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Baptism, Sexuality and the Election

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Faith & Practice, Identity, Life issues, Parenting & Education, Sexy or holy?, Vocation, tagged conscience, deception, feminism, ideology, Jesus Christ, new life, satan, sensuality, sexual rights, worldview on November 13, 2012| 2 Comments »

We are baptized, not in the water of sexuality, but in the water of pure Word and Holy Spirit. We are called, not to ways of weak flesh, but to holy and noble purpose. We are encouraged, not to glorify self, but to glorify Jesus Christ who makes us children of God.

Baptism “is an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21). Baptism cleanses and raises us to new life. Our Baptism sets us apart from the world and our own fickle desires.

So here is why I’m so deeply disappointed following the election. Far too many of my fellow Christian sisters let their sensuality have its way. They voted in favor of “my body, my choice” rather than in remembrance of their baptism. They feared they might be denied something, something that should rightfully be theirs.

Back to the Garden we go. God appealed to Eve’s whole being, her true identity as His wondrous creation. But, Satan appealed to her pride and desires, taunting with the apple of “my rights” and “my control.” Today – right here and right now, God appeals to the whole being and true identity of His daughters in Christ. But, Satan (until he’s banished to hell) lingers around, tantalizing our desires. Whispering sweet nothings in our ears.

Admittedly, I can’t say how many baptized women were influenced by the childish ad of the Obama campaign. You know the one I’m talking about. Actress Lena Dunham appears on a video making an appeal to young women to imagine their first time voting for Obama as being akin to losing their virginity. References in the ad were explicit and low standard.

The sexual innuendo of the ad was unmistakable: “Your first time shouldn’t be with just anybody. You want to do it with a great guy,” says actress Dunham. “It should be with a guy . . . who really cares about and understands women.” Then, on behalf of the sitting president of the United States, Dunham makes her political appeal. She says, you want to do it with “a guy who cares whether you get birth control. The consequences are huge. You want to do it with the guy who brought the troops out of Iraq . . ..”

Actress Dunham quickly references “gay marriage,” then says, “It’s also super-uncool to be out and about and someone says, ‘did you vote?’ and [you] reply, ‘No, I didn’t feel – I wasn’t ready.’” The ad wraps up when Dunham describes her first time voting as “amazing.” It was like crossing that “line in the sand” to vote for Barack Obama. “Before I was a girl; now I was a woman.”

This campaign ad was endorsed by the President of the United States. The father of two daughters. The man who, true to his vocation, should protect and defend the virtue of every American woman.

But, how many baptized American women – more or less youthful – voted for the man who appealed to their pride? Sexual rights? Desire for control? Did any of us think about the irony of it all? Modern feminists abhor Biblical patriarchy, yet here are women asking “Big Daddy” – a patriarchal government – to provide their birth control pills, abortion-causing drugs, and sterilization procedures at no cost. Why?

Is it because they are deceived by a wrong identity? Or because they have forgotten their baptism in the Word of holiness and purity? Or because they are captive to pride and sensuality? Or, because they live in fear?

Trusting our baptism, we need not fear the known or the unknown. Baptism in the waters of new life encourages us to virtue. Self-restraint. Trust in our Creator and Redeemer instead of our own weak flesh.

Baptism gives us new identity in Christ. We are not sensual beings, but holy beings. We are not captive to sin, but redeemed from sin. We are not left in the despair of wrong choices, but set free to start new. To see our life from God’s perspective. All this… because we have been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Do we believe it?

Amen. God said it. It is so.

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After the Vote: Stay Calm and Carry On

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Citizenship, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Identity, Life issues, Parenting & Education, Vocation, tagged election, exile, faithfulness, Jesus Christ, mentor, opposing worldviews on November 10, 2012| 1 Comment »

Before the election, I suggested that we “Vote: Then Stay Calm and Carry On.”

Well, the people have voted. We cannot blame the president for what will or will not happen. His ideology and hope for America were made clear through his unapologetic support of abortion, partnership with Planned Parenthood, promotion of sodomy, new definition of marriage, and health care mandate that forces Christians to choose God or Caesar. The people, whether church-goers or not, determined the kind of leadership this country will have for another four years.

For the believer, nothing has really changed. The day before the election is the same as the day after. In all circumstances, we are to stay calm and carry on.

But, how can we do this? How can we carry on the work of Christ in a nation that puts its trust not in God but in government? In a culture that lifts the “right” to uninhibited sexuality and abortion above the right of conscience and faith? In congregations that compromise God’s Word for the sake of church growth?

We stay calm and carry on.

There is a passage from Scripture that many of us like to offer as encouragement to friends or family. It reads: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). Left to itself, this passage assures us that all will be well. All will turn out for good. But, Steve Elliott of Grassfire.com and my own Pastor Beisel remind me how crucial it is to read all of God’s Word in the context of when and why it was written.

The “future and a hope” passage is from a letter that Jeremiah wrote to the surviving elders, priests, prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Please take note that the Lord God “sent” His people into exile. It didn’t happen by accident. It wasn’t because Nebuchadnezzar outwitted God or was more progressive.

What were exiled and captive people of God to do? They were to be faithful. They were to “build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:5-7).

They were also to heed God’s warning. “Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in My name; I did not send them, declares the Lord” (vv. 8-9).

Then the Lord continued, “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you . . . plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (vv. 10-11).

It is for this reason that I started Titus 2 for Life years ago. After hearing the cries of so many Christian women deceived by the world’s focus on sexuality and “my right;” after hearing their cries after choices of promiscuity and abortion, I was motivated to encourage believers using God’s Word of Genesis together with the mentoring model of Titus 2. Young pastor Titus was concerned for his congregation. They were pressed on all sides by a culture that craved new ways and personal fulfillment. What could Titus do for the few believers so that they would be equipped to raise up Christian families and, at the same time, push back against evil? St. Paul offered Titus a model for mentoring that has always proved effective for any generation – in or out of exile.

So, on a quiet evening, please read Jeremiah 27-33. Read the whole story. Then, read Titus 2:2-15.

But, don’t stop there. It has become very important for me to remember what happened when God’s people came out of exile. In the Book of Ezra, we learn that only a few of the Jewish exiles wanted to return to Jerusalem and their homeland. Most were unwilling to give up their Babylonian property or lifestyle to which they had become accustomed. They didn’t want to return to “old ways.” So, with only a few faithful ones returning to rebuild Jerusalem, the work was hard. Some people in the area offered their help. Those people didn’t worship Yahweh but held to a blend of mixed religious beliefs. Suffice it to say that they had their own motives for wanting to help. God told His people to refuse the help of unbelieving neighbors in the land. Why? Because accepting help from non-believers would obligate God’s people to pagan ways. The potential for corruption in worship was too great if God’s people became aligned with non-believers (Ezra 4:3).

I pray for courage and opportunity to use the model given me for mentoring. Even if it means being strange or unpopular, I pray for help in persevering for God’s glory rather than my own. At Titus 2 Retreats, I often tell women that I feel exiled in my own country even though never forced from my home. Perhaps, that’s how it will be for the rest of my life on this earth. After all, I am but a stranger here on a journey to my heavenly home. I’m not sure I ever felt “different” in my youth, but I do now.

Identity is everything. God doesn’t call me to fit in with the world or grow comfortable with my desires. He calls me to be holy as He is holy. And when I am not, He reminds me of all He did for me in Christ Jesus. In exile or not, I am His. Redeemed to holiness, I can fear less. Serve more.

In exile or not, I can trust my identity. Resist deception. Mentor away from evil. Seek what is good. Plant the seed and till the soil. Raise the standard. Be fed with Word and Sacrament. Not be ashamed. Run my race. Encourage family. Stay calm. Carry on.

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Fragile Life: Why Identity Matters

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Faith & Practice, Identity, Life issues, Parenting & Education, tagged doubt, enemy of death, fear, happiness, hope, Jesus Christ, spiritual battle, suicide, truth, Word of Life on October 23, 2012| 1 Comment »

No one knows why, but a young woman is dead. She was found in the garage of her parent’s home. It appears that she hung herself.

Why? Why would a young woman fear life itself?

What makes this especially personal is that I was on the phone with my son when it happened. This young woman was his neighbor. “The police have pulled up, Mom. People are milling about outside the garage. I’ll call you back.” When he did, he explained what had just happened. “Her mom and dad are standing outside. Her dad is talking loud. People are on cell phones. The neighborhood is stunned.”

So, why? Why was a young life cut short? Not long ago, when our son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren were out for a walk, this young woman approached them with interest. She was friendly. Talkative. During the course of the conversation, she explained that she was a psychology major in college. She asked if she could hold baby Kate.

Now the girl who held my granddaughter is dead. Evidence suggests that it was by her own hand. I never met this young woman. I don’t know her parents. But, the ache inside me is real.

What happened? Her parents, family and friends may never know. But, one thing is certain.

Human life, because of sin, is very fragile. The enemy of life knows this. He delights in this weakness. He takes advantage of our frailty.

Satan despises the humans who are created “a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:5). He is jealous of God’s beloved creations who have been given “dominion over the works of [His] hands;” with “all things under [our] feet” (v. 6). Satan is a thief. He comes to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10a).

But, Jesus says, “I came that [you] may have life and have it abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (v. 10b-11). Jesus left heaven for our sake. He lowered Himself so that He might battle Satan for every fragile life. Jesus won eternal victory over Satan when He died on the Cross at Calvary. His resurrection proves that victory. He ascended back to heaven. There He waits, until the Father tells the Son it is time to return to earth on the last day. Then He will call every believer home. To heaven. To new life without the chains of sin.

For now, Satan is having his little day. The destruction he leaves in his wake can take our breath away. In our most vulnerable moments, he hisses, “Did God really say . . .?” His best weapon is to deceive. Once deceived, we doubt. Then fear. In fear, we are desperate to take control. To do anything… anything that might stop the confusion or loneliness or suffering.

For this – and every other reason – our identity matters. Knowing Whose we are matters. Knowing that we are adopted sons and daughters of God because of what Jesus did for us matters. Trusting our identity as God’s beloved creation serves us well in all circumstances. No matter if we don’t feel loved or attractive or significant. No matter if we are unhappy or in pain or seemingly spinning out of control and knocked off our foundation, we remain God’s treasures in Christ.

Trusting our identity in Christ, we become less vulnerable. When Satan comes to deceive, Jesus stands close. When Satan hisses in one ear, Jesus calls us to Him. “Trust Me, My child. Hear My word of hope. When all forsake you, I never will.”

Our identity matters. Trusting our identity in Christ makes a difference. Even if something snaps… if a neuron misfires… our identity does not change.

One question remains. It is for us. The living. Do we know our identity? Do we see ourselves as treasures of great price? In the battle for our very souls, do we look past the thief to focus hearts and minds on the Good Shepherd? No matter the circumstances, do we cling to His promise?

Dear Father, comfort the parents of this young woman. They suffer loss beyond my imagination. In their loss, draw them to the Cross of their Savior. Send Your Spirit to fill the emptiness. To work Your will for good. Amen.

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A Plea to the Parents of Logan… or Living with Dying, the Courage of Marriage, and Life in the Palm of a Father’s Hand

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Identity, Life issues, Parenting & Education, Vocation, tagged 29 week newborn, abortion, act of courage, birth defects, marriage & family, miracle of life on October 8, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I have never met Paul and Jenn. But their story, featured on the front page of my hometown paper, caught my attention. The way I see it, Paul and Jenn have been living with dying.

In July, Jenn gave birth to Logan. He was two months premature. Jenn called her son a miracle who, literally “fit in the palm of my boyfriend’s hand.” I want to talk about her boyfriend Paul’s hand but, first, we need to understand this “miracle.”

In a way, and right up to Logan’s birth, Jenn was living with dying. She is a young woman with Crohn’s disease who was told she would never become pregnant. In October of 2011, Jenn has an ileostomy. In November, she had it reversed. Early in 2012, she learned she was pregnant. The prenatal specialist told Jenn at her 20-week checkup that she should “terminate [the] pregnancy.”

There was “something wrong” with her baby’s brain. There was “evidence of a hole in his heart.” He was not growing correctly. Jenn was told that her baby “wasn’t getting enough blood flow.” He was suffering from intrauterine growth restriction. What was Jenn’s reaction? “His heart was always strong,” she said, “and I never lost hope.”

Worried about a chromosomal mutation or a genetic deformity, the doctors performed an amniocentesis at 24 weeks. There were no signs of a birth defect; nevertheless, the doctors told her there would be no chance of survival. It was explained to Jenn that her baby wasn’t growing because she had a full placental abruption. The placenta was not attached to the uterus.

Jenn had planned on giving birth at our local hospital but, on July 20, she woke up in a pool of blood. “I didn’t really want to go all the way to Des Moines, but Paul’s mom . . . insisted I go.” Doctors explained to Jenn that she had two choices: let the contractions take their course or risk a C-section. She chose a C-section when Logan’s heart rate dipped. There was a ten percent chance that he would survive.

Logan was born at 29 weeks, 2 days gestation. He weighed 15 ounces. “I didn’t know what to think or if he was OK . . . I didn’t really get to see him until the next day. I was in shock. I cried. I was so happy and scared at the same time. I couldn’t believe that I was actually a mom and he was so small.”

On his 2-month birthday, Logan weighed almost three pounds. Jenn explained to the reporter, “There is absolutely nothing wrong with his brain or heart.” He is small, but “perfectly healthy.” Doctors told Jenn there is a higher risk of cerebral palsy, but Logan has good muscle activity. Jenn is a mother with hope. And, for good reason.

Her boyfriend, Paul, has a six-year-old son who was also born premature at 29 weeks and four days. He was three pounds at birth. Today, in Jenn’s words, this little boy is “tall, healthy and fine . . . he’s perfectly fine.” By the time you read this (and God-willing), Paul and Jenn will have brought Logan home from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to meet his half-brother.

My pro-life eyes help me see that Jenn has been living with dying for quite some time. I’ve never heard Chrohn’s disease described as “fatal,” but I know people who have it and how much they suffer. Perhaps, at times, it might feel a little bit like dying. But, with life and breathe in them, these people persevere. Perhaps, in the face of adversity, they treasure life even more.

Jenn lives with her own poor health, but let me tell you what pierces deep to my pro-life soul. Every day of Logan’s life in her womb, Jenn lived with the possibility of his death. She was told to abort him. When she dared not, she was told her son’s life was incompatible with life. Logan’s mom persisted in hope.

I am a stranger to Jenn and her boyfriend, Paul. Yet, at the same time, I am their neighbor. Though they may never read this – I offer a plea… an encouragement for the sake of their son.

Jenn and Paul, in spite of adversity, you have stayed the course for life.

Jenn, when voices cried: “Abort him,” you defended the personhood of your son. When voices cried: “Your baby will never make it,” you defended his right to try. You lived in the face of dying.

Paul, I’m guessing that some voices hinted your girlfriend might be “crazy,” but you defended her sense of motherhood. When voices cried, “You’ve been through this before, why would you do it again,” you stayed the course and lived in the face of dying.

Will you go the distance, Paul and Jenn? Will you please consider another act of courage? In a time when marriage is being rejected and children are paying the price, will you dare to build a better foundation for your “miracle?” Will you show Logan how much his life matters? Whatever your reasons for not marrying might be, will you consider the benefits for Logan of having a mommy and daddy who have committed themselves – hard work as it is – to the faithfulness of marriage?

I was captivated, Paul, by the front page newspaper photo of you holding your 15 ounce son “in the palm of your hand.” That’s what a father does. He holds the miracle of life very tenderly in his loving care. A father gives both his child and his child’s mother the covering of his name. I speak from experience because both my Heavenly and earthly fathers have called me by their name. The covering of that name bestows great value on my life.

Will you, Paul and Jenn, join with God in bestowing great value on Logan’s life “in sickness and health ‘til death do you part?”

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Government Cannot Love Its Neighbor (So… Please Don’t Dismiss “Social Issues”)

Posted in Citizenship, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Identity, Life issues, Parenting & Education, Relationships, Vocation, tagged abortion, creation, election, end of life, government health care, love your neighbor, marriage & family, public assistance, vote, welfare, worldview on October 3, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I really don’t understand my generation nor do I understand my parents’ generation. We cry out for ourselves. We want government health care, government assistance, government support. We worry that someone will take away Medicare, Medicaid, and access to inexpensive prescription drugs. “These are our rights!” we claim.

But, where are the arms of the government? Where are the hands? The heart? The soul? Where is the government when we need encouragement in times of loneliness, difficulty, or loss?

Government is not a person. It does not think. It does not care. It is only what the people shape it to be.

Government can only provide programs and assistance for its citizens when the citizens provide the funds. These funds are called taxes. We have to pay them… or suffer penalty of law. In other words, we are depending on the coerced charity of people who don’t know us and maybe don’t even care.

My generation had not a brain in its collective head when it demanded uninhibited sexual freedoms and legalized abortion. “I am a sexual being; therefore, it’s my right.” “I deserve to be happy.” “It’s all about me.”

Well, now what? Sexualized, “all about me” Boomers want their Viagra for “performance edge in the bedroom” AND a government health care plan. Tell me, Boomers, is there anything else we’d like on the backs of our children and grandchildren?

Government is an institution without a heart, mind or soul. It doesn’t know us. It is not in touch with us. It cannot love us or help bear our burdens. America’s older citizens clamor for care and support, but – duh! – what were we thinking? Fearing any inconvenience, so many of my generation aborted the living souls who would have grown up to care for us. My generation aborted the very flesh and blood that, unlike government, would have had bonded relationally with parents and grandparents.

We aborted those feared to be “inconvenient” or “burdensome.” But, allowed to live, those children would have lessened the fears of parents who may be labeled by a “death panel” as a financial burden to society.

God does not scratch His head, wondering how He will care for all the people. That’s what generations are for! Fifty million babies (the number of those aborted in the U.S. since 1973) would have pumped energy, creativity, and consumer dollars into a now dead economy.

People my age and older – who should know better – proclaim, “It’s the economy, stupid!” We dismiss what are called “social issues.” Well, dismissing social issues — the sanctity of human life, marriage, and family – helped create the mess we’re in. Refusing to dialogue about personal responsibility, moral ethics, and values made an already spoiled citizenry more selfish and lazy. Tolerant of everything except discussions of “right and wrong,” we listen to a sound bite here, read a headline there, and vote for whoever will send the most financial assistance our direction.

“It’s the economy, stupid!” No, I disagree. The economy is the way it is because we’ve been living off the investments of our Founding Fathers and every father who worked honestly and faithfully to provide for his family. We’ve been living off the investments of mothers who understood that a nation is built upon vibrant homes and children taught self-restraint. We’ve been living off the investments of others but, as my husband says, invested very little – if anything – ourselves. Now that’s stupid. And, as it’s been said, you can’t fix stupid.

A long time ago I was compelled to become involved with pro-life and family ministries as a volunteer. Although probably considered “illiterate” by university-types, I have been hungry to learn through reading and research. My worth cannot be measured by a salary, but I have been blessed to travel the country speaking with and listening to countless people from all walks of life. My Biblical worldview allows me to see all people of every color, ethnicity, and culture as part of the human family because they are all creations of God. That means that people – and the conundrum of social issues – matter to me.

Government can’t do what I do. It can’t do what anyone who cares for their neighbor can do. My arms have reached out to comfort women hurting years after their abortion choice. The Spirit of my Baptism moves me to love complete strangers with no strings attached. A great number of these “strangers” have become my friends and fellow sojourners.

With the desire to help eliminate costly health problems such as sexually transmitted diseases, pre-marital sex, and abortion, I joined with two other moms to start a caring pregnancy center (CPC). Every service we offer is freely and willingly provided, not coerced by compulsory “taxation.” When funds are needed, we work to raise them. We invite – never demand – our community to join with us in making a positive difference for people in times of fear or need. We provide at no charge the pregnancy tests for which Planned Parenthood charges (in spite of all our tax dollars sitting in their coffers). We mentor toward personal accountability and the stability of marriage.

Government is not a person. Government is without hands, heart and soul. Government does not love its neighbor as itself. Government can provide assistance only when its citizens provide the funds. And, in too many cases, government welfare tends to enslave the people.

For this reason, I’m going to the voting booth not to vote for a Republican or Democrat. Not to vote for one personality over another. But, to vote for leaders who will defend human life in the womb and, therefore, human life in old age.

To vote for leaders who will defend the sanctity of marriage as the institution created by God for a civilized world. Who will defend the freedom of more than worship, but expression of faith in daily life.

The economy will begin to fix itself when life, marriage and family begin to matter more.

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Parental Rights

Posted in Citizenship, Commentaries of others, Culture Shifts, Parenting & Education, Uncategorized, tagged Biblical family, disabled children, parental rights, sovereignty, U.N. on September 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Monday, September 17, is the anniversary of the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. ParentalRights.org urges us to visit the offices of our senators. Why?

Proponents of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities (CRPD) are pushing for a September vote in the Senate. This treaty, writes Michael Farris, is bad news for American sovereignty and American families.

Farris, president of ParentalRights.org suggests the following “talking points” should you write, call or visit your Senator:

Under Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, the CRPD will become the “supreme law of the land,” overriding anythin to the contrary in local, state, or federal law.
Parents of disabled children know better than anyone what it is like to have bureaucrats and officials second-guessing their every decision. Article 7 of the CRPD will take away their right to be the ultimate decision makers for their child.
The Understandings adopted by the Senate are poorly worded and do not have the legal effect proponents claim they will. The so-called “private action” understanding, for instance, does not uphold “current” U.S. law. Omission of the word “current” means the U.S. will be obligated to make changes in our law in order to fulfill our commitment under the treaty.
Ratifying the CRPD would be the first time we have obligated our nation to recognize social, economic, and cultural entitlements and privileges as “rights” under domestic law.

For more information, visit Parentalrights.org

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Sexuality and Sterilization

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Citizenship, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Identity, Life issues, Parenting & Education, tagged children, church & state, conscience, pants on fire, sanctity of life, sex education, worldview on September 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Open forum here. Your thoughtful answers to my question are coveted.

What civilization would sexualize daughters and then provide free sterilization services?

People with opposing worldviews bemoan the fact that we are sexualizing American girls. One group worries about the sexualization of girls but promotes more sex education as the answer. The other group promotes abstinence but uses sex education to do it.

Is there a connection between sexualizing children — completely inundating them in school and culture with a steady stream of information on sex, sexuality and sensuousness — and a national health care mandate that covers contraception and sterilization for girls as young as twelve?

Is something foul afoot? Does a power or principality despise new life?

A CNSNews reporter asked former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi a critical question: “One of the services that health care plans have to offer free of charge (under the HHS mandate) are sterilizations . . . do you agree with the federal government mandating . . .”

Congresswoman Pelosi cut the reporter off, saying, “You know what, I told you before, let’s go to church and talk about our religion. Right here we’re talking about public policy as it affects women . . .”

Government-sponsored free sterilization services should set the pants of Biblical thinkers and people of faith on fire. It should set the pants of every parent on fire.

Under the HHS mandate, every health plan except those held by houses of worship (what about the church-run school or organization?) conceivably must not only cover contraceptives, but sterilization for children as young as twelve. But, it gets even more serious. Many states require parental consent for the sterilization of a minor, but as CNSNews reported, some don’t. In Oregon, for example, girls as young as fifteen can now undergo sterilization procedures without their parents or legal guardians knowing a thing. All they have to do is sign a consent form. (Source: www.breakpoint.org 9/6/12 and CNSNews.com 8/10/12)

On my library shelf is a book by Edwin Black entitled War Against the Weak. He states, “I find it abhorrent that a 15-year-old girl who’s not old enough to consent to sexual activity, who’s not old enough to consent to buying a beer, who’s not old enough to drive herself to the hospital could possibly be considered old enough and mature enough to give informed consent for her own sterilization . . .” Black is a student of history. He has done his homework and connected the dots between population control, abortion, sterilization, and eugenics. By the way, the subtitle to Black’s book is “Eugenics and America’s Campaign to Create a Master Race.” Some of my fellow Lutherans and other believers on the Lord Jesus Christ have studied under men like Paul Popenoe, once a leader of California’s eugenics movement. Here, I think, is a topic for another blog.

What civilization would sexualize its daughters and then provide easy access to abortion and free sterilization services?

What does this say about the sanctity of human life? About our identity and purpose? About being male or female? About marriage? About the act of sex? About family and society?

Have Christians, too, been deceived? Are we unintentionally dehumanizing sons and daughters by putting them in the same category as animals: “After all, we’re afraid they’re going to do it anyway”?

Have we enabled the divorce of sex from procreation?

Have we bought the lie that we are “sexual from birth” rather than the truth of God who tells us, “I have called you by name, you are Mine . . . You are set apart to be holy, even as I am holy”?

How do you answer?

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More Than a Girl

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Identity, Parenting & Education, Relationships, tagged baptism, birth, granddaughter, identity on September 3, 2012| 1 Comment »

Ezerwoman has been quiet. There is so much “life” happening and a great many opportunities to do what an ezer does: help. That means so little time to blog.

Today, however, there is new life to welcome. Will you rejoice with me? God has blessed our family with Leah Elizabeth, the first daughter born to our son, Jon, and daughter-in-law, Angie. Leah is greeted by three brothers: Jaden, Ethan and Andrew.

This girl child will bring a new dynamic to her family. I see the tears of gratitude from her mother: How she’s longed to mentor grace and femininity. I sense her father’s awareness of his new responsibility as the guardian of his daughter’s virtue. I hear the triple sigh of her brothers: Will there be dolls in our trucks, tractors, and go-carts? Most certainly, this child’s identity as a girl will be both celebrated and tolerated. But, she is more than a girl.

Leah is a precious soul. She is known by God before the beginning and woven together by His very hand (Psalm 139:13-16). God calls her by name (Isaiah 43:1). She is His own. She is “set apart as holy” (2 Timothy 2:21) even as her Heavenly Father is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). How can this be? Because of God’s “own purpose and grace, which He gave [her] in Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 1:9).

With her baptism, Leah will be a daughter of God because of what Jesus Christ has done for her. That washing with water will be “an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21).

What is my role? To pray for my granddaughter’s good conscience. To help her remember Whose she is. She is God’s creation. A treasure in Christ. Her purpose far exceeds what the world expects. She is called to proclaim the excellencies of Him who brought her out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). This identity will never change, no matter the circumstances in her life.

This identity – none other – will make a difference for Leah.

And for every life that touches hers.

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The Divine Service and Sex Education

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Faith & Practice, Identity, Life issues, Parenting & Education, Sexy or holy?, tagged identity in Christ, lifestyle, worldview, worship on August 17, 2012| 1 Comment »

What do the Divine Service and sex education have in common? Nothing.

The Divine Service, with its ordered liturgy and reverence, is not common. It is not casual. It is not “do it myself;” rather, it is the Holy God “doing” for me.

Filled by God with His Word and Sacrament, my behavior as a woman of God should not be common. My choices and behavior should put me at odds with the theories and trends of the world.

What I teach and how I teach it should not be common. I should, with no apologies, instruct using God’s Word and mentor winsomely in the way of Jesus. I should resist adapting worldly theories, fooling myself with the nonsense that I can sort “good” from “bad, and attempting to wrap the Word of God around the common.

Sex education is common. It is worldly. Tragically, especially for boys and girls, it is accepted by the secular world and many in the church. Instruction in purity is not common. It calls me and the people I mentor to be different. Set apart. That’s because, as God’s possession and treasures in Christ Jesus, we are different. What we do flows from our identity as men and women called for holy purpose.

Consider me strange, but I think that Biblical instruction in purity is very much like the Divine Service. Both are not common. Both seem strange. Antiquated. “Too righteous.” Both are criticized for being difficult. Perhaps even “unrealistic.” But, that’s how it is with things that are not common. Holy things. Things of God grow out of different soil.

The Divine Service and instruction in purity both speak to our true identity in Christ. In Him, we are new creations called to live differently. Even as new creations we are still sinful males and females who, on this earth, will always be tempted to determine our own worship practice and our own sexual behavior. Therefore, we are in desperate need of the God who is separated from the common.

Divinely served by God through my pastor on Sunday morning, I am equipped to live different from a secular world the rest of the week. Failing often during the week, I return again on Sunday to be Divinely served and strengthened.

Instructed in the purity of Biblical manhood and womanhood, boys and girls are equipped to live different from the world and better resist the sinful nature that will surely tempt them throughout all their earthly life. Failing often, they can return to a life of purity because being different – not common – means being a treasure of Jesus Christ. His forgiveness for every treasured soul is new every morning.

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