December 2015 Newsletter

Posted By on December 8, 2015

 

Life Affirming News

 

 

40 Days for Life, December 1, 2015

Like you, I was heartbroken at the news of shootings at the Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs on Friday, November 27th. I’ve prayed with the local 40 Days for Life team outside that facility on several occasions, making it very vivid and personal for me.

While there is still much ambiguity regarding the shooter’s motivations and intended targets, three people are dead and nine others wounded following his violent actions at that Planned Parenthood abortion center.

Here are a few thoughts following this tragedy:

FIRST, we must pray for everyone affected by this senseless act of violence.

SECOND, we must continue to oppose all violence and attacks against human life, including the actions of the gunman in Colorado.

And THIRD, we must increase our resolve and dedication to using only peaceful and prayerful efforts as the antidote to abortion.

During the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. always stressed that, when identifying an injustice to the world, one must also point people to the non-violent solution to that injustice.

Dr. King emphasized that nonviolence is the courageous path — it seeks to defeat injustice and not people … by winning friendship and understanding … by choosing love, and not hate.

Before a person participates in 40 Days for Life, they must sign a Statement of Peace, resolving to only engage in peaceful, legal, and Christlike activities in response to abortion.

That 100% non-violent commitment is why, through your courageous participation in peaceful, law-abiding 40 Days for Life campaigns, God has saved 11,165 babies and changed the hearts of 127 abortion workers.

In the wake of this violence, let’s remember that Jesus told us, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” He has indeed blessed our peaceful and prayerful efforts … and we’re confident that He will continue to do so when this work is done for His greater glory.

 

10 Percent of Elderly Americans Abused

Medical Journal Reports / November 2015

According to a review in the New England Journal of Medicine, about 10 percent of older Americans may face some form of abuse, and primary care physicians are often positioned as the first line of defense.

Doctors need to be able to recognize the tell-tale signs of elder abuse, according to the New England Journal of Medicine, because about 10% of the elderly experience some form of abuse. “Thus, a busy physician caring for older adults will encounter a victim of such abuse on a frequent basis, regardless of whether the physician recognizes the abuse,” write Mark S. Lachs and Karl A. Pillemer.

Those most at risk are women, people living in a “shared living environment”, those who relatively young, the poor, and people who are social isolated. Most abuse in nursing homes comes from fellow residents. However, just living with other people, even family members, is also a risk factor, as there will be more opportunities for conflict.

The authors categorize abuse in five ways: physical abuse, or acts carried out with the intention to cause physical pain or injury; psychological or verbal abuse, defined as acts carried out with the aim of causing emotional pain or injury; sexual abuse, defined as nonconsensual sexual contact of any kind; financial exploitation, involving the misappropriation of an older person’s money or property; and neglect, or the failure of a designated caregiver to meet the needs of a dependent older person.

 

Senate Votes to De-Fund Planned Parenthood After It Sells Body Parts From Aborted Babies

Steven Ertelt /  Dec 3, 2015  /  Washington, DC

The Senate voted today for a bill that would de-fund Planned Parenthood after it was caught selling the body parts of aborted babies. Hearings have exposed how the abortion company likely violated federal laws to sell the body parts.

The bill would block, for one year, most federal payments to Planned Parenthood. At least 89% of federal funding of Planned Parenthood would be blocked by this bill. The bill would repeal a number of major components of the Obamacare health law, including two of the major provisions that will lead to rationing of lifesaving care — the “Independent Payment Advisory Board” and the “excess benefits tax.”

The bill now goes back to the House and will head to President Barack Obama once the House approves the measure. Though Obama will veto the bill, the vote makes it clear that, under a pro-life president, Congress can get a de-funding bill approved with a majority vote that the president would sign into law.

 

Christian Life Resources

Doug Merkey /Nov. 17, 2015

…My plea to the American people is simply this: let’s stop “perverting justice.” Instead, let’s practice what we preach (and etch into our porticos). Let’s actually practice “equal justice under law.” Let’s apply justice equally to all people no matter where they live (petri dish, womb, nursing home, apartment), no matter how old they are (12 weeks in utero, 12 years, 112 years), no matter how developed their capacities (severely disabled, college freshman, PhD), no matter their income (poor, middle class, rich), and no matter their color (black, white, yellow, red, etc.).

 

Some Thoughts

Life Is a Cool Thing because Of God

Created-Redeemed-Called

Created: Life is a cool thing because God creates every life as His handmade masterpiece.

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works, my soul knows it very well’ (Psalm 139;13-14)

Redeemed: Life is a cool thing because God has redeemed every life from sin.

“He is the payment for our sins, and not only for our sins, but also for the sins of the whole world” (I John 2:2)

Called: Life is a cool thing because God wants every life to have an eternal relationship with Him.

“This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth” (1Timothy 2:3-4)

 

 

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