter how much we may praise these centers, the truth is that their lifesaving work would not be possible without our prayers, donations, and volunteer time.

And the things that Save the Storks do for them would not be possible, either, without our prayers, financial suppoort, and the volunteer efforts of those who live in their headquarters area. Save the Storks offers grants to pregnancy resource centers as I already mentioned. The Storks also builds what they call "Stork Buses," mobile medical units built much like mobile mammogaphy vans that so many of us women use to get our mammograms. How do these mobile medical units empower pregnancy resource centers to expand their services? These Stork Buses come fully equipped with ultrasound equipment for clients who board these buses. Pregnancy resource centers, indeed the prolife moveent, have long used ultrasounds to illustrate the humanity of the unborn, most notably since the late Bernard Nathanson, MD's "Silent Screm" ultrasound depiction of an abortion. Centers use ultrasound to confirm pregnancy, show clients the reality and humanity of the babies they are carrying, and educate these women about the prenatal development of their babies. These mobile medical units are designed for total privacy; they are sound proof and are climate-proof. So they are ideal for counseling.

These mobile medical units make pregnancy resource centers more accessible to pregnant girls and women in crisis. This works by these units being parked outside of Planned Parenthood facilities, college campuses and other places where abortion-vulnerable girls and women are most likely to be found. Sidewalk counselors and others can encourage girls and women to avoid abortions by getting on these mobile medical units and finding real help and answers at pregnancy resource centers. Before there were mobile medical units, it was much harder to convince girls and women to reject abortion and access pregnancy resource centers. But many pregnancy resource centers do not yet have such mobile medical units and it is harder to get many who need them, into their doors. None of this is possible without donations.

Save the Storks shares that almost four out of every five women who board these Stork Buses chooses life for her baby. Also, this charity is working on other high-tech ways to reach abortion-vulnerable girls and women and to get more of them into the doors of prolife pregnancy resource centers. This is serious lifesaving work!

Click here & find out how you can help!

The photo above is provided courtesy of Save the Storks, Inc..

Blogging As A Follower of Jesus

As this title indicates, this post is about blogging and when followers of Jesus do it.

This is my less-established, Blogger blog that has only six followers. As the current headlines tragedy is still unfolding, I do not feel that I'm informed enugh to really write about it. Also, maintaining multiple blogs is eating into my time because of a new, self-hosted Wordpress website that I have taken on. I have two Wordpress.com blogs that focus on sanctity of life issues, especially abortion, crisis pregnancies, and creating a culture of life that respects life from conception to natural death. Though these blogs are prolife blogs, they are not targeted to a nice audience of Christ-followers, though I'm sure that, because followers of Jesus tend to be prolife more often than non-Christians, you would find those blogs of interest. I don't avoid the topic of Jesus on Christian things on my posts for a general audience but I do not post on issues as they primarily followers of Jesus.

Because of the self-hosted website, I have come to realize that I have less time to maintain my blogs. So I may post less, like twice a month instead of once a week. The same may hold true on my Wordpress.com blogs. This is so I can post more often on the self-hosted website, and it is meant for a general audience, though I will always write out of a worldview that is both Christ-centered and prolife.I know that there are many Christian blogs, and it seems to me that as people are increasing going online, so should we so we can be witnesses to them. Of course, I know that there is such a thing as "Internet addiction" and "Facebook depression" and I must confess that I have experienced both. Online, it is easy to compare ourselves to others, whether you are talking about a friends or followers count on social media sites or the illusion that the lives of other users are wonderful while yours is not. I have always found that I do a better job of communicating my faith online than I do in person. That is one major reason I have a social media presence, the other is prolife advocacy.

In this past month, I have spent much time setting up my OneLadyFights4Life website. I have picked that for a domain to sum up why I have set up the website, and that I have set it up, hopefully, to save lives. I have a blog there and I have already drafted a post, which is not yet published. Topics planned include abortion, crisis pregnancies, issues facing children and adults with special needs, missing children and adults, and global poverty, oppression and religious persecution. I have been spending much time experimenting with different plugins, and deleting those that do not work or that are incompatiable with other plugins. As I am not showing up in the major search engines, I know that I need to invest in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services. SEO is defined as setting up a blog or site so that it ranks high in Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Yes, I know that you can add a custom domain to a Blogger blog or a Wordpress.com blog, but in the case of both my Blogger blogs, adding a custom domain would would mess up all my post and page links and force me to have to start all over again. So I have set up a self-hosted site, and you can expect more developments.

If you are interested in visiting the site, visit here.

What Is the Christian Response to the Attacks in Paris?

Another deadly terrorist attack.

Place of attack; Paris, France.

130 people murdered, over 350 injured, 99 seriously injured.

On this past weekend of this attack, Facebook blew up with posts calling for the crackdown on ISIS and the halting of the immigration of Syrian refugees in light of all this. Just as the Bible has predicted, our hearts are failing us with fear. States are already going on record as saying that, to keep their citizens safe, they refuse to accept Syrian refugees. Anger at President Obama mounts as he defends his policy to allow Syrian refugees into the U.S. even as he vows to fight terrorism and "defeat ISIS." I have been seeing more and more posts, from Facebook users who are believers, show opposition to admitting refugees, out of fear of letting in terrorists.

What is to be the response of a follower of Jesus to all of this?

At a worship service where I was vsiting this weekend, the sermon included this very topic. The pastor told us just how we need to respond, as Christians.

Recognize That God is Still in Control

It seems that right now, ISIS has control and are leaving people terrified of them and what they can do. It seems that more and more, we are headed to becoming a police state. Our civil liberties are slowly eroding, and now there is all this talk about stepping up military involvement to "stop ISIS." I can understand why people are running scared, especially those who do not know God and His power to change our sinful hearts, even the black, unfeeling, sociopathic hearts of the members of ISIS. Yet we who know God, should believe that God can concert and transform even brutal killing machines such as ISIS members. What does this mean? It means we need to pray. We certainly should pray for all the victims of the attacks, including those who were eyewitnesses of this horror. Pray for a spiritual awakening in France! It is estimated that there are many more atheists than Christians in France. France is said to be more secularized that any other country, plus they have a high abortion rate. Can this tragedy bring about a movement for Christ in France?

Pray for Not only the Victims but Our Enemies

I know that ISIS members are the most hated individuals on the face of the earth. "Bomb them all into oblivion!" and "May they all rot in hell!" and "Stop them now!" are totally understanable rallying cries especially when coming from those who do not know God. These people would just as soon kill us as look at us; they thrive on killing and bloodshed and are killing machines. But we who are believers need to try to see these ISIS members as Chris sees them. He sees them as sinful pesons who desperately need to be saved and transformed. These ISIS members are people for whom Christ died, just as we are. Every one of them was once aa baby and then a young child, and most were indoctrinated and radicalized very early in life or at other times when they were vvulnerable, as in feeling alienated or without any purpose. We Christians, as followers of Jesus, have a mandate to pray for our enemies. And ISIS members certainly ARE our enemies in every sense of the world. They hate us. But we are to pray for those who hate us, even want to kill us! Yes, that is tough. It seems unfair.

Realize That We All Have Sin

The call to pray for our enemies makes sense only when we realize one thing. We must never forget that once, in God's eyes, all of us were His enemies, criminals, and evil. He sees us all the same. Our sinful natures just express themselves in different ways but He sees us all the same. He sees us all as sinners, lost and enemies until He, by His grace, saves us. Only in this context does it make any sense to pray for people like ISIS members who thrive on shedding innocent blood especially of followers of Jesus in ISIS strongholds, who are suffering even worse than everyone else. Over and over, they testify that they pray for their persecutors, and often God transforms these persecutors.

Most of all, let us keep hope alive, because ISIS does not have the last word. Almighty does. Praise Him!

Take Minutes 2 Be a Voice 4 Moms & Babies!

Defund Planned Parenthood!

No more government funds for Planned Parenthood!

Congress must defund Planned Parenthood immediately!

Stop Planned Parenthood!

Shut down Planned Parenthood!

These calls to neutralize and even destroy this organization are indeed well meant. I don't want any of my money to go to this organization, either. I know that federal funds do not, or are not supposed to, go to Planned Parenthood. Yet the idea of government funds going to an organization that oversees over 330,000 abortions (every abortion represents a baby) does not sit well if you believe that life begins at conception.

Yet we cannot forget one thing.

Planned Parenthood, while the largest provider of abortions, is not the only abortion provider. Not by a long shot. Private doctors and private abortion clinics also do abortions. More needs to be done to end abortion, than boycotting abortion providers and trying to defeat and destroy them. As women and their significant others (parents, boyfriends, husbands, doctors), turn to abortion often because of a lack of options, how about eliminating the very MOTIVE that causes women to often go out of town to procure abortions? Desperation, ignorance, fear?

Yes, we in the prolife community are all too aware of pregnancy resource centers that provide women with free, confidential, safe, and caring services. Many women and their families do not know of these centers. If they do, what they have heard about these centers likely comes from disgruntled former pregnancy resource clients, or from a biased media. A certain news anchor refers to these centers as "phony clinics" and they have gotten much bad press as being deceptive, misleading, and failing to deliver the confidential, qualified services they promise to clients. However, there is much more evidence in favor of these centers and the lifesaving work they do in assisting women which saves many babies who would have been abortion. But girls and women have often been lied to, and so are unaware of their options.

With more funds going to life-affirming medical and services (which pregnancy resource centers often refer their clients to), these women would have even more options.

I'm talking about funds to go to the estimated 13,000 community clinics that serve women and families.

I'm talking about subsidies for single parents and low-income families.

I'm talking about increasing Medicaid reimbursements to OB/GYNS, to give them more of an incentive to serve poor low-income girls and women.

If even one of these measures was implemented, especially the first, it would be a big step in the right direction. There are almost 300 signatures on this petition, but many more are needed. If you have already added your name and even shared this, I thank you for your support. If you have not yet signed and are a follower of Jesus, know that we are called to speak out for those who are vulnerable. Who is more vulnerable than an unborn baby? Most of their moms, in crisis, are also vulnerable because of the very circumstances that culminate in their crisis pregnancies.

Let me call everyone of us, who follow Jesus and who identify as prolife, to a simple but meaningful act. I'm calling supporters of this petition to visit the webpage (it takes a few seconds to load the "share" button) to share this petition, one more, with your own social networks. If you have not yet signed this petition, I encourage you to add your name to it.

CLICK HERE TO SHARE THIS PETITION OR SIGN IT!

An Open Letter To Cecile Richards

Dear Cecile Richards: I speak as a person who believes that all life is sacred. This includes the poor, those with disabilities, women, men, those without homes, those who are unborn, those with mental illnesses, even criminals and abortion workers.

Even the lives of abortionists and directors of abortion facilities.

I know that you probably believe that you are doing women a service. Many people in this culture believe that abortion is health care, a reproductive right and a choice that should be available to women. So you are not unique in that regard; you are reflecting the worldview of many in this culture. Yes, it is legal and doctors are required to inform their patients in crisis pregnancies and high-risk pregnancies of abortion as a viable, legal option. Why, if our doctors, whom so many hold in such high esteem in our culture, so often recommend it to patients with high-risk or crisis pregnancies, it must not be bad.

I saw parts of the Planned Parenthood hearings when you were being grilled before Congress. I watched as you defended your organization, and declared that the videos exposing Planned Parenthood were doctored. People closest to me agree with you about those videos. I will not defend the videos as I have not had a chance to view them in-depth and in their entirety. I know that Live Action, run by Lila Rose, have made undercover videos of your organization. I have not been inside a Planned Parenthood facility, but I have loved ones who have used their services. Thanks to the grace of God, I have not faced the abortion issue personally. I had a high-risk pregnancy with my daughter, but I was blessed with religious faith and a good support system. I know that many of the girls and women who use your organization or other abortion providers do not have options or are not aware that they have options.

I know that many in the prolife movement condemn you and others in the abortion industry, as evil incarnate, and judge you. They forget that all of us are sinners who have fallen far short of God's holy standards. Myself, I have enough to do in keeping up with and overcoming my own sins and imperfections to ever worry about yours or anyone else's. But you are in a position of leadership and many women and Planned Parenthood employees and volunteers look to you. What if what you are passing on to them is, in fact, a lie? I mean, could it be that the notion that abortion is healthcare, a reproductive right and a choice, is a lie? If that is true, then it is a serious thing that you are guilty of.

Have you ever asked yourself what the abortions done on women (over 300,000 yearly under the watch of Planned Parenthood alone) actually do? I wonder if, in your more honest moments, you wonder if indeed that these abortions kill the babies of these moms who seek abortion services because they have been fed the lie that abortion is the way to deal with a probem pregnancy, whether due to social, economic, medical or eugenic reasons. Surely you, like so many others in favor of abortion or who don't like it but who think it should be available to others, know deep down that the fetus is in fact a baby, one who is just not born. If that is so, it must be dehumanizing, dreary, tiring, and traumatic to take lives as you justify it as a service.

This is not written to try to convert you or anyone else to the prolife movement, as a post like this is highly unlikely to do that. First, you need to be converted to the Person of Jesus Christ, Who came to this earth because of God's love for you and me, to die for our sins. You are invited to repent (change your mind about sin and the direction of your life) and then trust Jesus to take away your sins. Then He will change your worldview, your attitudes and behavior. You will find yourself working to save lives, not destroy them! If God can do it for former abortionists or abortion workers like Dr. Bernard Nathansonson and Abby Johnson, He can do it for you!

Meanwhile, when you decide that working in the abortion industry and taking lives is no longer for you and you are tired of it and want to get out, there is a resource.

Visit this website and find that there is help for you also.

Remembering Them In Prayer

This is about that time of year.

I'm not talking about Halloween.

I'm talking about the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP), which is observed every year on the weekend of November 2.

Who Are The Persecuted Church?

The persecuted Church consists of followers of Jesus in restricted countries and areas of the world (as shown on the map below, courtesy of Gospel for Asia. These believers live in countries where Communism, Buddhism, Hinduism and most often, Islam, is the state religion. They suffer everything from discrimination, government harassment, threats, social or family ostracism to violence, arrests, jail, prison or death in connection to their faith in or service for Christ. Their main resquest to us Western Christians is, "Please pray for us!"

Why Does Prayer Mean So Much to Persecuted Believers?

As followers of Jesus, we believe that God moves in power when we pray. This means much especially to persecuted Christians outside the West, who are usually literally forced to trust God totally, because they usually have little in the way of material possessions and face the reality of persecution and can easily identify the enemies they face to following Jesus. So they come to know, firsthand, what it means for God to move in power and unmistakably in their lives and in the lives of their families and communities. I have read plenty of accounts where their lives and experiences read like the modern-day Book of Acts! So when they ask us to pray for them and they sense our prayers because of God moving in their lives and giving them strength to stand firm in faith, it means everything to them

What Can We Do?

We can pray, give, and we can raise awareness. I wonder if the silence of so many pastors and other believers in the West about global religious persecution of our brothers and sister who share our faith but not our freedoms, is because of lack of awareness. There are many ways we can stand with our fellow believers who share our faith but not our freedoms, but prayer is the most important Yes, it is hard to know what to pra about but there are websites where you can educate yourself, learn how to pray, raise awareness through their updates, and even donate for the strengthening of severely persecuted followers of Jesus and the the furthering of the spread of the Gospel in persecution countries and areas of the world. The links are provided below at the bottom of this page.

Voice of the Martyrs

Open Doors USA

Voice of the Martyrs and Open Doors USA have offices in many countries throughout the world. If you are not in the USA, you can find these offices closest to you.

Gospel for Asia

God's blessings to you as you stand with persecuted believers not only during IDOP but every day of the year!

The above video and the map have been provided courtesy of Gospel for Asia.

A Loving Tribute to a Special Lady

Feel like sharing this with you... This reply is directed as much to Vicki Thorn as it is for a man's testimony. She came to our Respect Life Banquet on 1/31 at Holy Family Church in Rockford, IL as a featured guest speaker. Her words throughout the speech were, are, and will always be very powerful, touching the masses. That said, there is one thing which I elaborate further upon in the subsequent paragraphs, that she said that has stuck to me like a magnet. When I wrote these words, I began to cry unlike I have done in a very long time. I believe that her words were a form of beautiful healing.

I emphasize that I have never had a relationship with another lady, but this testimony is more based on a fear of the unknown. Her words piecred my heart like a straight arrow in the night when she was talking about how abortions took place back around when my granddad and my parents were born. I understand the fact that evil exists, but that being said, I know with faith in Jesus that we are stronger than our frail bodies will ever be. God's timing could not have been more perfect for me. I was an epileptic with uncontrollable seizures, as medicine never controlled or stopped them. Also, I had pretty severe stuttering and so I received God's grace by having this corrected. I have received physical healing many times and am so blessed for that.

However, what I do believe where Vicki has made the most impact, as I described above, is I'm so very thankful that I was born when I was instead of when my parents/grandparents were, as I fear that I would be society roadkill. I know my parents would never be subjected to that type of decision, so this is not about that. But as the fear of the unknown, thinking back that long (100 years or so), I may have been born, but really who would have wanted me? I just cannot imagine the pain, emotional and mental that would've been with me if that was the case. I know every generation has loving parents. That is not why I write this. But what if I was in the wrong hands, and they thought I was imperfect? Just because of seizures, as epileptics are passed over for mental issues far too often.

I probably will always have this hole in my life (which is extremely real, even though they are perceived thoughts on how my life would have been different), so I will probably always need for myself, to at least cope with this type of situation. But, it saddens me that people, far too many, just don't know how valuable a human life is, let alone the priceless gift of holding a newborn.

I write this because it is a testimony to Vicki's beautiful work that she was granted the gift from God to carry out the mission that she has for pretty much my entire life. I am blessed very much to know that she is an advocate, seemingly and perceptively powerful voice that we need more of. For that, we are extremely and infinitely appreciative of her tireless work.

So Dear Lord, I pray that you show your face to us each breath we take, as life this day is no less or more valuable than the last in and of itself. Other things may be priceless, whether big or small (be it a bird chirping, seeing the sunset in Hawaii, marraige, and so on). But the top two are the gift of life and you infusing my life with a multitude of blessings through your healing touch. I thank you for the gifts that you gave me, even to the point of entering this world when I did. I may not feel compelled each and every day to discuss the sensitivity of how my life could have been different, but if it was not for accepting you, Jesus, as Lord and Savior, I just don't think I would have the strength to live each day, let alone defy the belief of society that says, hey, your life is worth this much (kind of like what slavery may have been back in the day) instead of being worth more than the finest bar of gold that there would be. Therefore, in closing, in despair, you give me hope. In hurting, you comfort. In grief, you love. As humans, I cannot comprehend the level of love you have, but it's all encompassing, and very powerful. I cried many tears today thinking of this very fact, Lord. Thank you for all the reassurances you have given me, and to use Vicki as a leading voice, a beautiful ray of hope that she is. She is definitely an instrument that has done thy holy will, because she accepted your calling via the nudge from the Holy Spirit. Words cannot express my thanks and gratitude that I have to find out this was as prevelent as it was, and still is pre and post Roe v. Wade. This is a grave religious, social and moral injustice, as we, as part of God's Army, need to stand in peace and show society that there is no place whatsoever under your authority for this behavior. Please shine your light, the booming, humungous beams of light, down into our soul, now and forevermore. Amen, Alleluia, the Savior Reigns. Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Out Lady of Guadelupe, St. Michael, and all of the other Saints, Archangels, Angels, and Spiritual Brothers and Sisters, please lift me up and pray for me always.

And to you Vicki, God Bless You and Your Work on this all important mission.

With Love, Through Christ,

John Fayhee

Prolife Feminism Yesterday and Today

This books, a large collection of essays, has been compiled by Mary Krane Derr, Rachel MacNair, and Linda Naranjo-Huebl. It is the revised and much-expanded earlier version of this same book with the same title. This in-depth book begins with an Introduction to the entire book and gives a the historical overview of feminism and the three Editors' credits to some people who made the book possible. Then the Editors open with an Introduction to Part one, which consistes of essays by past feminists, from Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) to Dorothy Day (1897-1980). Then the Editors continue with Part Two, with an Introduction that helps the reader transition, in historical context, to modern prolife feminism. Part Two begins with essays by Fannie Lou Townsend Hamer (1917-1977) to Linda Naranjo-Huebl. The Editors end Part Two with a Bibliography, many pages of Endnotes with sources used in research, and an Index.

This book is the greatly revised and updated version of an earlier version of this book. It is a big book, and it took awhile to get through it. I found the earlier essays by ealier feminists challenging to follow, as their styles of writing and language tend to be more from earlier times and more arcane. Many of them seem to have been taken from larger writings and my concern is that prochoice people can argue that these writings were taken out of context. In fact, I have read a review or two where current feminists scoff at the idea of "prolife feminism," clearly declaring that these writings have been taken out of context. Clearly, though, these feminists denounced abortion as not serving women and as using them for profit, as well as killing their children. The writers of this book come from diverse religions, walks of life, ethnicities, and some are LGBT. I liked the variety and styles of essays, including question and answer formats for some of them. These writers adopt a "consistently prolife ethic," where they assert that they are prolife not only about the unborn, but about all people at all ages and stages of development. Reading this book dispels the notion that to be prolife, you have to be a Christan or any "religion," support and vote only for Republicans, and be for other "conservative" issues like unregulated gun rights, the death penalty, military involvment, and oppose means-tested government assistance programs (like Food Stamps and Medicaid). One big beef of mine with so many who identify as prolife but who oppose so many government assistance for low-income pregnant women, poor single moms, early childhood education and other services that many vulnerable citizens rely on just to survive. It seems hypocritical to denounce abortion as evil and as murder, while being unwilling to make changes in society that would make carrying untimely and crisis pregnancies more appealing. It seems that all the writers of this book's essays would agree.

I recommend this book for all those who identify as prolife. It can show them that you do not have to fit the conservative and right-wing profile in order to respect all life and protect it from conception on. I recommend this book for all who call themselves prochoice, as a woman-centered book like this may be more acceptable to those who identify as prochoice or feminist (or both) than most prolife literature. Most average prolife literature is more baby-centered and the well-being of the woman seems to be secondary to what comes off as the primary subject of concern: the baby. This is not a Christian book, though some of the authors of the essays in the book identify as both Christian as well as prolife feminists. Books like this can change the tone of the abortion debate so I can recommend it to those on either side of the debate.

An Unforgettable Retreat Experience

This is from one of my church retreats... Prior to knowing Jesus as my Risen Savior, I don’t know if I had a sense, let alone understanding, what could be done through His will, and I really don’t know how strong my faith life was. However, through my life experiences, overcoming obstacles has positively impacted my faith life, as today my faith is the key to any success I’ve had. It is supposed to be our engine, but we have to turn the key to ignite it; however it can sputter as well. In no small way to these circumstances, my life has become much more enriched.

I have had many situations where I have had to show a great deal of faith to overcome obstacles while being a first-hand witness to Jesus’ healing and powerful touch and, as a result I have become more aware of how He has been working through me. The first way has been my speech issues (namely stuttering). Previously, I received assistance from about 3 or 4 speech therapists all the way from pre-school to high school as we tried many strategies that didn’t work, as my face would be a deep red like an apple, especially if I was talking in front of people.

After a lot of research, guidance and prayers, my family and I decided that I should go out to Norfolk, VA to what I phrase a Speech Boot Camp for three weeks at the Eastern Virginia Medical School. The participants tried to overcome their stuttering through Jesus’ Divine Healing, as the instructor also stuttered. This is predominantly a condition men historically face much more than women. The patella blocks the air flow out of the mouth similar to a cat or dog trying to get through a door flap and is stuck. So stuttering can be deeply embarrassing for people with it, especially since it is tougher to speak in a quasi-normal way the longer it hasn’t been mastered (just as it was for Moses when he was delivering the Sermon on the Mount). The first thing we did was re-learning how to breathe by lying down on the floor. After this, we relearned how to correctly annunciate basic words and group them in sentences, such as ‘The dog ran.’ The way to determine if we were correctly speaking in a phonetic way, a different light came on compared to if it was wrong. As the first few days went on, gradually there was more advancement to more difficult words and situations. Another more advanced phase was to find businesses in the phone book and ask them basic questions, such as how much is the pizza. Once this took place over the course of a couple days, then we would go a close-by business in person and order lunch, which also helped us assimilate back into society.

Once I returned from Virginia I started to experience the real love of Christ as everyone started to notice good improvement with my fluency, as this gave me added confidence. Consequently, Jesus showed me through His intercession how lots of practice through the speech boot camp, take home material and other real life situations made my life easier. A couple of years later I went back to Virginia for a week refresher course to obtain further instruction and refine what I had learned and practiced. The next issue was my epilepsy, as I have been officially diagnosed since I was 3 months old (as I had gray skin for what is believed to be lack of oxygen from birth). I have been through 10 medications (with a variety of dosages within each) and 6 neurologists. Because this never had been controlled with my medicine, we finally started expanding our thought process to consider more ‘radical’ options including, but not limited to, brain surgery, as I went through many types of tests to see if I was a candidate. This really made me uncomfortable for a couple of reasons, as I didn’t want to relearn how to talk with all of my strides I had made and also was concerned about my peripheral vision being reduced or non-existent and didn’t know how realistic an option this would be; however, Jesus through His intervention comforted me.

I was in the hospital for 12 days in May of 1999, getting out on that Memorial Day. Probably half way through the stay, I had an EEG and they reduced my medicine to half of the normal level to try and trigger a seizure. Well, I had a grand mal seizure (the first and only one of those in my life). This ended up showing the doctor and surgeon where it was coming from, so fortunately there was no form of blockage anywhere that prevented a clean cut (which fortunately was only a pinky incision instead of across my head type of cut), so all of the area that was creating the problems was able to be removed by God’s grace. So to this present day, I have never had another seizure. Furthermore, I know that my whole reason for being who I am today results in no coincidence whatsoever to these experiences, regardless of how trying they have been then or now.

I know God placed these people in my life when I needed them most. My faith life is very much stronger as a result thanks to God’s healing touch. In the time since my medical procedures, I have had many rich and unforeseen blessings.

As deeply enriched my faith life has become from these medical situations, a true blessing that started to energize my faith life was when I was able to go to the Vatican, Rome and Assisi for a pilgrimage with my Newman Center at WIU just after Christmas of 1999 for the Catholic Jubilee, as we were there for 10 days. Among the many things we were able to do was have Daily Mass and participate in Papal Audiences at the Vatican, and also had Daily Mass in Assisi, and toured the many religious sites in both places. I will always hold very close the 3 Vatican pictures that their photographers took that I have (as I am in two of them), as this is a life time reminder of some very powerful spiritual experiences, especially since I am in a shot with Pope John Paul going by in his Pope mobile and also am in a big group shot with St. Peter in the foreground. Due to my medical history, I never thought I would be able to drive. In high school, I was able to do the classroom part of drivers ed, but I was not permitted to go any further. So in June 2002 (which was 3 years after my surgery), that all changed. I started to learn how to drive with my dad and granddad. This was quite a process, because they have driven for 6-8 decades and could tell me many things about what to do, especially since even though I was 25 years old, I was mentally just like a 16 year old in terms of driving ability. Well, in 4 months, I was able to obtain my license and then two weeks after that, I moved 6 hours from home to St. Joseph, MO as a VISTA member (which is basically like the domestic Peace Corps). This was a huge leap of faith, as I had never lived outside of my home county my first 25 years, and then all of a sudden some sort of reality set in about having to live on my own being away from my parents nest and support, even though I was oblivious to what that life was going to be like. The change hit me like a big tornado going right through my soul before I could blink an eye and rethink if I made a wise decision. Once again, Jesus through His intercession helped me through this experience. God has been present in my life through good and bad (even though I have had many signs of His tough love since then, in particular with my too many to count accidents and tickets). I realize that things happen for a reason and we do not always know what the reason may be. I feel in a sense my life has been a real blessing because even though in my teens and into my early 20s that even though the epilepsy wasn’t controlled, I never got addicted to drugs, smoking, or drank and never have had a desire to even try. Therefore, in some way, shape or form, there is always a silver lining, regardless of how easily it may be acknowledged, especially since I think most of these times I have learned something tangible from the experiences to make my faith life that much stronger as I have been much more successful than I, let alone my family would have ever imagined prior to how my medical situations gave me a new lease on life.

My final closing thought is this: The longer I live; attitude has become much more important than facts. It is also more important than the past, education, money, circumstances, failures or successes, or than what people say or do as well as appearance, giftedness or skill. My life will be enhanced or broken because of this, and my faith life is impacted similarly. I have a choice every day regarding the attitude that I embrace for that day. While I cannot change the inevitable, the one thing I can do is play the only fiddle I have and that is my attitude. Consequently, life seems to be 10% of what happens to me and 90% how I react. So Dear Lord, I am very grateful that you have shown your face in my life, as You continue to give me the courage, strength and will power to practice my faith daily, as well as helping me overcome these and all obstacles, as my life has been worth fighting the good fight for and am very grateful for the gift of life You have blessed me with. I hope and pray for many more blessings to come my way, in whatever way they may be presented. Please continue to provide me the strength & courage to face each day with the same fortitude that You have blessed me with to this day, and help me to focus on those around me and keep me mindful of the trials and challenges they are dealing with that I may provide support, understanding and encouragement to help them through their struggles similar to how You have continued to help me. Thank you!

John Fayhee

View This Video, Share It & Save A Life

In the past few years, 4D ultrasound has emerged and it clearly shows the the reality of the life and humanity of the unborn child. It is been proved that when moms are shown ultrasounds of their babies, they are much more likely to reject abortion and choose life for their babies. This is why pregnancy resource centers use ultrasounds for their clients with positive pregnancy tests. They know that when these clients are shown ultrasounds of their babies, they can see that their babies have body parts and can move, and masses and clumps of cells do not possess these characteristics. And 4D ultrasounds show the unborn child more clearly and are being used more and more often though I understand that they are expensive and insurance typically does not cover them. Christians, we are called to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. You can do that by sharing this video and pray that abortion-minded girls and women will find it, view it, and choose life for their babies.

Will you do this simple thing to be a voice for the unborn?



This video is provided courtesy of American Life League. I'm not a partner of or affiliated with this nonprofit.

Democrats for Life by Kristen Day

THis is a specialty book, written by the Executive Director of the organization called Democrats for Life. This book opens up with the author's acknowledgements to those who made the writing of this book possible. Before the first chapter, she opens up with a Prologue that sets the tone for this book and gives some background for the state of the Democratic Party today. This Prologue and each of the following 15 chapeters,ends with notes which cite the sources that the author used for that particular chapter. THe author ends with three attachments. Attachment 1 contain charts that trace the evolution of positions on reproductive issues over the years, for both Republicans and Democrats. Attachment 2 shows how the Democratic Leadership has lost its "grip" on being prolife about abortion,even as Republicans gained a hold over the prolife position. The final and third attachment is a written initiative on how to end abortion by providing resources and support to girls and women that will empower and motivate them to choose life for their babies.

This book provides lots of good information for its short length. Growing up in a family who are loyal Democrats, I found this book to be of special interest. I hate it that one political party is identified as "the immoral party" that followers of Jesus should avoid, and we are told, by our Pastors and CHristian leaders who opine on poltics, that we must vote for the party "that reflects our Christian values." This almost always translates to voting for Republicans, whether we like them or not and even if we disagree with them on most things. Those followers of Jesus who support the Democratic Party (and their stress on caring for the poor, the vulnerable, the disenfranchised and those living on the margins of society, have ben made to feel that we cannot follow Jesus and vote for Democrats. This book traces how Democrats came to support abortion and to be identified with it; it is the Democrats in power who often identify with abortion on demand and espouse it as a "choice." This book shows us that many typical citizens and "little people" who are Democrats are actually prolife but have been silenced and disenfranchised by the powerful in the Democratic Party. There are prolife Democrats in Congress, but they are a minority. I know that we Christians in the US have been told that following Jesus and standing up for truth equal supporting Republicans as it is Republicans who most often identify as prolife about abortion, and oppose same-sex marriage. Not all Republicans are prolife, including among the pwerful. This book is not written from a Christian perspective, but from a secular perspective. I know, though, that it is most unfortunate that the term "prolife Democrat" is often considered an oxymoran, or that such Democrats are "Democrats in name only." This book asserts, and I agree, that we will never stop abortions unless or until being prolife about abortion stops being seen as a "republican issue" and more and more prolife Democrats "find their voice" and work with Republicans to try to end abortions. Democrats in political leadership have convinced many Christians that they do not represent the concerns and interests of followers of Jesus who value matters such as the sanctity of life, the sanctiry of marriage and the family, and religious liberty. This is sad!

This is not a Christ-centered book, but I recommend this book for Pastors and Christian leaders so they can better understand those in their parishes and among their followers who may support the Democratic Party. They need to understand that some of us feel (and are) disenfranchised by this disconnect in the Democratic Party leadership. This book should be required reading in political science classes. I recommend this book for all open-minded Republicans, to dismantle their biases about those who support the Democratic Party. I recommend this book to open-minded Democrats so they can educate themselves about the political aspect of abortion. Finally, I recommend this book for all DEmocrats who oppose abortion and feel disenfranchised, for their encouragement.

Visit the Democrats for Life Site Here

Will Simply Defunding Planned Parenthood End Abortion?

In the past months, a series of some nine videos have surfaced, indicating that Planned Parenthood has been involved in harvesting and selling baby body parts.

Since then, there have been angry and outraged demonstrations, marches and multiple petition, calling for the following:

Congress must defund Planned Parenthood immediately!

Congress must promptly dry up all taxpayer funds to Planned Parenthood!

Investigated Planned Parenthood!

Prosecute Planned Parenthood!

Shut down the government until Congress takes action on Planned Parenthood!

The outrage is understandable. But something is missing from all these calls to declare all-out war on Planned Parenthood.

Today as I write, a tenth video has surfaced. The calls are getting louder and louder to simply dry up all taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood. According to the advocates of this drastic action, ending all taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood would protect the unborn because a source of funding would be dried up and it would dis-empower them. But would defunding this institution protect the unborn?

Let me answer this question with a question. Why do most girls and women seek abortions?

According to both experience and much research, most girls and women so often look to abortion as their only option because they are not ready to parent their own babies. They find the idea of "giving up" their babies for adoption horrific. Often many turn to abortion because they are terrified that their families will find out and they will be rejected or ostracized. Then many turn to abortion for economic reasons, because they feel that they "cannot afford" to raise this child. Yet they cannot cope with the idea of "giving up" that child for adoption, knowing he or she will be out there but is being raised by strangers. And, we have become such an abortion-accepting culture that abortion has come to be seen as girl's and women's healthcare! But is it?

I don't know what actual percentage abortion comprises in Planned Parenthood's services. According to sources, they do about an estimated 330,330 abortions yearly. As followers of Jesus, we see each abortion as the taking of a human unborn life. This means that Planned Parenthood is responsible for the loss of about 330,000 lives a year. It is true that federal funds may not directly go to abortions, but should taxpayer dollars go to an institution which oversees 330,000 murders a year and profits from them?

That is where all the calls to defund Planned Parenthood come in. But will that alone stop abortion and protect the unborn?

I admit, when I hear all the calls to defund Planned Parenthood and even how much money that will save the US, I wonder, "Where does this leave all the people who truly feel that Planned Parenthood is their only option because they cannot afford private OB/GYNS (who typically do not accept Medicaid). Also, so many truly feel that abortion is their only option in times of crisis. Doctors tend to too readily counsel women to abort for eugenic or therapeutic reasons. Yes, too many families and friends of girls and women pressure them to get abortions and these girls and women, desiring to please, comply. Sadly, I know of people who have turned to abortion because of family pressure. How will simple drying up of taxpayer $$$ end these scenarios born out of fear, ignorance and desperation?

I could not understand why no one, of all these people who are demanding that Congress simply defund Planned Parenthood, are not calling for those taxpayer dollars to be re-allocated to other, life-affirming services for girls and women. So I created a petition for this purpose. It calls for the increase of Medicaid reimbursements to OB/GYNS so they will have incentives to care for low-income girls and women. The petition also calls for an increase in subsidies to qualified adoptive parents. It also calls for funding for community clinics where abortions are not done and for funds for single mothers so they can spend more time with their children. The petition also calls for Congress to pass legislation that will create the option of temporary foster care for girls and women in crisis pregnancies so another, life-affirming option will be open to them.

Are these perfect solutions? No, of course not. They are steps in the right direction, in my humble opinion.

For Congress to listen to us, a "critical mass" of signatures (around 100,000) are needed. If you agree that this petition is important, I hope that you will not be one of those followers of Jesus who believe that we should "stay out" of so-called poltical or controversial issues. This is not about politics or issues. This is about the lives and futures of babies and their mothers.

Will you both SIGN and SHARE the petition? Go to the petition here. Thank you!

Release One of These Three Children from Poverty

Dear Fellow Followers of Jesus: These photos I have put up below are of three children that I was matched with through Compassion International, a Christian humanitarian nonprofit. I received their information through Release3, their program where supporters can request three children and commit to seeking sponsors for each of the three children assigned to them. I have until the end of this month, September, to seek sponsors for each of these three children. These three children are in urgent need of sponsors. I know that we all have financial pressures and the costs of living in the West are high. But children like these little ones pictured, face bleak features without caring sponsors to make the work of dedicated Christian workers possible. Not only will these children receive food, clothing, education, and other practical social services but they will receive teaching about Jesus and the Gospel, and will be shown Jesus' love in action. This indirectly helps their families and larger communities.

Here are the three children. Look at their photos and basic information:

I am praying that each of these three precious children will find sponsors. I pray that they each will have sponsors by the end of this month. Will you be the answer to my prayers?

If you are interested in sponsoring one of these children, please write down his or her name and country as listed in the picture (s) above. Then contact Compassion International at 1 (800) 336-7676. Their office hours are Monday to Friday, 7:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. (MT). Provide the person who answers your call the name and country of the child you are interested in sponsoring. Let the person you talk to know that you found out about the child you are mentioning through the Release3 program.

Thank You For Making A Difference in Jesus' Name!

These photos are provided courtesy of Compassion International.

Dear Christian Friend Who Has Participated in Abortion

I write this to fellow Christians who have turned to abortion because of pressure from important others.

I write this to fellow Christians who have turned to abortion because no one in their Christian community has shown support.

I write this to Christians who chose abortion believing that "God would forgive anyway."

I write this to Christians who sit in church fellowships secretly regretting abortions they have had or enabled.

I write this to all pastors who have provided little leadership on abortion.

I write this to Christians who may even support abortion in the name of political correctness.

I know that this is not a topic that we like to talk about. However, over seventy percent of all Americans identify as followers of Jesus while an estimated 4000 abortions take place daily. So this implies that many in our local church fellowships have participated in abortion in some way, whether aiding, abetting, or even compelling others to choose abortions, or choosing abortion in your own life. I know that many pastors, youth ministers and other local church fellowship leaders are silent on this social epidemic and offer little or no leadership on it. They may address it on Sanctity of Life Sunday, if they do that. Many of them may fear speaking of it for fear of upsetting you or bringing back bad memories or re-opening old wounds. As is true with any failure, poor choice or sin, time does not heal nor does denial make anything disappear. The issue just festers and will erupt later, often in forms that are not pretty. This may be why so many suicides and crimes occur, because people "snap." Actually, I think most "snaps" are just cases of hurts that have built up and have been stored up over time.

No, I have not personally experienced abortion myself. I know others who have and while they do not speak of that, I wonder what they think in quiet moments or when the topic of abortion comes up in conversation. Please know that abortion is not the unpardonable sin and, like any sin, you can be freely forgiven if you confess your sin, turn from it and turn to God. I invite you to do that today. Whether you feel sorry, guilty, afraid, or even defiant or bitter, you can share your feelings with God and find help. Whatever your role in abortion may have been, whether talking others into abortion, driving them to a facility that does abortions, having your own abortion, or even doing abortions, God can and will forgive you if you repent, turn from sin and turn to Jesus in faith. I have included a link to a website where you may be able to find help.

God is the God of second chances. Let Him give you that. Will you?

Visit Here to Find Out More

What You Can Do For Those Who Have Not Heard

"What about those who have not heard of Jesus? How will God judge them?" we often ask.

Good question. The Bible makes it clear that the only through calling on Jesus and looking to Him to forgive our sins, can we ever be saved according to God's terms, enjoy right standing with Him, receive the right to call God our Father, approach His throne with confidence and enjoy life forever with Him in Heaven. Even with all the progress that has been made with reaching many unreached peoples with the Gospel, much more needs to be done, so much that a research nonprofit, Joshua Project has been set up to bring awareness to the thousands of unreached people groups who still have not heard the Gospel in a way they can understand.

There are thousands of unreached people groups. An unreached people group is defined as a group of people of the same tribe and language and culture, who have less than 2 percent of people who identify themselves as followers of Jesus. Most of these unreached people groups live in countries where Christians are usually minorities and are severely persecuted for their faith. Many of these people groups do not have Bibles or other Christian translated into their own languages. Most of them practice either Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, or a blend of ethnic religions. All of them live in darkness. We may tell ourselves that God will exempt them from the need to respond to Christ in order to make it to heaven, but the Bible does not give us wiggle room to believe that. Instead, we are told to get the Gospel to the unreached in every tribe, language and tongue and that Jesus will not return until every people group has a vibrant Gospel witness among them. How do we do that?

We do not all need to become missionaries to get the Gospel to the unreached. Many of us live lives that do not lend themselves to venturing to closed lands and hostile areas where people have not heard of Jesus. World missions are evolving from the model of the Western missionary going to lands where no one has heard to that of an increasing number of native missionaries who are making Christ known among people groups who need to be reached. However, Western missionaries continue to be needed in lands that have mostly unreached peoples, to assist native missionaries who are making Christ known among many of such people. Missionaries, though, have to be sent. It costs money to send them to those who need to hear about Christ and to keep them engaged in God's work. That is where sending agencies come in. We need to support agencies which send missionaries to unreached people groups. Below, I provide a link which gives you an opportunity to be part of the solution to this tragedy of thousands of unreached people groups.

I know that there are many needs that we followers of Jesus give priority to. We need, however, to gain an eternal perspective, and to grasp that all of us will spend eternity in either heaven or hell. These thousands of unreached peoples will also have to spend their eternities somewhere. With our involvement, the odds will be greatly increased that many of them will spend eternity in the presence of the God Who loved them enough to give His only Son for them.

There are 1108 unreached Muslim people groups alone, among other unreached people groups. Will we be part of the solution?

Visit Here To Learn How You Can Be Part of the Solution

The photos in this post have been used courtesy of Frontiers.

To My Friends Who Support or Oppose Planned Parenthood

To All Our Friends & Defenders of Planned Parenthood:

This letter is not another rant about how your pitting the right of women to have abortions against the rights of the right of unborn children to live. This is not another online scolding about your defense of an organization that is doing what "the other side" is against, performing abortions. I don't think our rants about how you are not agreeing with us and are showing your lack of humanity, are doing much good. I believe that our side needs to see that while we truly believe that you are misguided on some matters, does not mean that we cannot listen to you and what you are saying about what is going on in our society that makes Planned Parenthood a safety net, especially for needy women. We who call ourselves "conservative Christians" need to practice the love that Jesus tells us that we are to show, and that means to meet you on your own ground and, while we may not agree with you, honestly see things from your point of view. For you have valid points.

I live in a household of people who support Planned Parenthood, and I an regularly exposed to television programming that supports their worldview. I know that many people who call themselves "progressive" or "liberal" Christians also support Planned Parenthood. You may be among them. So I know all the arguments and much of it makes sense. I have heard it said, over and over again, that Planned Parenthood provides numerous services for women, including cancer screenings, birth control devices, birth control education, and Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) testing. These are very good things. Women need cancer screening and we are to be prolife about women's lives, and cancer screenings save lives. Birth control education is very useful and can prevent unwanted pregnancies before they happen, thus preventing abortion from even being an issue for women and the important people in their lives. This is good. Birth control devices? I'm not comfortable with them being handed out to just anyone, especially to teenagers. Science tells us that they do not provide adequate STD protection. But STD testing saves lives and is a safety net. We who call ourselves prolife should commend that. One of your arguments is that abortion services make up only about five percent of what Planned Parenthood does. However, those of us "on the other side" feel strongly about this five percent, as you do.

I know that many of you who call yourself prochoice may believe that you have little or nothing in common with those of us who call ourselves prolife. But consider:

1). We support the idea that unwanted pregnancies should be prevented.

2). We generally support adoption for unwanted babies.

3). We all know abortions are a painful choice and should be avoided as much as possible.

4). We generally truly want to help abortion-minded women and men in crisis.

5). We generally believe that the Bible backs up our views on this matter.

6). We have Bible proof texts that we believe back up our positions.

7). We feel strongly about Planned Parenthood and abortion.

8). We are very vocal about our position on our view on this matter.

9). We are willing to be attacked for our positions.

10). We detest injustice in society.

11). We care deeply about people and human rights.

We have a lot in common. We just have different answers to address the marginalization of women and children. I have never been inside a Planned Parenthood Clinic, though I have protested outside them. Defenders of Planned Parenthood whom I know have not, to my knowledge, ever been inside a Planned Parenthood Clinic either. So I cannot prove or disprove the their actual proportion of abortions. I know about the photos that have come out about Planned Parenthood, in underground efforts to expose what goes on inside its doors. my only view of one of the videos was when someone else had on a politics channel and the anchor, who is prochoice, played the video. The footage seemed fuzzy and did not say much. I do understand that three other videos were released, which I did not see. I do not know if we need videos to confirm that the very fact that Planned Parenthood exists, to rescue desperate women and men who want to get rid of what they believe is causing their plights, means that things are wrong with us as a society. Instead of holding abortion as an option to women in crisis, why not spend time, energy, and even money, to create conditions that will abortion-minded women and men will be less desperate and less tempted to turn to abortion? If we who call ourselves prolife would listen to those who call themselves prochoice when they try to say, "Many in crisis pregnancies have no choice but to get abortions, so they should have the choice," we would do better than we are. Also, Planned Parenthood is defended because it serves low-income women in many ways other than abortion, as stated above. Just declaring the humanity of the unborn and the evil of abortion is not enough. We who support Planned Parenthood and those who oppose it, need to listen to each other, find common ground, and do what we can so people in crisis pregnancies will make life-affirming choices. And prochoice people need to listen to us and extend their care for women into equal care for the unborn. As one source has said, both sides need to love mother and baby.

Those of you who call yourselves Christians and followers of Jesus Who values all life, how can you support an act that takes human life and an organization that endorses it?

Visit This Website To See How You Can Provide Women With Life-Affirming Choices

Christians, It Takes Only Minutes of Your Time to Help the Autism Community

Hello, fellow Christians,

I know that we think of people groups in terms of race and ethnicity, and we should. The Bible portrays them in these terms. I would like to call your attention to a people group that is found in virtually all countries, including on the continent of Africa. They are identified by diagnosis, and all those who are associated with them are part of this community, including their parents, other relatives and those who work with them in schools, in counseling settings or on the job. I'm talking about a community that you may have heard of: the autism community. Just as we are all familiar with "the Deaf community" and the Black community" and even "the LGBT community," we need to know about the autism community.

These are often people with unmet needs. If they or their families have money for autism services and can afford to pay out of pocket, they may be able to afford to buy costly autism services, first, to get diagnosed to access these services in the first place, and then to get those services to reach their God-given potentials. Also, many of these people feel typically misunderstood by most in the Christian community, and tend to sympathize with LGBT people in feeling rejected, misunderstood, excluded, and bullied. Autistic persons have much in common with LGBT persons in that they are usually victims of bullying and abuse, feel judged by the Church which they often feel does not value their abilities and differences, and are passionate about their cause, autism. Autism services are usually not included in health insurance plans, Medicaid covers autism services for children only, and many health care providers do not work with Medicaid plans. Result? This can explain why many poor families with autistic children are often overwhelmed, overburdened, and have trouble getting services for autistic loved ones. Some parents, unable to handle the stress of dealing with severely autistic loved ones, have done the unthinkable, despairing and killing their loved ones. This by no means excuses their actions, but it can explain them. Last year, on Dr. Phil, the high profile case of an autistic girl, severely autistic and so violent that her mom was afraid of her, was covered. This mom had tried, repeatedly, to deal with her daughter and end the behavior, but one day she tried to kill this girl and the girl was removed from her custody. Then there are the many cases of autistic children (and some autistic teens and adults) who go missing because of what is known as "autistic wandering." This happens over and over! Can we just simply say, "Well, where were their caregivers?" In some cases, maybe. But is there anything that can be done to prevent many of these wanderings, which sometimes end in tragedy?

Not all autistic children are severely autistic, nonverbal or violent. Most are not violent, and being nonverbal does not mean lack of intelligence. Many children and adults have more "mild" forms of autism, known as Asperger's Syndrome or Pervasive Development Disorder. Whatever the form of autism, it looks different in each person of all ages. I have a beautiful, precious daughter, diagnosed at age three with Pervasive Development Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified. She has always been mainstreamed, has never had a complaint of misbehavior from her teachers, and makes good grades, especially in math. Her difficulties are primarily in the social arena, and in the ability to make and keep close personal friends. There are many children, teens, and young adults with diagnosed autism. More and more adults, who had grown up with lifelong challenges in academics and in the social arena, have often fought long and hard to obtain diagnoses as adults, not to get services (unavailable for adults) but to get answers to explain their difficulties. Most of these people do not set foot in our organized local church fellowships. Many have had bad experiences where pastors or other churchgoers have subtly (or not so subtly) frowned on the different behaviors of their loved ones. I have spoken with parents at past local church fellowships, who have tried their autistic children in church-based schools, and have had bad experiences because the educators were ill-equipped to deal with autism. People with autism and their families, have been sent the message by the church, in general: "We do not include you because we do not know how to, or do not want to learn how to, deal with you or your loved one." Not all church fellowships are like this, but much needs to be done. Autism is a complex disorder, and we need to educate ourselves on it. neurological Years ago, I have come across articles with titles like, "Autistic people are less likely than the general audience to believe in God," and "Autistic people are more likely to be atheists than other people." I read an article years ago, by an autistic adult, where he said that he avoids local church fellowships because he gets the message that his the social and non-autistic" values of the Church make him feel that he, as an autistic, is bad. What he may not realize and what the Church has not been equipped to convey, is that his autism does not, itself, make him bad, but it aggravates the natural sinfulness in each of us--just as many other neurological or mental health conditions do.

You may already have connections with autism, whether you are related to an autistic person, are friends with such a person, work with autistic persons, or may be interested in a diagnosis to explain your past. You may not be aware of any connections with autism. If you want to make a difference for the autism community, kindly do one or two things.

First, please SIGN this petition, if you have not yet done so. If you have already SIGNED it, please SHARE it. If you are outside the United States, you can still help by sharing this petition with your networks! Thank you!

Second, Join My Facebook Page On Autism & Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

Thank you Very Much for This Simple Gesture of Love To the Autism Community!

Lisa DeSherlia

What Does Not Take A Vacation

In my local congregation, attendance drops and people go out of town and on vacations. Even my daughter had opportunities to go on two trips with her youth group, one to a state that is not close to our own.

Last week, a substitute legal analyst, who was filling in for the well-known talk show host, said of her, "She is on a well-deserved vacation." And this talk show host had taken a week off her show only a week prior!

For weeks, people in my Facebook network had been posting vacation photos from their trips, some during their trips even out of their own countries.

Commercials from other states in the United States or from other countries, complete with exotic and enticing scenery, call out for tourists.

In my congregation, we receive many visitors who are traveling from other states.

No, there is nothing morally wrong with followers of Jesus going on vacations, even outside their countries. That is, it is allowable as long as you are living within your means and are using the time to get in closer touch with God and with family. Also, if you travel to nations where people are unreached or underreached, it could present a great chance for you to leave a positive witness, through your life and words, with the people. I know that people save and plan, well in advance, for many vacations. Meanwhile, I was asked by someone whom I write to, how my fund-raising campaign for Gospel for Asia is going. I had to admit that it has been stagnating. I looked at my homepage and I saw that contributions had stopped since June of this year, co-inciding with the time that people typically go on vacations or engage in other summer events. I know that summer is the time of the year that children are off school and that, often, money must be spent to keep them from becoming bored and frustrated (if one has the money). Myself, I remember many summers when I was lonely and bored because of lack of opportunities for the young. To refresh you as to what this campaign is all about, it is an effort to raise funds to get Bibles onto the continent of Asia, where most of the people are too poor to afford one Bible or have no access to Bibles even if they can afford them. If you are in the United States or other parts of the West, you have plenty of access to the Bible and to other Christian resources. In fact, we in the United States have so much access that we must be discerning and avoid materials by those whose teachings are less than sound and biblical. We have Bibles for women, Bibles for men, Bibles for children, Bibles for teens, multiple translations, and Bibles for many seasons of life. I have even seen a Bible in Wal Mart for breast cancer awareness. On the continent of Asia, Bibles are scarce.

I know that, in appeals for help, you have probably heard phrases like, "Need never takes a holiday." I have to add, "Need does not take a vacation." The need of people in developing and closed countries, worldwide, does not take a holiday or a vacation. I know that giving, to most local churches and to nonprofits, drops during the summer and that probably explains the stagnation of my campaign. Even if your funds are depleted and you have nothing left to give in money, you can donate time to share this post and this campaign.

Please kindly visit here, and donate some of you time to look at and share this campaign on the webpage and, if you have money, kindly consider sharing. Thank you!

A Prayer for Nepal

Those Disturbing Bible Verses

"Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers! ' " (Matthew 7: 21-23, NIV). Jesus, in this verse, is obviously putting us on notice that MANY (not few!) people who genuinely believe they are saved will be cast out of His presence, forever! We need to get this right! But I find myself wondering, "Am I doing His will?" For doing God's will covers quite a lot of ground!

"But the cowardly...----their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." (Rev. 21: 8, NIV). Other translations have used the word "fearful" in place of "cowardly." As a person for whom fear has always been a major problem, this verse convicts me as fear (or cowardice) is, according to this verse, ranked right along with murder, lying, sorcery, and sexual immorality and puts a person at-risk of suffering a horrific eternity.

"The wicked borrow and do not repay,...(Psalm 37: 21, NIV). Ouch! As a person who knows something about debt, this verse lets me know that God may not view debtors as victims as our culture does, but rather as wrongdoers.

"If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable." (Proverbs 28: 9, NIV). Clearly, God is declaring that we can not use prayer to compensate for lack in our holiness nor can it be used to substitute for other things He may want us to do. He certainly will frown on our prayers if we refuse to live His way. And, as we who follow Jesus know, sin covers A LOT of ground. No loopholes allowed. Often, even as I pray, I find myself wondering, "Am I using this to make up for the fact that I'm letting social anxiety keep me from face-to-face witnessing?" or "Instead of talking to God about it, should I be talking to this person about God?"

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children---yes, even his own life---he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14: 26-27, NIV). Now I know that Jesus did not mean that we are literally to "hate" our loved ones or to "hate" our lives. Clearly, though, He demands, desires, and deserves devotion from us that that is extreme, so extreme that we are willing to risk rejection from our families and even to be willing to die for Him. Followers of Jesus all over the world experience these things as reality. As I look at their lives, I ask myself: Would I be willing to endure family rejection, torture or death for Jesus? I pray so! This reminds us that if we ever want to be equipped for severe persecution, we need to successfully face insults, ridicule, and so-called "minor persecution," for Jesus' sake.

"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46, NIV). The commands of Jesus and His Apostles (who wrote the Epistles in the rest of the New Testament) cover much ground. Jesus' probing question is an ongoing question that keeps me on the spot as Lordship cover everything, including those areas that are, frankly, uncomfortable, terrifying or plain inconvenient to place under His absolute Lordship.

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth." (Rev. 3: 15-16). Jesus is clearly not impressed by "good Christians" who are nice, sweet, mind their own business, may even attend worship services every Sunday and may even fill church leadership positions, but who are unwilling to pay the price of giving up all they have and are to Him. Make us willing to be made willing to pay the price!

"If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the the truth, no sacrifice of sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God....How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' and again, 'The lord will judge his people.' It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:26-31, NIV). If you read this verse, and the surrounding verses, you will know that it is believers that this severe warning is addressed to! Sometimes I wonder just what "deliberately keep on sinning" means. Sharp warnings like these certainly tear to shreds the notion that when we become followers of Jesus, that we can keep on sinning with the assurance that God will keep forgiving us because "that is His job"! Many Bible teachers interpret these verses as being addressed to people among these readers who may not have been "saved in the first place," but it seems to me that these verses are meant for believers. If anything, warnings like this mean that we should take sin seriously!

I understand that the late preacher, Charles Spurgeon, was said something like, "If there is any verse in the Bible that you want to see removed from the Bible, that is the verse that you should attend to. It should stick with you like a blister." Mark Twain is quoted as saying, "The Bible verses that I have the most trouble with are not the ones I don't understand, but the ones I do understand!" It is tempting for me to ignore these verses as they apply to my life, and to hide them from others lest I offend them, but God has included verses like these, hoping we will be motivated to live holy lives. Remember, as I need to keep reminding myself, He wants us to be holy even more than He wants us to be happy; He wants us to be conformed to His Son's image more than He wants us to be wealthy, healthy or successful.

What Is The Christian Response To the Iran Nuclear Deal?

Hello, Brothers and Sisters in Jesus,

I'm sure that if you have been following the news at all, that you are aware that a nuclear deal has been reached with Iran. When I got up this morning and checked emails, I heard the morning news, "A nuclear deal has been reached with Iran." For many months, we have watched as these talks kept getting extended. I'm sure we all know that Iran is considered our enemy and the enemy of Israel, our ally and God's historical people.

Now I must offer a disclaimer before I start this post. I know next to nothing about foreign policy or about the implications of this deal for us or for the world. I know that people are either swearing by or swearing at this nuclear deal. I know that the deal is conditional upon Iran holding up their end of the bargain. Like everyone else, I certainly do not want Iran to be empowered to build weapons against us or anyone else. It remains to be seen if this deal will help or backfire. I do not take a position on the deal itself.

But whenever the media talks about deals with Iran and when I heard the news this morning about the deal that America struck with Iran, I do not think so much about the deal itself.

I was thinking about Pastor Saeed Abedini and his family. I was thinking about three other Americans and their families. I was thinking about these four Americans and their families because these four Americans have been in Iranian prisons for years. And it looks like they have been abandoned, at least by our American government. I am very sure that four families are experiencing incredible personal pain because the State Department has provided no word that their loved ones will be freed from incarceration in Iran. Yet the media, in all their coverage about this deal, are saying nothing about these four Americans or their families. Nothing that I can discern.

When you think of Iran, what do you think of? Nuclear weapons?

If your answer is that when you think of Iran, you think of nuclear weapons, that is totally understandable. The media give us the impression that Iran's nuclear threat to us all is all we need to know about this country. But the media often withhold valuable, needed information from us. We dare not depend on the media alone to get our information. If you will do your research, you will discover that Iran is an oppressive Muslim stronghold country and Iran's leaders oppress their own people even as they indeed pose a threat to the world. You may be aware that four Americans have been in Iran's prisons for years. Pastor Saeed Abedini, has been imprisoned for his faith for over three years. His wife has done all she could to persuade Congress and the American government to release her husband. She has traveled overseas to the United Kingdom to advocate for her husband. I'm sure the families of the other three Americans have put forth similar heroic efforts to secure their loved one's releases. Nonprofits have created petitions that millions of Western Christians have signed, demanding that President Obama release Pastor Saeed and the other three Americans. One petition called on the President not make no deal with Iran without securing the releases of the four Americans. President Obama has opposed this measure and, today, it sadly seems like all the families' pleas and our pleases have gone unheard by the American government. Yes, to be fair, Congress has voted to release the four Americans but without Presidential co-operation.

So where do we go from here?

You will never hear about it from the media, but the people of Iran are reportedly incredibly open to God. In fact, the Church in Iran is reportedly the fastest-growing Church in the whole world! The Iranian people are so disenchanted by their oppression that they have become open to the true God and are reported to be responding to Jesus in record numbers! What will a nuclear deal mean to the Iranian people? The media, of course, are not going to ask such a question. What do our brothers and sisters in Christ think of this nuclear deal?

This post is not being written to take a position on the nuclear agreement with Iran. This deal is already dividing people along political lines. I encourage you to respond to this by looking at Iran from Heaven's point of view, and to maybe join God in what He is doing in Iran by praying, giving, and advocacy.

Blessings in Christ,

Lisa DeSherlia

Visit This Website and Consider Joining God in His Activity in Iran