May 14, 2016

Abortion

Parents who were pressured to abort show their beautiful, healthy daughter by Kristi Burton Brown

Professor threatened pro-life student with bad grade because “you are wrong” by Kristi Burton Brown

Artificial Womb Will Not Reduce Abortion by Wesley J. Smith

Mum who rejected abortion displays quintuplet babies

Doctors Should Be Feeling Compassion For Sick Babies, Not Disdain by Robert Lyon – “A pro-choice OB-GYN says science drives her opposition to a law that forbids discriminatory abortions. In reality, it’s emotion.”

Adoption

This Single Mom Adopted 6 Sisters So They Wouldn’t Be Separated by Rebecca Shinners – “I didn’t even consider not keeping them together.”​

Bioethics

New stem cell research guidelines by Xavier Symons

Creation

Why Would God Create a Massive Universe? by Amy K. Hall

Family Living

1½ Years After “I Do,” He Saw Marriage Wasn’t for Him—When He Looked at His Wife, He Knew by Seth Adam Smith – “They met when they were 15 and were best friends for 10 years—but after being married just 1 year, the truth hit him HARD.”

The Folly of “Meternity” – To Gain Your Life, Give It Away by Eric Metaxas – “Mother’s Day is behind us, but a mother’s work is never finished. And as one author found out recently, comparing that work with a vacation is not the best idea.”

Why Do Kids Misbehave? by Michael Anderson and Timothy Johanson

Reclaiming Parent Leadership by John Rosemond

Worldview and Culture

Imaging technology of tiny coffin demonstrates the value ancient Egyptians “placed on life even in the first weeks of its inception” by Dave Andrusko

Why #GiveElsaAGirlfriend Shouldn’t Surprise Anyone by Tim Barnett

When the Left Liked Conscientious Objection by Paul Kengor

Obama’s transgender decree to public schools: what to do now by Dr. Joel McDurmon

From Nihilism To New Life – “As a young atheist, David Wood rebelled against society’s moral values and attempted to murder his father. In prison, his arguments with a Christian led him to salvation.”

5 Surprising Spiritual Benefits of Owning Less Stuff by Joshua Becker – “Minimalism was meant to help our finances. Here’s how it helped our faith.”

Anger by Abbot Tryphon – “In every way we must strive to restrain anger.”

Four Great Ways to Discourage Generosity by John Kieschnick

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Simply Matchless Faiths
by James M. Kushiner, Executive Director, The Fellowship of St. James

I could not resist the joke after standing in a cattle-car style airport security line last night at O’Hare and after a traveling Swede complained about all the hoops we have to jump through because of the terrorists: “If there is a hell for terrorists,” I said, “they will be standing in line going through the security, then will fail security and be sent back to the end of the line, over and over, for eternity.”

The Swede thought it was pretty funny. It turned out that he was traveling to Duluth as the representative of an manufacturing company that makes machines for wooden match factories. Really. I told him I use those wooden matches two or three times a day. It’s for lighting votive candles, or dinner candles, mornings and evenings, and sometimes right before bedtime. You see, just like the airlines and Homeland Security, I have a routine that try to follow because it helps keep things manageable and the way we want them to be, as best we can.

For security, it’s safe flights and business as usual. For me, it’s regular prayer for family and friends and staff, for forgiveness, for healing of body and soul, and for grace to do God’s will–keeping his commandments, as Christ kept saying to his disciples in those rich Last Supper discourse in John’s Gospel. It’s odd that he is called the Apostle of Love, but many people do not see the spiritual and organic connection between keeping commandments, that is, obedience, and divine love.

To love someone is ultimately to find delight in him; to see at least wherein God sees the person and yearns to see him following the pattern of Christ, growing in wisdom and the fruits of the Holy Spirit, reflecting the divine beauty that we are destined to share.

The terrorist sees death and destruction as beautiful somehow, with hatred for the unbelievers as he conceives of them. It’s a devilish command he imagines he is being faithful to, something that reeks of sulfur and brimstone.

I am, as you get this this, enroute to Tbilisi, Georgia, to participate in the Tenth World Congress of Families. I will make a brief presentation on Tuesday, “The Family: The Basic Unit of Society? Yes, But It’s Much More Than That, and Worth Fighting For.” So far–I think–the gender fascists have not transgendered the water closets in Georgia, but they have Tbilisi in their sights, to make sure they conform, or else. What would hell be for a gender fascist? Maybe heaven, where that sort of “sex” thing is a thing of the past for us who are in some sense “like the angels”?

Well, I have enough to worry about my own failings and having an open heart to our loving Lord to worry about others. Time to strike another match–but better wait till I get home to literally light a candle, or I might get detained by security ….