November 2008 Newsletter
Posted By cmbuuck on November 6, 2008
“IN THE NAME OF CHRIST, STOP“
A fourth century monk named Telemachus spoke out these words “In the Name of Christ, STOP,” as he was dying after a gladiator had speared him. He could not understand that four centuries after Christ, in a civilized nation, people were killing each other for the entertainment of the crowd.
Allen County Right to Life gives out yearly a Telemachus Award to an individual who defends innocent human life. The recipient this year was the Rev. Dr. Kurt E. Marquart, who boldly displayed an unassailable defense of the value of each human life. He recognized that peoples of all faiths have a responsibility before God to speak for human beings created in God’s image. Dr. Marquart was deeply convinced that taking a God-given life from anyone was an immoral act, thus making abortion a religious issue. However, he also argued that the objection to abortion was a civil rights issue as well. He contended that the battle for the preservation of life can and must be fought on every front, and limiting it to a religious issue leaves out many who would oppose it as an affront to civil rights.
This award was presented to his family since Dr. Marquart was called home by the Lord on September 19, 2006. It is fitting that the man who tirelessly defended the lives of so many little ones during his life baptized his great-grandson the night before his death. We praise God for the pastors who are willing to speak out in the defense of life issues.
Cathie Humbarger, executive director of Allen County Right to Life, received the Sagamore of the Wabash award from Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman. Humbarger received the highest honor the state can bestow on a citizen because of her “tireless efforts to champion life in Indiana.”
HANNAH ‘THE PIONEER‘
In 1997, after undergoing costly but unsuccessful treatment, Marlene Strege was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure. She and her husband, John, began to explore the option of embryo adoption. After prayer and research, the Streges adopted a frozen embryo, and on December 31, 1998, they became the proud parents of the world’s first snowflake baby, Hannah. “God’s plan was well in place for these embryos, and that was a plan of adoption instead of destruction,” Marlene said.
Today, Hannah’s a lively 9-year-old who lives in California and for whom the movie, “Horton Hears a Who,” has special meaning. Dressed in her Horton T-shirt, she quoted her favorite line from the movie: “‘A person’s a person no matter how small,’–just like snowflakes.”
On May 24, 2005, President Bush invited 21 families, including Hannah and her parents, to a White House ceremony in honor of adopted embryos. Hannah met President Bush twice before she was 7. He nicknamed her “the pioneer” because she was the first snowflake to be born. “I stood behind the president, and I got to be on TV when he made his first veto to protect the snowflakes,” Hannah said proudly.
What’s Hanna’s advice to the next president of the United States? “I would tell him to be nice to snowflakes,” she said, “and stand by them.” – Devon Williams, Citizen 11/08
“ABORTION HEALING“-“Months after my abortion, as I was washing dishes or doing household chores, a nameless anxiety would flood over me. I didn’t know what it was. I couldn’t understand what was making me feel so sad, so empty, and so guilty. Then I gave birth to a beautiful daughter, and when I became a Christian, I recognized my sin for what it was. I had taken the life of my first child and I was wrong. I praise God for the way He has worked in my life to show me He has forgiven me and still loves me as His child.”
God uses us to make a difference in the lives of hurting mothers and their families. God picks up the pieces and builds for a brighter tomorrow. A compassionate person will speak clearly and without compromise against the sin of abortion, cutting through the rationalizations that people use to convince themselves it was the right – and only – thing to do, considering the circumstances.
For the love of souls, we must also say that beyond the emotional and physical damage, abortion, like any sin, causes grievous spiritual harm. Unrepentant sin places us in danger of losing our salvation – the greatest tragedy of all.
For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. (1 John 3:20 NKJ)
WE PRAY: O Lord, make us willing to share Your promise so that healing can begin for those who have experienced abortion. Amen. E. Fehskens/L. Bartlett