I often get quite exercised when folks want to protect me or my family by legislation. I our government is far too intrusive and not only have removed the fun out of a better part of our lives - but also have managed to remove a great deal of our freedom.
That's why I was a little surprised to read about the reaction of Virginia liberals to a new state law to make abortion clinics safer. The article is linked here.
The law requires abortion clinics to meet the same safety standards as hospitals.
That sounds pretty reasonable.
Democrats and pro-abortion groups are all up in arms because they say that the bill will result in the closure of some 17 of the state's 21 clinics.
Does that mean that 17 of the states 21 abortion clinics are operating under less than safe conditions?
I thought that was the big motivation behind "abortion rights": to end "back alley" abortions and other unsafe abortive practices supposedly suffered during the "archaic" days before Roe v. Wade.
Shouldn't these Republicans (and a couple of Democrats) be hailed as great crusaders of the public good for demanding that abortions be safe?
I contend that there is little regard for patient safety in this industry - and the liberals who present such public posturing supposedly in support of this "right" care very little for the people involved.
It is why I believe that there are at least two victims to every abortion: the baby and the mother. It seems to me that abortion rights are such a sacred cow for liberal politicians that they are willing to throw away the very protections they claim to espouse.
They cannot have it both ways: either the abortion industry is in great need of regulation (implying that there has been a dereliction of duty for a number of decades now), or the myriad of regulations that currently ensnare the rest of the health care industry are just to restricting.
I find it quite refreshing that lawmakers can expose hypocrisy, point out the destructive economical effects of government regulations, expose the true motivation of liberals and strike a blow against an industry of death - all with a single piece of legislation.
How about the rest of the Union ... are you listening?
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Petty in Wisconsin
I am going to say something controversial here.
The fact that I don't rail on and on about political matters very often in this forum is a testimony to my restraint. Tonight I will loosen a little so reader beware.
I believe that there are some very good teachers in our nation - I am even related to some of them. I believe that teaching is actually a calling. That people are gifted with abilities or compassion that allows them to instruct others.
I also believe that in many of our public school systems, the once honorable profession of teaching has been sold into servitude and is in real danger of losing any semblence of dignity and honor.
Take for example, the teachers in Wisconsin:
Doesn't it seem awfully small of teachers to call in "sick", in order to sabatoge the school system because they are not getting their way?
Isn't it very shallow to stop the all-important education of our children over money? That is what this is all about after all, isn't it?
And what about the pettiness of the arguments they present? Most of what I have heard have been envious little slurs about corporations getting tax cuts or the governor's friends(?) not getting any cutbacks.
I think it is obvious to most of the thinking world that the Wisconsin debacle is nothing but a power grab for the all-too-powerful teacher's union.
It is a shame that we have to lump all of those teachers together under one umbrella - but that's what unions do - they take away the voice of the individual.
Collective-bargaining means that people give up their right to defend themselves - give up their right to excel and shine on their own - to be exceptional. Instead they give that right to others who defend them in the manner they deem necessary.
The constituents are reduced to becoming perennial victims who are trotted out and made to look pitiful every time the union needs a headline.
I don't always know the whole story; but I possess at least a smattering of common sense - enough to know that education is not at the epicenter of the storm in Wisconsin.
This time, it is not all about the children.
At times I think I want Governor Walker to wax Reaganesque and fire them all - but I don't know what's best.
I think how refreshing and wonderful it would be to see a few - just a handful of teachers - stand up. To face their union brothers and sisters and say "this is not what I am put here to do - I am going back to work!"
To hear them say to the union bosses - "you don't speak for me ... and what's more, you don't speak for my students!"
But maybe my perspective is all wrong:
You see, our kids attend a private Christian school. We pay for their education and then we also pay property taxes to help fund the public schools in our area.
I would say that the majority of families that send their kids to our school do so at a great sacrifice.
Most of the teachers are there because of their passion for teaching and their devotion to the students; certainly not for the money or the benefits. Some have taught for decades in the public school system and yet they come to our little school and teach for much less money and many of them plow a great deal of the money they earn right back into their classrooms.
Moms and Dads volunteer, assisting teachers and coach sporting teams. Other parents give of their resources whether money or talent, to improve the facilities.
In recent years, families have sometimes had to pay more, teachers have faced cutbacks and budgets have been tight... . .
...but they all just keep quietly pressing on.
And why?
To be a part of something bigger than themselves.
Many of them grasp the big picture. They see the value of producing graduates equipped with the ability to thrive academically and from the foundation of a strong Biblical worldview.
They are teaching children that God is the source of all knowledge, He is truth and that He invented math. That's why 2 and 2 always - always - equals 4. It is an absolute truth. And that absolute truth reflects the complete and infallible nature of our God.
Armed with that powerful perspective. These children might just be instruments God will use to change the world.
Changing the world .... verses ... changing my health benefits....
...maybe my perspective isn't so wrong after all.
The fact that I don't rail on and on about political matters very often in this forum is a testimony to my restraint. Tonight I will loosen a little so reader beware.
I believe that there are some very good teachers in our nation - I am even related to some of them. I believe that teaching is actually a calling. That people are gifted with abilities or compassion that allows them to instruct others.
I also believe that in many of our public school systems, the once honorable profession of teaching has been sold into servitude and is in real danger of losing any semblence of dignity and honor.
Take for example, the teachers in Wisconsin:
Doesn't it seem awfully small of teachers to call in "sick", in order to sabatoge the school system because they are not getting their way?
Isn't it very shallow to stop the all-important education of our children over money? That is what this is all about after all, isn't it?
And what about the pettiness of the arguments they present? Most of what I have heard have been envious little slurs about corporations getting tax cuts or the governor's friends(?) not getting any cutbacks.
I think it is obvious to most of the thinking world that the Wisconsin debacle is nothing but a power grab for the all-too-powerful teacher's union.
It is a shame that we have to lump all of those teachers together under one umbrella - but that's what unions do - they take away the voice of the individual.
Collective-bargaining means that people give up their right to defend themselves - give up their right to excel and shine on their own - to be exceptional. Instead they give that right to others who defend them in the manner they deem necessary.
The constituents are reduced to becoming perennial victims who are trotted out and made to look pitiful every time the union needs a headline.
I don't always know the whole story; but I possess at least a smattering of common sense - enough to know that education is not at the epicenter of the storm in Wisconsin.
This time, it is not all about the children.
At times I think I want Governor Walker to wax Reaganesque and fire them all - but I don't know what's best.
I think how refreshing and wonderful it would be to see a few - just a handful of teachers - stand up. To face their union brothers and sisters and say "this is not what I am put here to do - I am going back to work!"
To hear them say to the union bosses - "you don't speak for me ... and what's more, you don't speak for my students!"
But maybe my perspective is all wrong:
You see, our kids attend a private Christian school. We pay for their education and then we also pay property taxes to help fund the public schools in our area.
I would say that the majority of families that send their kids to our school do so at a great sacrifice.
Most of the teachers are there because of their passion for teaching and their devotion to the students; certainly not for the money or the benefits. Some have taught for decades in the public school system and yet they come to our little school and teach for much less money and many of them plow a great deal of the money they earn right back into their classrooms.
Moms and Dads volunteer, assisting teachers and coach sporting teams. Other parents give of their resources whether money or talent, to improve the facilities.
In recent years, families have sometimes had to pay more, teachers have faced cutbacks and budgets have been tight... . .
...but they all just keep quietly pressing on.
And why?
To be a part of something bigger than themselves.
Many of them grasp the big picture. They see the value of producing graduates equipped with the ability to thrive academically and from the foundation of a strong Biblical worldview.
They are teaching children that God is the source of all knowledge, He is truth and that He invented math. That's why 2 and 2 always - always - equals 4. It is an absolute truth. And that absolute truth reflects the complete and infallible nature of our God.
Armed with that powerful perspective. These children might just be instruments God will use to change the world.
Changing the world .... verses ... changing my health benefits....
...maybe my perspective isn't so wrong after all.
Lose Some, Winsome
Many of you have already read my wife's rant of a month or so back - regarding the brutality of youth wrestling.
On that fated day, she posed a question to me: what was I going to do when AA had to go up against a girl - yeah! what was I going to do then?!?!? She didn't say that last part but I inferred it.
I did not know what I would do. I would certainly be very uncomfortable with the prospect - as would AA, I'm sure.
By now the news has spread round the continental United States of just such a match up in the first match of the Iowa State Wrestling Tournament. Joel Northrup, a home-schooler, forfeited the match rather than wrestling 14 year old female, Cassy Herkelman. Here was his statement:
It illustrates the importance of a word I have heard bandied about a great deal lately:
Winsome.
Joel Northrup stood up for his convictions in a winsome way. It won over a lot of commentators and bloggers; Cassy, herself indicated that she did not feel disrespected by him; and her father also seemed to feel that Northrup acted with honor.
It is how we are supposed to share the Light of Jesus Christ - in a winsome manner.
I have known some "persecuted" Christians that were not rejected because of their relationship with Christ - but rather - they were rejected because they were annoying.
You can see winsome in the Bible when you read about the "excellent spirit" of Daniel and when the detractors could not counter the arguments raised by Stephen in the book of Acts, whose countenance was said to be "like the face of an angel".
Oh that I might learn to always be winsome in the way the gospel is presented through my life. I hope that we are rearing our son and daughter in such a manner that they would always respond to big questions in a winsome way.
Thank you Joel, for showing us how to lose - and win.
On that fated day, she posed a question to me: what was I going to do when AA had to go up against a girl - yeah! what was I going to do then?!?!? She didn't say that last part but I inferred it.
I did not know what I would do. I would certainly be very uncomfortable with the prospect - as would AA, I'm sure.
By now the news has spread round the continental United States of just such a match up in the first match of the Iowa State Wrestling Tournament. Joel Northrup, a home-schooler, forfeited the match rather than wrestling 14 year old female, Cassy Herkelman. Here was his statement:
"Wrestling is a combat sport and it can get violent at times, as a matter of conscience and my faith I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner. It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most other high school sports in Iowa."
(from Associated Press story 02/17/2011, "Rather than Face Girl, Wrestler Defaults" http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/highschool/news/story?id=6131909 )
Wow! Many people have remarked about the class displayed by this young man. It illustrates the importance of a word I have heard bandied about a great deal lately:
Winsome.
Joel Northrup stood up for his convictions in a winsome way. It won over a lot of commentators and bloggers; Cassy, herself indicated that she did not feel disrespected by him; and her father also seemed to feel that Northrup acted with honor.
It is how we are supposed to share the Light of Jesus Christ - in a winsome manner.
I have known some "persecuted" Christians that were not rejected because of their relationship with Christ - but rather - they were rejected because they were annoying.
You can see winsome in the Bible when you read about the "excellent spirit" of Daniel and when the detractors could not counter the arguments raised by Stephen in the book of Acts, whose countenance was said to be "like the face of an angel".
Oh that I might learn to always be winsome in the way the gospel is presented through my life. I hope that we are rearing our son and daughter in such a manner that they would always respond to big questions in a winsome way.
Thank you Joel, for showing us how to lose - and win.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
In "Those" Days
When we look back over our twenty-two years of marriage, R. and I will often remark that some of those times seem like another life and we seemed like different people.
In fact the tens years of marriage B.C. (Before Children) just hangs in our history like a distant haze.
Much of that period, I would not want to relive. Struggles in our relationship seemed to come to a head in the mid-90's and - while it led to something of a resurrection for us - it was not a happy time. In fact, things were downright gloomy in those days.
In revisiting those days while preparing for this post, I realized that my life and our marriage were being affected by a multitude of diverse stimuli; many I viewed as negative turned out to influence me in a positive way.
2 Kings 20 begins with the phrase, "In those days...."
I'm still hanging out with King Hezekiah in the Old Testament book of 2 Kings, as I continue my slow walk through the Bible. After the events I discussed in two earlier posts (here and here), I arrived at chapter 20 which details the episode for which Hezekiah is most remembered:
Hezekiah was sick and the prophet Isaiah came to see him. Now prophets and "men of God" were not always welcomed visitors in those days... in fact, I think they were met with the same apprehension one would have had when a famous gunfighter rode into town in the old West. Things happened when they came around. Everything surrounding them was deliberate and definite. This is clearly illustrated in the occasion of Isaiah's visit to the ailing King . . . Isaiah's words were not comforting; on the contrary, they were riveting! He simply told Hezekiah to put things in order, he would die from his present sickness. . . he then turned and walked away.
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and wept as he cried out to God for mercy. He pointed out that he had been an advocate for righteousness and justice, and how his walk had reflected godliness.
God heard and answered. In fact, God caught up with Isaiah before he ever left the grounds - sent him back in to pronounce that, in answer to the King's prayer, He would not only heal him; He would add 15 years to his life and deliver him from the evil Assyrians.
The sign that God granted to Hezekiah was that the shadow on the sundial actually went backward 10 degrees. God turned back the clock.
Finis J. Dake's Commentary helped me to realize something very significant about the timing of these events and promises. Just because this chapter follows the previous two, it doesn't mean that the events took place in that order. In fact, if you do the math, this near-death experience and subsequent answer to prayer, took place about the same time as the escalation of the threat from the King of Assyria sited in my earlier posts. Hezekiah reigned a total of 29 years; God added 15 years to his life following this sickness; so this had to take place around the 14th year of his administration [29 - 15 = 14] according to 2 Kings 18:13.
To Hezekiah, the mention of those days probably brought to mind a lot of painful memories . . . after a rewarding career - he suddenly faced devastating military defeats . . . he was humiliated now by a people he once scoffed at . . . his nation - and his own household faced severe economic conditions . . . and he was sick - he was dying!
Almost lost in the mix was God's promise - early on- of deliverance from the Assyrians.
In thinking about our "those days" I remembered so many influences that were coming to bear on our marriage. I was very active in the Promisekeepers movement; R. and I went through a vibrant small group study on marriage; people would come up to R. or me - out of the blue - and say they were praying for us.
Though things seemed to be rapidly falling apart, sovereign God was working throughout the situation. Even in the negative circumstances, He was shaping and re-shaping our thinking - changing us.
Hezekiah's story reminds us that our those days can be very oppressive and confusing, they can leave us disheartened and without hope; but God has a plan and often uses all of those factors to bring about the new day He has waiting for us..
In fact the tens years of marriage B.C. (Before Children) just hangs in our history like a distant haze.
Much of that period, I would not want to relive. Struggles in our relationship seemed to come to a head in the mid-90's and - while it led to something of a resurrection for us - it was not a happy time. In fact, things were downright gloomy in those days.
In revisiting those days while preparing for this post, I realized that my life and our marriage were being affected by a multitude of diverse stimuli; many I viewed as negative turned out to influence me in a positive way.
2 Kings 20 begins with the phrase, "In those days...."
I'm still hanging out with King Hezekiah in the Old Testament book of 2 Kings, as I continue my slow walk through the Bible. After the events I discussed in two earlier posts (here and here), I arrived at chapter 20 which details the episode for which Hezekiah is most remembered:
Hezekiah was sick and the prophet Isaiah came to see him. Now prophets and "men of God" were not always welcomed visitors in those days... in fact, I think they were met with the same apprehension one would have had when a famous gunfighter rode into town in the old West. Things happened when they came around. Everything surrounding them was deliberate and definite. This is clearly illustrated in the occasion of Isaiah's visit to the ailing King . . . Isaiah's words were not comforting; on the contrary, they were riveting! He simply told Hezekiah to put things in order, he would die from his present sickness. . . he then turned and walked away.
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and wept as he cried out to God for mercy. He pointed out that he had been an advocate for righteousness and justice, and how his walk had reflected godliness.
God heard and answered. In fact, God caught up with Isaiah before he ever left the grounds - sent him back in to pronounce that, in answer to the King's prayer, He would not only heal him; He would add 15 years to his life and deliver him from the evil Assyrians.
The sign that God granted to Hezekiah was that the shadow on the sundial actually went backward 10 degrees. God turned back the clock.
Finis J. Dake's Commentary helped me to realize something very significant about the timing of these events and promises. Just because this chapter follows the previous two, it doesn't mean that the events took place in that order. In fact, if you do the math, this near-death experience and subsequent answer to prayer, took place about the same time as the escalation of the threat from the King of Assyria sited in my earlier posts. Hezekiah reigned a total of 29 years; God added 15 years to his life following this sickness; so this had to take place around the 14th year of his administration [29 - 15 = 14] according to 2 Kings 18:13.
To Hezekiah, the mention of those days probably brought to mind a lot of painful memories . . . after a rewarding career - he suddenly faced devastating military defeats . . . he was humiliated now by a people he once scoffed at . . . his nation - and his own household faced severe economic conditions . . . and he was sick - he was dying!
Almost lost in the mix was God's promise - early on- of deliverance from the Assyrians.
In thinking about our "those days" I remembered so many influences that were coming to bear on our marriage. I was very active in the Promisekeepers movement; R. and I went through a vibrant small group study on marriage; people would come up to R. or me - out of the blue - and say they were praying for us.
Though things seemed to be rapidly falling apart, sovereign God was working throughout the situation. Even in the negative circumstances, He was shaping and re-shaping our thinking - changing us.
Hezekiah's story reminds us that our those days can be very oppressive and confusing, they can leave us disheartened and without hope; but God has a plan and often uses all of those factors to bring about the new day He has waiting for us..
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