For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 1 Peter 1:18-19

Our Culture of Death PEGGY NOONAN In Love With Death The bizarre passion of the pull-the-tube people. Thursday, March 24, 2005 12:01 a.m. EST God made the world or he didn't. God made you or he didn't. If he did, your little human life is, and has been, touched by the divine. If this is true, it would be true of all humans, not only some. And so--again, if it is true--each human life is precious, of infinite value, worthy of great respect. Most--not all, but probably most--of those who support Terri Schiavo's right to live believe the above. This explains their passion and emotionalism. They believe they are fighting for an invaluable and irreplaceable human life. They are like the mother who is famously said to have lifted the back of a small car off the ground to save a child caught under a tire. You're desperate to save a life, you're shot through with adrenaline, your strength is for half a second superhuman, you do the impossible. That is what they are trying to do. They do not want an innocent human life ended for what appear to be primarily practical and worldly reasons--e.g., Mrs. Schiavo's quality of life is low, her life is pointless. They say: Who is to say it is pointless? And what does pointless even mean? Maybe life itself is the point. I do not understand the emotionalism of the pull-the-tube people. What is driving their engagement? Is it because they are compassionate, and their hearts bleed at the thought that Mrs. Schiavo suffers? But throughout this case no one has testified that she is in persistent pain, as those with terminal cancer are. If they care so much about her pain, why are they unconcerned at the suffering caused her by the denial of food and water? And why do those who argue for Mrs. Schiavo's death employ language and imagery that is so violent and aggressive? The chairman of the Democratic National Committee calls Republicans "brain dead." Michael Schiavo, the husband, calls House Majority Leader Tom DeLay "a slithering snake." Everyone who has written in defense of Mrs. Schiavo's right to live has received e-mail blasts full of attacks that appear to have been dictated by the unstable and typed by the unhinged. On Democratic Underground they crowed about having "kicked the sh-- out of the fascists." On Tuesday James Carville's face was swept with a sneer so convulsive you could see his gums as he damned the Republicans trying to help Mrs. Schiavo. It would have seemed demonic if he weren't a buffoon. Why are they so committed to this woman's death? read the article...

Artist Humor: An artist asked the gallery owner if there had been any interest in his paintings on display at that time."I have good news and bad news,!" the owner replied. "The good news is that a gentleman inquired about your work and wondered if it would appreciate in value after your death. When I told him it would, he bought all 15 of your paintings." "That's wonderful" the artist exclaimed!"What's the bad news?" !"The guy was your doctor.!"

Prayer Request: For our Kenya team as we prepares for our short-term missionary trip in June. For health, financial, spiritual issues as well as team building. Margi and Larry, who have significant issues of health, and for their family during this trial. (long term) Tim and Debby, as Tim continues to struggle with his recovery, and for their family during this time of crisis. Tim was operated on the 18th of March to remove cancerous tissues including one of his kidneys. Please pray for his timely and complete recovery.(long term) Danny, a young man who recently made Eagle scout has stage one melanoma. Please keep him in prayer while he undergoes medical treatment (chemo/radiation). Also, please keep his family in prayer! (long term)

BreakPoint Commentary on Abortion Compromise

BreakPoint with Charles Colson
Commentary #050317 - 03/17/2005

Memo to Abortion Advocates
Let's Get Along


Note: This commentary was delivered by Prison Fellowship President Mark Earley. The following also contains a graphic description of abortion.


In the aftermath of the November election, at least some pro-abortion crusaders are beginning to toy with the idea of softening their abortion-on-demand policies. Even Hillary Clinton has suggested as much.


In a recent article, syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman concedes that abortions should be "rare." That concession tacitly admits that abortion is not a good to be celebrated but, at best, a regrettable option. She calls on pro-life citizens to meet pro-abortion proponents on "common ground."


I welcome that overture and the opportunity. Here are some proposals for meeting on common ground.


1) Let's agree on the separation of abortion and state. Our taxes should not fund any abortions-period. Eliminate all government funding for Planned Parenthood, which performs a third of all U.S. abortions.


2) Support parental notification and consent requirements for minors. A minor can't get an aspirin without parental approval. It's abominable that teens can be spirited away by strangers and subjected to major invasive surgery.


3) End the savage practice of partial-birth abortion-pulling a child from the womb, stabbing its skull, and sucking out its brains to collapse the skull. I recognize this is nauseating language, but it accurately describes this barbaric procedure. By evasive and euphemistic deception, the media have tried to withhold the raw truth from the public. Let's tell the unpalatable truth in plain words so that the actual horror of the practice will forever be banned without court challenge.


4) Equip women and men to be sexually responsible. Every pregnancy is "chosen" if a couple has chosen to have sex. And that decision entails responsibility. Having chosen sex, adults have a moral duty to protect and nurture those they conceive.


5) Cherish children in the womb. Many of us started life as "unintended." Yet we always had value and the right to life. Let's guard each unborn child as if it were our own life.


6) Communicate honestly about abortion. For too long, pro-abortion warriors have misrepresented and distorted the issue. For example, many of them liken an unborn child to a parasite, a tick or a worm infestation. Such images picture the unborn child as a predator, attacking one's body.


No responsible communications medium should abet and enable that kind of debased rhetoric. A newly conceived child belongs in the womb and nowhere else. Pregnancy by rape or incest is thankfully very rare. The vast majority of children come into being as a result of the union of two consenting partners. Their willing act causes a child to spring to life and take up residence in a natural organic home. The attempt to project blame on the innocent child as some sort of predator deserves the editorial delete key-and contempt by all civilized persons.


By promptly adopting these policies, pro-abortion forces will begin to journey back toward some moral sanity and decency. And as Supreme Court vacancies loom, pro-abortion senators and groups can demonstrate their good faith by stopping the savaging of judicial appointments.


Sounds good, doesn't it? But, of course, it assumes the pro-abortion politicians mean what they say. I'm not holding my breath, but I am praying.


Copyright (c) 2005 Prison Fellowship

• Today's BreakPoint offer: Pro-Life 101 by Scott Klusendorf gives you a complete presentation you can use to reach family and friends.
• Ellen Goodman, "The Politics of Abortion," Washington Post writers group.
• David Rogers, "Goodman still fuels debate," Palm Beach Daily News, 9 March 2005.
• "How Serious Are Democrats?: Making abortion rare will take more than words," Christianity Today, 16 March 2005.
• William Saletan, "Safe, Legal, and Never: Hillary Clinton's anti-abortion strategy," Slate, 26 January 2005.

"This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I have hope in Him.'" Lamentations 3:21-24

Articles worth noting: -- An outbreak of a contagious disease? The Epidemic of Busyness Among Christian Leaders -- How to appreciate our differences. 10 Things I use to hate about you. -- Random facts of interest. The truth will set you free. -- There was a time when "fear of G-d" meant piety, or at least conscience. Today, it more accurately describes the worldview of secular liberals who get itchy and twitchy at any reminder of our religious roots as a nation. Thou shalt have no other gods before the ACLU -- Courage and the Sanctity of Life The Real Million Dollar Baby -- Already it is becoming hazardous to speak of marriage as an opposite-sex institution or to suggest that one of its core functions is to provide children with fathers and mothers. Marriage Newspeak

Prayer Request: For our Kenya team as we prepares for our short-term missionary trip in June. For health, financial, spiritual issues as well as team building. Margi and Larry, who have significant issues of health, and for their family during this trial. (long term) Tim and Debby, as Tim continues to struggle with his recovery, and for their family during this time of crisis. Tim will be operated on the 18th of March for removal of a kidney and cleanup of cancerous tissue(long term) Danny, a young man who recently made Eagle scout has stage one melanoma. Please keep him in prayer while he undergoes medical treatment (chemo/radiation). Also, please keep his family in prayer! (long term)

The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Comment: Sorry I had been away. I had a (once) close friend pass away last week at the age of 43. His nephew reminisced at the funeral that on the night before he had passed away, he warned him (the nephew) how short life was... We always think that we have time to re-establish friendships, say we are sorry, right the wrong. Truth is, we do not know how long we have.

Bias Won Out by Gary Schneeberger, CitizenLink editor Looking for some textbook examples of the media's hostility toward the biblical view of homosexuality? Look no further than the coverage of last weekend's Love Won Out conference. It's hard to imagine a better case study in the varied forms media bias can take than what Houston-area newspapers and TV stations provided in their coverage of Focus on the Family's Love Won Out conference last Saturday. Just about every way journalists can declare their opposition to Christian worldview was on display - and studying the subtle and not-so-subtle examples of this leftward tilt may give you the ammunition you need to fight it in your own back yard. read article...

Site Seeing: + Word Tips + Excel Tips + Probe Ministries + Cult News Network + Wavy News Art of the Month + Quotation Page + AnySoldier.Com No Longer Just A Kiss BreakPoint with Charles Colson March 4, 2005 In his book Ask Me Anything, Dr. J. Budziszewski provides a rejoinder. While gays equate "love" with "acceptance," Budziszewski offers another view: "Love is a commitment of the will to the true good of the other person. . . . [A] perfect Lover [that is, God] would want the perfect good of the beloved. . . . He would loathe and detest whatever destroyed the beloved’s good-no matter how much the beloved desired it." And what destroys us-all of us-is sin. If we refuse to let go of it, writes Budziszewski, we say to the perfect Lover, "I bind myself to my destruction! Accept me-and my destruction with me!" There is nothing "loving" in condoning or promoting homosexual acts. As Virginia Delegate Richard Black said in response to the play, "This is a considerable health hazard right now. If we encourage just one child to experiment and contract the HIV virus, then we have done an enormous disservice to our children." Indeed, not only do we put them at physical risk, but at spiritual risk by turning them against who they are as God created them. read article Reading List: -- Muslims are troubled by our morals more than our politics. Islam's Culture War -- There are only four subjects in the universe about which we need to know. God, Life, Choice and Sex -- Italy supports Terrorism? Ransom of the Red Reporter

Prayer Request: Pray for Chip's family as they mourn his loss and celebrate his life. For our Kenya team as we prepares for our short-term missionary trip in June. For health, financial, spiritual issues as well as team building. Margi and Larry, who have significant issues of health, and for their family during this trial. (long term) Tim and Debby, as Tim continues to struggle with his recovery, and for their family during this time of crisis. (long term) Danny, a young man who recently made Eagle scout has stage one melanoma. Please keep him in prayer while he undergoes medical treatment (chemo/radiation). Also, please keep his family in prayer! (long term)