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Persevere to Victory

Posted in Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Identity, Vocation, tagged armor of battle, deception, doubt, Jesus Christ, satan, spiritual warfare, worldviews, worship on January 28, 2011| Leave a Comment »

The Christian proclaims that Jesus Christ has won the victory.

Victory? Doesn’t that imply involvement in some sort of competition, skirmish, or battle?

The Christian proclaims that Jesus Christ won the victory over sin, death, and the grip of satan. Yet, because I am still earthbound, I struggle against the enemy of my life who prowls about seeking to deceive and devour me.

Both God and satan want me, but what they will do after they have me is as different as heaven and hell.

So here I am, in the midst of battle. Daily warfare. Satan, the world and my own flesh are fighting against me. There is no truce, no compromise. Some attacks are bold, others sly and subtle. The goal for my enemy remains the same: stir up doubt. Then remove all hope.

The tempter of my soul has but one question: “Did God really say . . . ?” And, in my moment of doubt, my own feelings betray me. My focus is distracted from God’s Word and Promise. I detour into dangerous territory: the land of Me. Attitude, choices, and behavior are affected. So are the people in relationship with me.

In the battle, I need all the help I can get. I need Sunday mornings where God divinely serves me. Where I’m reminded of what He’s done and is doing for me more than what I can do for Him. Admittedly, I’m not fond of old German tunes. “Did God really say . . . you must sing such awkward melodies with notes too high?” But, I must confess. Once the Spirit adjusts my attitude, I am emptied out to be filled with the power of God’s Word captured in the lyrics. Once my attitude is adjusted, I can better visualize soldiers all around me. The company of saints. Warriors victorious before me. Now in glory.

If I knew that tomorrow the men of my family were going to war, I would be left weepy, weak and vulnerable singing a contemporary praise song led by an entertaining band. I need holiness — whether my men are going to war against an enemy we can see or I am engaged in battle against an enemy I can’t see. I don’t need a flurry of sight and sound that will momentarily lift my mood. I need Christ the Cornerstone. I don’t need distractions of stage and screen. I need Divine Order. Divine Holiness. Divine Service. I need to get out of myself and be unstrapped from my feelings to trust the Commander-in-Chief.

Victory? Jesus won the victory that gives me eternal life. But, while I’m earthbound, I’m engaged in a war between ideas. Between good and evil. Between Truth and deception. Between God and self. In this present darkness, my enemy schemes against me.

So, God help me stand firm. Do not let me slip into the attire of frivolity but strap on the armor of battle. Whether I am at home, in the community, or in worship, bind me with the belt of truth. Cover me with the breastplate of righteousness and shield of faith so no flaming darts will pierce my soul. In my hand, secure the Sword of the Spirit.

Keep me alert. Help me persevere — to victory.

(Ephesians 6:10-18)

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Damage Control

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Life issues, Relationships, tagged campus life, health risks, HPV, parenting teens, STDs, women's health on January 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Was Dr. Mary Wood-Allen, the author of my grandmother’s book, able to see into the future? No, but when she wrote about taking care of the body, I believe she was thinking generationally. Let’s fast forward to the words of another woman physician.

Miriam Grossman, M.D., also believes that the body deserves respect and care. That’s because she sees — up close and personally — how complex the human body really is.

Dr. Grossman is a campus psychiatrist who meets with countless young women. It is the fear, anger, and depression of these young women that motivated her to write the book Unprotected. This short and politically-incorrect book is a must-read for young women in high school and college. It is a must-read for young men who hope to someday marry a woman. It is a must read for parents.

Consider the topic of sexually transmitted diseases, HPV in particular. HPV (human papilloma virus) often catches young women by surprise. There is emotional fallout. Trauma. What is a girl to do? Damage control kicks in at student health centers. Pamphlets explain that “HPV infection is very common . . . almost everyone gets HPV at some time . . . having only a single lifetime partner does not assure protection . . . anyone who has ever had sexual relations has a high chance of being exposed to this virus . . . most men and women are infected with HPV at some time in their lives.”

With these “calming” words, observes Dr. Grossman, young women with a serious and possibly life-threatening disease are led to believe that “everyone’s in the same boat,” so “chill out, and welcome to the club.”

But, writes Dr. Grossman, “these reassurances are inaccurate, and do no favor to women: in fact, infection with HPV is completely preventable. It is not an inevitable consequence of becoming sexually active. It is not something that will happen sooner or later. Even if well-intentioned, to imply otherwise is misleading.

“This may not be popular to talk about, but there exists a population of young women and men who do not have to worry about HPV. Or, for that matter, about herpes, chlamydia, or HIV. They are safe because they wait, and marry someone else who waited. Yes, it can be done; people have been known to survive and tell others about it. Medicine should be studying them, and how they avoid risky behaviors, then applying that knowledge to our reproductive health education campaigns. Instead, there is an odd approach in sexual health: instead of asking our youth to strive for self-control and smart choices, we assume they’ll make poor choices and have multiple partners including some they hardly know. Why else would every pamphlet and Web site advise them, ‘First, talk with your partner.’ It’s as if whoever’s composing this material has given up on standards, and expects the behavior of the lowest common denominator.”

Dr. Grossman quotes a doctor who, on an HPV support site, is trying to provide words of comfort. He put it this way: “. . . Sex is simply one of the many ways in which humans interact with one another. All those interactions involve sharing bacteria, viruses, etc.”

“What?” asks Dr. Grossman. “One of the many ways in which humans interact with one another? Is that the message we want to give to young people?”

Dr. Miriam Grossman, like Dr. Mary Wood-Allen before her, doesn’t want young women (or men) to be at risk. She doesn’t settle for risk reduction but presses for risk elimination. And, lest you missed it, neither of these women physicians of 1898 or 2011 seems to find benefit in tiptoeing around or worrying about “judging.” If we talk to young people about healthier eating and not smoking, using drugs, or drinking and driving, then shouldn’t we also talk to them honestly about the consequences of sexual bonding outside of faithful and Biblical marriage?

Unprotected is a quick read. Please toss political correctness to the wind and purchase a copy.

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The Body is Our House

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Identity, Life issues, Parenting & Education, tagged body, health care, lifestyle, mind, pro-life, respect, value on January 24, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Your body, wrote Mary Wood-Allen, M.D., is not you. It is your dwelling, but not you. It does, however, express you.

She explains: A man builds a house and, through it, expresses himself. As someone else looks at the house and then walks through it, they will learn a great deal about the man. The outside will give evidence of neatness, orderliness, and artistry or it may show that he cares nothing for elements of beauty and neatness. His library will reveal the character of his mind. Care of his house — preservation of its health — speaks of respect and value.

The author of the book found among my grandmother’s treasures notes that many young people just want to have a “good time.” Dr. Allen wrote that she heard many young people remark that it’s o.k. for the “old folks” to take care of their bodies and health, but “I don’t want to be so fussy . . . I’d rather die ten years sooner and have some fun while I do live.”

But, what serious pianist would neglect the care of his piano because it’s too “fussy” and then add, “I’ll treat it more kindly when it’s old”? Dr. Allen observed that, too often, we prize the body far more after its use for us is at an end than while it is ours to use. We don’t neglect the dead; we dress them in beautiful garments, we adorn them with flowers, we follow them to the grave with religious ceremonies, we build costly monuments to place over their graves, and then we go to weep over their last resting-place.” I wonder: Do we treat our living, breathing bodies with such respect? Do we treat the living, breathing bodies of others with such care?

There are those among us who consider themselves “progressive.” A “progressive” would find no value in “going back” to a book from their grandmother’s collection. But, in reading What A Young Woman Ought to Know by a woman physician published in 1898, I am more deeply committed to the Titus 2 style of mentoring. Yes, there are trends. There are new styles. Technology changes, even improves. But, care of our bodies is a truth that does not change with time. What we do to and with our bodies, what we put in them, how we dress them, what environment we allow them to be in, and how we expect others to treat them matters today as much as it did yesterday.

Does it matter how we treat our bodies? The answer to that question depends on what we believe about our origin. Are we here by chance, just accidents of nature? Or, are we “knit together in our mother’s wombs” by God Himself (Psalm 139)? Is the value of our bodies determined by how we or others see them, or by the price that Jesus Christ paid for them?

Dr. Allen asks:

Is it not life that we should value? Life here and hereafter, not death, is the real thing for which we should prepare . . . Life should increase in beauty and usefulness, in ability and joyousness, as the years bring us a wider experience, and this will be the case if we in youth have been wise enough to lay the foundation of health by a wise, thoughtful, prudent care of our bodies and our minds.

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1898

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Identity, Life issues, Relationships, Vocation, tagged cultural influence, mentoring, teen girls, truth, womanhood on January 22, 2011| 1 Comment »

My Grandmother Barhite died when I was 13. I spent a lot of time with her. She was a teacher, listener, encourager, friend, and faithful helper. I learned about the gift of hospitality and service from both my mom and my dad’s mom. Both taught me to serve others rather than self. Sleep-overs with Grandma were more than fun, they were lessons in womanhood, family life and growing in faith. When Grandma died, I lost a mentor.

Or did I? In a box of Grandma’s photos, I discovered one of her girlhood books. It is a keepsake. Often, I quote from it during Titus 2 Retreats. The book was published in 1898 by author Mary Wood-Allen, M.D. Notable women of Dr. Allen’s day recommend the book. They include Mrs. Lillian M.N. Stevens, President of National Woman’s Christian Temperance Union; Mrs. Helen Campbell, Dean of the Department of Household Economics in the Kansas State Agricultural College, and Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, noted Woman Suffragist, Lecturer, and Author. The book is titled What a Young Woman Ought to Know from the “Purity and Truth: Self and Sex Series.” In reading this book, I realize that Grandma is still mentoring me. I also realize that Biblical womanhood (and manhood) has been foundational for the benefit of society for a long, long time.

From time to time, I hope to share a few quotes from my grandma’s book. Consider the Preface:

During a number of years it has been my privilege to be the confidante and counselor of a large number of young women of various stations in life and in all parts of the United States.

Hmmm. I’m not a physician like Dr. Mary Wood-Allen, but I have been privileged to be taken into the confidence of a number of young women both far away and close to home.

These girls have talked freely with me concerning their plans, aspirations, fears and personal problems. It has been a great revelation to me to note with what unanimity they ask certain questions concerning conduct — queries which perhaps might astonish the mothers of these same girls, as they, doubtless, take it for granted that their daughters intuitively understand these fundamental laws of propriety.

Hmmm. Girls have also shared with me their hopes, dreams, and personal problems. They ask many of the same questions about behavior and choices. They express frustration about their identity, their bodies, and relationships. Fewer mothers and grandmothers have tried to pass on ideas of Biblical womanhood so most of these girls have learned about being a woman from the culture.

The truth is that many girls who have been taught in the olgies of the schools, who have been trained in the conventionalities of society, have been left to pick up as they may their ideas upon personal conduct, and, coming face to face with puzzling problems, are at a loss, and perhaps are led into wrong ways of thinking and questionable ways of doing because no one has foreseen their dilemma and warned them how to meet it.

Hmmmm. Today’s young women have been “oligized.” But, far too many have little or no idea about their origin, purpose, or destination. They have been taught how to “feel” but perhaps not how to think.

Life will be safer for the girl who understands her own nature and reverences her womanhood, who realizes her responsibility towards the human race and conducts herself in accordance with that realization . . . Life will be nobler and purer in its possession and its transmission if, from childhood onward to old age, the thoughts has been held that ‘Life is a gift of God and is divine.’

I am an ezerwoman. A helper woman. This is a vocation through which I can help younger women be safer, realize responsibility, and make choices that lead toward hope. This begins with the confidence of identity: I am a creation of God and treasure of Jesus Christ.

Truth in 1898. Truth in 2011. Timeless. Life-changing. Rich with promise.

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No Words

Posted in Citizenship, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Identity, Life issues, Relationships, Vocation, tagged awesome God, creator, pro-life, value of life on January 15, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Oklahoma City. Columbine. 9/11. Fort Hood. Tucson. Lives ended at the whim of another. Words are used to describe the tragedy. Express sadness. Place blame. Describe loss.

But, there are no adequate words to describe God’s gift of human life or really comprehend its loss.

How do we put into words the thoughts and timing of God? What causes Him to say, “Now. Now I desire to knit this person or that person together in his or her mother’s womb”? How can we imagine the value of such life to the God who numbers each hair upon our head? There are no words.

Be still and know that I am God.”

Before Him, we stand — no, kneel — in awe of his creative power.

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding (God to Job).”

What can we say to the One who “binds the chains of the Pleiades” or loosens “the cords of Orion,” who gives “the horse his might,” who commands the eagle to “mount up and make his nest on high” (Job 38-39)?

If there is a word to be said to the Giver of life, it is “Yes.” “Yes” to each human life knit together by God’s hands. Our “yes” to life is a “no” to death. Death at the whim of another. Death as a response to inconvenience. Death as a form of control. Death by abortion. Death by embryonic stem cell research. Death by assisted suicide.

Our “yes” is a whisper of trust. In humbled reverence we are moved to care. Serve. Love one another… as He first loved us.

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Loss of Respect

Posted in Citizenship, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Life issues, tagged care for others, media, pro-life, Tucson shooting on January 14, 2011| 3 Comments »

What followed the tragedy in Tucson testifies to our nation’s loss of respect for human life.

A young man, for no sane or sensible reason, chose to coldly shoot and kill six people. He wounded thirteen others. The choices and behaviors that followed this tragedy are, perhaps, just as chilling.

A sheriff traditionally called upon to bring order and serve justice chose, instead, to build a platform for his own personal and political opinions. He stepped over the boundary of his role as a servant of the people to take advantage of a tragic event. In so doing, he diverted attention away from the dignity of human life to himself.

A national president traditionally called upon to serve the best interests of his countrymen chose, instead, to allow a memorial service to be transformed into a rally. In so doing, he diverted attention away from the dignity of human life to himself.

A government staff and university administration, captivated perhaps by this national moment, missed the opportunity to call a community and country to reverence and respect for human life. Instead, multiculturalism was showcased. The students in attendance were motivated not to silence and reflection but to “rah rah” and “hoopla.” With the loss of respect for human life comes a loss of common decency and good manners.

I was distracted by sensational yet conflicting messages. Then, I re-focused: What sensitivity was expressed toward the families of the dead and wounded? The judge, shot and killed that morning in front of Safeway, was returning from Mass. Yet, instead of a priest, a Native American professor raised his feather and called upon the “masculine” spirit from above and the “feminine” spirit from the earth. In an odd twist, two presidential staff members read from Isaiah and Corinthians. Jesus’ name was spoken, not by a churchman but by a statesman.

I was confused. Upon whom fell the spotlight? And why? As this week comes to a close, who will be remembered?

The young intern to whom the congresswoman may owe her life spoke with humility. He rejected the title of “hero” to instead point to many others who were willing to lay down their own lives for another. There were several who chose to, intentionally or unintentionally, honor the Creator and Redeemer of life by “loving their neighbor.” Their selflessness is a ray of hope.

Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to Your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness

(Psalm 115:1)

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Why Should We?

Posted in Citizenship, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Life issues, tagged abortion, subsidizing Planned Parenthood, taxpayers on January 10, 2011| 1 Comment »

From 2002 – 2008, Planned Parenthood received $657,100,000 from federal taxpayers alone. But, the nation’s largest provider of abortions never released their 2008-2009 annual report until just before Christmas — months later than usual. Was this to avoid public scruntiny during tough economic times? Or, were they trying to hide something?

The abortion giant received $363,200,000 in government grants and contracts during that time period, a $13,600,000 increase from the previous year. At the same time they were receiving a great deal of money off of taxpayers, they were busy killing future taxpayers by performing an unprecedented 324,800 abortions.

Why should we? Why should Americans — Christians and non-Christians alike who don’t believe in the murder of children in the womb — subsidize a known abortion provider?

Why should American citizens be given no choice but to participate in the murder of future citizens — tomorrow’s scientists, teachers, pastors, doctors, and parents?

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Assisted Suicide

Posted in Citizenship, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Life issues, tagged Christian response, end-of-life issues, health care, pro-life on January 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »

You and I were with family and friends on Christmas Day. We were not reading or listening to the news. But, on December 25, the New York Times reported the following:

OBAMA RETURNS TO END-OF-LIFE PLAN THAT CAUSED STIR

WASHINGTON – When a proposal to encourage end-of-life planning touched off a political storm over “death panels,” Democrats dropped it from legislation to overhaul the health care system. But the Obama administration will achieve the same goal by regulation, starting January 1. (Emphasis mine)

Congress and the American public explicitly rejected government funded consultations regarding end-of-life treatment. But, very quietly on December 3, the Obama Administration issued a new regulation that authorizes Medicare to pay doctors for “end-of-life-care counseling” during patients’ annual check-ups.

Why am I concerned? During my years on the LCMS Sanctity of Life Task Force and as president of National Lutherans For Life (LFL), I often alerted fellow Christians to the slippery slope from legalized abortion to legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide. One of the groups that caught my attention was the Hemlock Society. A name like that sends a chill up my back. It must have affected others in the same way because the Hemlock Society and Compassion in Dying merged to form a new group named Compassion and Choices.

Compassion and Choices successfully lobbied for physician assisted suicide (PAS) laws passed in Oregon and Washington. Montana appears to have followed suit. Montana’s Supreme Court ruled in December 2009 that PAS is not illegal. But the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition says that under Montana law assisted suicide is still homicide.

What does Compassion and Choices have to do with “end-of-life-care counseling”? Compassion and Choices is an aggressive proponent of PAS in the United States even though its pro-suicide agenda meets with resistance. The group’s director of legal affairs pours over state constitutions, looking for those that do not address assisted suicide. When she finds a state that does not appear to specifically bar the act in its statutes, she considers that state as allowing assisted suicide and follows up with aggressive lobbying efforts.

Wesley J. Smith, a Discovery Institute Senior Fellow, respected author in the field of euthanasia and assisted suicide, and a frequent speaker at LFL conferences, says the goal of Compassion and Choices is to become “the Planned Parenthood of assisted suicide.” He believes the group hopes to eventually reap taxpayer funding for end-of-life counseling and facilitiation of assisted suicide.

Leading disability rights groups have been working with state and community advocacy groups to fight the efforts of Compassion and Choice to nationalize assisted suicide. They say newly disabled individuals who are struggling with the adjustments they must make could easily fall prey to a worldview that assumes they would rather be dead.

Question: If assisted suicide becomes a socially accepted “treatment” for incontinence or physical weakness, what effect will this have on the training and ethics of medical professionals, health care policy decisions, and insurance coverage?

Compassion and Choices was involved last year in writing section 1233 of the Affordable Care Act, the health care reform bill signed into law March 23, 2010. That section, questioned by some as promoting so-called “death panels,” was dropped from the bill. Well, it may have been dropped from the bill, but as the New York Times admits, the Obama Administration has found another way to achieve its “death panel” goal: regulation.

Let me repeat: Starting January 1, 2011, Medicare is authorized to pay doctors for “end-of-life-care counseling” during patients’ annual check-ups. This regulation inserts the federal government in end-of-life planning — not every five years as originally formulated — but annually. Please don’t misunderstand. I believe that every individual should discuss end-of-life decisions with loved ones, a pastor, and/or lawyer. My husband and I each have a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care. We have designated each other or our sons as our voices should we not be able to speak for ourselves. We believe that God gave us our lives and He alone should take them.

“Even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save” (Isaiah 46:4). “Will you command Me concerning My children and the work of My hands” (45:9-11).

Question: How will Compassion and Choices, a group that promotes assisted suicide, lobby doctors as they provide “end-of-life-care counseling“?

Question: Will groups such as Compassion and Choices pressure doctors to measure their patients’ levels of productivity or practice utilitarian ethics?

Do I have reason for concern? The New York Times reports that the Obama Administration justifies its regulation to mandate “end-of-life-care counseling” (“death panels?”) by citing British research. The Brits make no pretense of politically rationed health care. Under the British health care system, the government decides who should live or die based on what is called the “QALY” — Quality-Adjusted Life Year. If I celebrate a year of perfect health, I will rate a “1.” But, if I’m confined to a wheelchair, my life may be valued at less than half. I’m very uncomfortable with what I’m reading about the British health care system because I don’t believe human life has a price tag.

At least, not one determined by his or her fellow humans.

(Sources: “Mercy Notes” of the LCMS World Relief and Human Care, Breakpoint, and The American Spectator, 12-28-10). You may also order my brochure titled “Ventilators, Feeding Tubes, and Other End-of-Life Questions” from Lutherans For Life .)

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Morality Re-defined?

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Life issues, tagged " homosexuality, "Don't Ask-Don't Tell", consequences, military, nation at risk, sexual behavior on December 23, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Years ago, legal scholar Phillip Johnson said that the entire cultural war is being fought over the issue of sex. Chuck Colson puts it this way: “Sexual liberty has become the ultimate virtue in American life.”

Here we are, approaching “Silent Night,” and a lame-duck Congress recklessly repeals “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” President Obama calls the repeal a matter of “basic equality”. I grow weary of the “equality” mantra. This repeal is the re-defining of morality. It is a social experiment that will carry a high price for the U.S. military and the nation it defends. Colson writes, “It is the ultimate victory of political correctness over the protection of human life.”

Human life is always at risk when we fall to idolatry — people rejecting God’s order and worshiping what is created rather than the Creator.

The repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is, as Colson notes, “[A]nother tragic case in which ignoring the Biblical worldview leads to irrational, unsustainable decisions.”

God created humans to be male or female. In marriage, God works through the union of man and woman to bring new life into the world. A sexual union between two men, two women, or a man and a woman not married to each other is wrong. Don’t agree? Take it up with God.

What concerns me most about the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”?

“Outdated” policy. One senator noted a “generational transition” taking place on the issue of openly gay and lesbian people serving in the military. Really? Has the human body somehow transitioned to naturally support homosexual behavior? Have the enlightened ones “progressed” beyond the facts of biology and anatomy? I wonder: what other things are “outdated”? Lessons from history? Words of the Founding Fathers? Wisdom from parents and grandparents? The Word of God?
A battlefield without Gospel. LCMS President Rev. Matthew Harrison writes, “We are all sinners in need of repentance and forgiveness. For 2000 years, the church has welcomed sinners, but refused to affirm sin. The saving grace of Jesus Christ and His Gospel are for all people (2 Cor. 5:19), and the only thing that separates us from this forgiveness is a lack of repentance or sorrow over our sin . . . [Will] military chaplains striving to carry out their responsibilities for preaching, counseling, and consoling find themselves under the strain of having to question whether to obey God or man (Acts 5:29)?

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision” (Psalm 2:1-4).

In heaven, God mocks those who have the audacity to circumvent His laws and plans as Creator. On earth, we will have to live with the consequences of human arrogance.

This hasty repeal creates a mess. How will commanders discipline cohabitation issues? How will combat troops be educated to change attitudes and opinons on LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender) issues? What punishment will be set up for soldiers or chaplains who, for moral and religious reasons, resist new policy? The list goes on.

In the midst of a mess, wrong seems to prevail. But, tonight I sleep because God’s Word is not outdated. His morality cannot be re-defined. I will sing “Silent night, holy night” and know that Jesus is Lord.

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