So, I met Ted Cruz. #Cruz2016

#Cruz2016

This came as an early Christmas present.  I was elated!

In case you were wondering, his favorite Bible verse is Isaiah 40:31.

"Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength.

They will mount up with wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not faint."

I am not usually one to endorse a candidate this early in the game, but Cruz is the best and fantastic choice.

Vote well, friends!

My interview on Cradle My Heart radio

As many of you know God took me to the heights of healing and redemption after a devastating abortion when I was 19.  

A week or so ago, I had the privilege of recording an interview with the sweet Kim Ketola and Cradle My Heart Radio.  The interview will air this Sunday evening at 9pm Eastern.

Please pray that it will draw post-abortive women (and men) to seek hope, healing, and forgiveness.  And please share if you think it might help someone.

• Here is the link to the announcement.
• You can also listen to an archive of it after it broadcasts by clicking on "Latest Podcasts" (scroll down to "Cradle My Heart") or on iTunes, or here.

Bless you!

Don't waste your time on fools.

And as you go, preach, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand. "
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 

Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. And when you go into a household, greet it.
If the household is worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. 

Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
~Jesus. Matthew 10:7-16

Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample you underfoot, and turn and teat you in pieces.
~Jesus. Matthew 7:6

Choose your battles wisely, friends. 

"Apply energy only to those things we can change. [Don't] beat [your] head against an unbreakable wall. " (John Maxwell)

it unfolded its vivid bars

The boys and I have been working on three different curricula for California history this year.  My favorite, by far, is Beautiful Feet which is literature-based.  Loved these stories!  You must check out Jessie Benton Fremont: California Pioneer.  Fantastically inspiring!

The final book we read was Blue Willow by Doris Gates.  Such a precious and sweet story.  But this I read in the last chapter and had to note it so I can read it over and over again.

"After the parade, they all sang 'The Star Spangled Banner.' Janey was proud to see that Dad took off his hat.  She lifted her eyes to the flag.  Over and above them all, with languid grace, it unfolded its vivid bars.  There wasn't much wind and sometimes it drooped almost against he pole.  But just when Janey had decided it might become entirely limp, a fresh gust would seize it and lift it out over the crowd again.  It didn't matter in that least, she thought as with eyes glued to it she reached for the high notes in the national anthem; it didn't matter in the least whether it floated from the unpainted pole at Camp Miller or here above the tall gables of Western Union High School. It was simply the flag; nothing could add to its splendor or dim its glory.  She could feel that it stood for something important and big.  But what that something was, she couldn't have said if anyone had asked her.  It would take a grown-up to do that.  For to Janey and the other boys and girls standing there, the flag stood for their trust in the present and their hope in the future."

Oh, I remember that feeling, that truth.  But, I don't know that the flag still gives me "trust in the present" and "hope in the future."  Things in this country just aren't the same as they once were.  My children are growing up in a different America than I did.  Heartbreaking.  Still, we can return to this reality if only we assert ourselves and demand competent leadership and pray.

"If my people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." ~2 Chronicles 7:14

Remember this?  Almost 2 years ago.  It seems longer.

I am blessed to have met so many incredible women when I participated in this.

My story is "Beauty from Ashes"...about 30 thumbnails down the page.  I am amazed at the bravery of these women and was so surprised at how the overwhelming majority of these stories were regretful.  Still, abortionists do not tell their clients of the Post Traumatic Stress that so often occurs after an abortion.

If you have had an abortion, God wants healing for you.  He wants to give you life ABUNDANT!  He wants to give you His peace that surpasses all understanding.  He wants you to know that you can walk with Him and no longer be under condemnation.  Be free!

One spark causes a firestorm.

Darling Michelle Smith, daughter to my CWA Area Director predecessor, Ruth Smith, wanted to write a little thing about me for The Desert Review online news.

Since I have been so committed to this fight for life and against the baby-killing Planned Parenthood scheduled to open in El Centro, CA, I have become a regular to the Imperial Valley.  The opportunity to work with Concerned Women for America has raised the volume of my personal voice on this issue.  I am very thankful that God chooses to send me.  It is not a place of comfort or familiarity to me, but I prefer to be obedient to Him who redeemed and saved me than comfortable in my own skin.

This article, "Making An Impact One Life At A Time", blessed me so much and I hope it will encourage you.  So many don't love what I do, so it's nice when someone does and goes out of their way to make mention of it.  I don't deserve this.  I am, in fact, selfish and a failure in so many ways.  But, I do love Jesus and try to do my best...much of the time.  ;)

I've been reading (ever-so-slowly) the amazingly brave and good William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation.

Read this yesterday:

Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and, as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shown unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise.

Shine.  Kindle your flame.  Light another.  Be brave!  You can make a difference!

Liberal Compassion?

One of my very favorite publications is Imprimis which is published and distributed by Hillsdale College.  It's a brilliant write every time.

Some nuggets from the October 2014 issue, "The Case Against Liberal Compassion" by William Voegeli which can be read in its entirety here.

In 2013 the federal government spent $2.279 trillion --- $7200 per American, two-thirds of all federal outlays, and 14 percent of Gross Domestic Product --- on the five big program areas that make up our welfare state: 1. Social Security; 2. All other income support programs, such as disability insurance or unemployment compensation; 3. Medicare;, 4. All other health programs, such as Medicaid; and 5. All programs for education, job training, and social services.

All along, while the welfare state was growing constantly, liberals were insisting constantly it wasn't big enough or growing fast enough.  So I wondered, five years ago, whether there is a Platonic ideal when it comes to the size of the welfare state -- whether there is a point at which the welfare state has all the money, programs, personnel, and political support it needs, thereby rendering any further additions pointless.  The answer I concluded, is that there is no answer -- the welfare state is a permanent work-in-progress, and its liberal advocates believe that however many resources it has, it always needs a great deal more.

Why do liberals feel that no matter how much we're doing through government programs to alleviate prevent poverty, whatever we are doing is shamefully inadequate?

...each new iteration of the liberal project is one more paving stone on the road to serfdom.

Maybe they're too shrewd to admit that ever-bigger government is what they seek above all else.  Or maybe they don't realize that's what they're up to.

Well, if liberalism is the politics of kindness, it follows that its adversary, conservatism, is the politics of cruelty, greed, and callousness.  Liberals have never been reluctant to connect those dots.

Republican Mitch Daniels: "I argue to my most liberal friends: 'You ought to be the most offended of anybody if a dollar that could help a poor person is being squandered in some way.' And," the governor added slyly, "some of them actually agree." --- The clear implication -- that many liberals are not especially troubled if government dollars that could help poor people are squandered -- strikes me as true, interesting and important.  Given that liberals are people who: 1) have built a welfare state that is now the biggest thing government does in America; and 2) want to regard themselves and be regarded by others as compassionate empathizers determined to alleviate suffering, it should follow that nothing would preoccupy them more than making sure the welfare state machine is functioning at maximum efficiency.  When it isn't, after all, the sacred mission of alleviating preventable suffering is inevitably degraded.

For inflation-adjusted, per capita federal welfare state spending to increase by 254 percent from 1977 to 2013, without correspondingly dramatic reduction in poverty, and for liberals to react to this phenomenon by taking the position that our welfare state's only real defect is that it is insufficiently generous, rather than insufficiently effective...

The problem with liberalism may be that no one knows how to get the government to do the benevolent things liberals want it to do.  Or it may be, at least in some cases, that it just isn't possible for the government to bring about what liberals want it to accomplish. 

 Thank you, Hillsdale.

El Centro City Council meeting

Speaking to my El Centro pro-life peeps!

They are an amazing community!

Bravery

Tonight , I did the scariest thing ever.  Like Esther, we must say "And if I perish, I perish."

I spoke to a group of Board members for a hospital, urging them to not accept a transfer agreement with Planned Parenthood which will allow them to perform abortions.  I shared my personal Planned Parenthood abortion experience.  

It wasn't beautiful or eloquent. But it was obedience and truth. I am content. If you prayed for me, thank you so much. I was such a foggy, fumbling mess. 

Here's what I journaled tonight to give you an idea of my state. I'm still crying...probably just build up from my last few days of fearfulness. Glad it's over...for now. 

_____________________

Bravery is like love.

You do not have to feel love or affection toward someone to be able to display love to them, or to love them. So it is with bravery. A person doesn't have to feel brave to be brave. You just do bravery. Like you do love.

Tonight, I was brave. I didn't look brave. I didn't sound brave. I was afraid, and I was brave. Bravery is doing what is right when it is hard and when you don't want to. Bravery is fighting for virtue and nobility and truth when the world is upside down and is standing against you. Bravery is saving life when no one else will. Bravery is doing what you fear the most because you know you must. It doesn't always look beautiful. It doesn't always sound eloquent. Sometimes it looks really messy and sort of disastrous, but in your heart you know you did the bravest thing you could do in that moment. You know that no matter what the end result is, you stood, you spoke, you may have cried, but you did it anyway. Bravery is showing that no matter who you are, you can be brave. Anybody can be brave. Bravery is being brave so that someone else may be inspired to be brave, too.

What may be no big deal to one person is a monumental obstacle to another. I spoke for a whopping four minutes to a bunch of people I do not know with a shaky voice and foggy mind and teary eyes and trembling hands and fidgety feet and overwhelming fear. But I did it! And we never are alone. And this is not a scary thing to other people. But it is to me.

When you can see the disaster you are and still know that you obeyed the Creator of the universe; and be ok with how good or not-so-good it went... And settle in your heart and mind, “God, you asked. I said yes even though I am afraid. You knew how I would be. And You are pleased with me anyway. Because You love obedience more than sacrifice. And so I will rest in You. Make me brave over and over again...no matter how hard it is. I will walk through this valley if You want me to. I will walk through this fire if You want me to.”

That is everything. God's will is everything. Peace and fullness, and life abundant.

If nothing else, let me be genuine. Let me be real. Let me be true. More of Him. Less of me.

The pathway is broken and the signs are unclear

And I don't know the reasons why You brought me here

But just because You love me the way that You do

I'm gonna walk through this valley if You want me to

'Cause I'm not who I was when I took my first step

And I'm clinging to the promise You're not finished with me yet

So if all these trials that bring me closer to You

Then I will go through the fire if You want me to

And it may not be the way I would've chosen

When You lead me through a world that's not my home

But you never said it would be easy

You only said I'd never go alone

So when the whole world turns against me

And I'm all by myself

And I can't hear You answer my cries for help

I'll remember the suffering that Your love put You through

And I will go through this valley if You want me to.

  

~from "If You Want Me To" by Ginny Owens

Be brave, my precious brothers and sisters. Keep eternity in your sights.

_____________________

So, what happened at this meeting?

The Board decided to grant the transfer agreement even though the vote was not on the agenda.  They cowardly took it during closed session after the crowd upwards of 1500 people dispersed.   Attorney David Gibbs (from the 2005 Terry Schiavo case), myself, and a pastor spoke on behalf of the Imperial Valley pro-lifers. David Gibbs was on fire. It was a blessing to be there beside him. Pastor Chris Nunn is an inspiration to be sure.  Attorney Gibbs offered his supreme court level legal representation pro-bono, but the Board hastily took the vote.  For more information, go here.

Please Protect Life because...

Californians For Life is promoting a campaign called

"Please Protect Life because..."

Click here for more information, 

and take a peek at the promo vid I got to do:

 Here are the boys' entries: