Courting, Dating, And Purity, Revisited

Hi everyone,
I know have written a post about courting, dating and purity, before but I think the subject is so so important that even Christians can benefit from looking at this issue again, checking ourselves to make certain that we are striving to glorify God in all of our lives, including our relationships with potential suitors.

I have seen how twisted our culture's view of dating and marriage is, and sadly the world's views on dating often pollute relationships between Christians. Secular culture has no basis for morality in their worldview and choose to do what they believe is "fun", throwing purity out the window, and ruining people's lives in the process. It is rare for fathers to protect their daughters from young men. Young adults protecting their purity is rare. This is what the world does. You may think Christians are doing better but I believe that even Christians can fall into dangerous and destructive habits in the area of relationships.

One issue is being too physically intimate with someone of the opposite gender before marriage. I understand that people who like each other want to touch each other. I assume most young adult females desire to have the physical touch of a male, and vice versa. However, the physical desire to have the touch of someone of another gender, must be brought under control and it is not something that should be satisfied by your "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" .

"Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh."

Romans 13:13-14

Physical touching beyond the limits of a mere friendship with someone of the opposite sex, must be kept to the correct confines, family and marriage. I am totally okay with a girl holding her father's hand or arm, or hugging and kissing her father and mother, in a manner that is pure. However constantly holding hands, sitting on the lap of, or hanging off of a young man, feeds a desire for physical intimacy that can lead to further contact which can lead to sin. While it may not always lead to sin it is a temptation that should be avoided.

I am one who believes in the biblical command of a holy kiss and I will hug friends who are males. However if a holy kiss is practiced by a person, the manner in which they kiss someone that they are in a relationship with, must not be different than the way they would greet another person of the opposite gender. A manner of greeting people should also not be more intimate with someone of the opposite gender, then with a person of the same gender. We must make sure that we act in manner that is pure toward all of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

While the Bible does not say "you shall not hold hands" any physical touching between young adults can cause great temptation. Romans talks about not putting a stumbling block in the way of a brother. When a young woman or man is in a relationship with another person, it is extremely dangerous to excite sensual desires. The act itself may not be sinful but it can be unwise and dangerous. One touch can lead to another touch and soon you may find that you have gone farther than you thought you would or what is appropriate.

In relationships we must also guard our emotions. Saying things to someone you are dating and courting that you think would be inappropriate to say to another person, should be avoided. Such as saying "I love you." That is fine to say. We are to love those who are in the body of Christ, as brothers and sisters in the Lord. However, it is different if the only person you say "I love you" to, is someone you are in a relationship with.

When you are in a courtship, you are preparing yourself for marriage and seeking to make sure that the person you are courting is the one that God has for you to marry. You should always treat each other with all purity as a brother or sister in Christ. (If you are Christian and the person you are courting or dating is not your brother or sister in Christ, I have one piece of advice, stop courting/dating them.) When a young man shows interest in a young woman, that excites a girl's emotions. The young man, the girl's parents, and the girl herself, must be very careful to protect the girl's emotions. One way to not excite thoughts for someone of the opposite gender is to guard your mind from things can lead to inappropriate thoughts. Do not read romance stories or watch a lot of movies with false romances. Do not talk with your friends about how "cute" a person is. In our culture people put too much focus on looks. Talking about how a person looks can lead to sensual desires for a person that we should be treating with all purity.

If a man really cares about a girl he is in a relationship with, he will look out for her future even if he does not marry her. He will seek to guard her in any way he can, and protect her heart from wrong feelings. He will be fiercely protective of her, and protect her from other men who would try to treat her inappropriately, not just because he thinks she is "his" but because he cares for her well being and loves her with all purity. Any brother in Christ who really loves his Christian sisters should try to protect a girl from a man who is treating her in an inappropriate way. The man should also have a good relationship with a girl's father who is her primary protector.

Make sure that even if you are courting a person, your life does not revolve around the other person to the extent that you would be lost if for some reason the relationship must end. Our primary goal in life should be seeking to glorify God. Make sure that you do not give your heart away to a person prematurely. If for some reason you do not marry the person you are courting, have you already given them your heart, your emotions, or your body?

A young man should honor a young woman with all purity as a sister in Christ, a young woman should honor a young man as a brother in Christ.

"Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity."

1 Timothy 5:1-2

Part of what a young woman should do in order to honor her brothers and to avoid putting a stumbling block in front of them, is dressing modestly. I do not say that every woman needs to wear dresses as I do in order to be modest. The Bible does not say that women must wear dresses, that is a personal decision. However, dressing in tight pants and shirts which show off every part of your body is inappropriate. It is a man's job not to lust after a woman. It is woman's job to make sure she is not dressing in a way to purposefully show off her body to men, thus leading them to lust after her. A man should be attracted to a woman because of her character and her love for the Lord, not because of what she looks like. 

The most important thing that we can do in a relationship is to strive to follow biblical principals, to glorify God, and to help our brothers and sisters in Christ to grow in their relationship with God. If you are in a relationship try asking yourself these questions:

"Is the way I act around this person and the way I treat this person, glorifying to God?"

"Am I seeking to build this person up as a brother/sister in Christ, or am I in this relationship to satisfy fleshly desires?"

"Am I tempting this person to sin and putting a stumbling block in their path by the way I act?"

"Am I concerned about protecting the other person's emotions or am I arousing their emotions in a dangerous way?"

Think about this; if you do not marry the person you are courting or dating, will the way you have treated them harm a future relationship they may have?

Your purity is precious. Exciting emotions and sensual desire is dangerous. Glorify God in your relationships.

With love in the Lord,

Virginia

God's Double Agent And Persecuted Christians

Hi everyone,
Recently our family read the book "God's Double Agent" by Bob Fu. This book is the amazing true story of a Chinese Christian. He was a "double agent" being a Christian and preacher in the underground house church and a teacher at a communist school. He spent two months in a Chinese prison for his faith. He had secret agents watching him. He and his wife had to escape from China because... well, you will just have to read the book to figure out why he had to do that.

Brother Fu now lives in the United States where he is founder and president of China Aid.

I had the privilege of meeting Brother Fu, last month at a conference we attended. We also had the privilege to have the Lord's Supper with him. We should honor such brothers in the faith, who have endured even prison for the sake of Jesus Christ.

For more information about our persecuted brothers and sisters, please visit China Aid and Voice Of the Martyrs. 

Visit www.vomadvance.com to find a Voice Of The Martyrs conference near you, where you can learn more about what our brothers and sisters go through as they strive to serve God in their countries.

This is a very good song which was written by Gilbert Hovsepian, a Christian from the Middle East whose father was a martyr. "Send Me Out"
This is another song entitled "I Forgive You" also written by Gilbert. He wrote it to those who killed his father. Gilbert himself was also persecuted for his faith. May Gilbert's testimony of forgiveness serve as an example to all of us. May we love those who persecute us, pray for them, and realize that apart from the saving grace of God, we too would still be dead in our sins hating God.

I realize I said that we should love those who persecute us, implying that we will be persecuted. Some may object but this is the teaching of Scripture.

"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,"

2 Timothy 3:12

"Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours."

John 15:20

One thing that is to be considered is this: Are you following Jesus Christ in such a way that the world identifies you with him, and thus hates you because you are so closely acquainted with the God they hate, whose Word they despise? If not, then examine yourself and beg God to conform you more to the image of His Son. 

May we all seek to be so close to Christ that the world knows that we love Him, and that we are willing to lay down our lives for His sake, and let that be the thing that makes them hate us and persecute us.

Christians around the world are sitting in prison, being tortured and killed for their faith in Christ. These are your brothers and sisters. Will you let them suffer in silence? Will you let them serve alone? 

Pray for your brothers and sisters, pray for their persecutors, pray that God's kingdom would expand through persecution.

"the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church" 

~Tertullian

"Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body."

Hebrews 13:3

With love in the Lord,

Virginia

A Call To The Government Of The State Of Maine To Abolish Abortion

Hi everyone,
Below is an essay I wrote for the Government of the State of Maine to call for the immediate and complete abolition of abortion in my state. Consider writing to your own government officials urging them to abolish abortion in your state.

Check out this resource from End Abortion Now. This is a great tool for contacting your legislators about abolishing abortion.

Here is my essay:
"To the respected members of the Government of the State of Maine,
My reason for writing this essay to you, is to urge you to consider the issue of abortion.

For over 40 years our country has suffered from the effects of the well known court case Roe vs. Wade. The case of Roe vs. Wade should never have come before the Supreme Court. No one should even think about whether it is a woman's “right” to murder a child. The Court's decision in Roe vs. Wade was errant and as a court decision it is only binding in that one case, it is not a law that is to be blindly followed by the entire country over 40 years later. The Supreme Court cannot make laws. Since Roe vs. Wade was decided, over 60 million children have been murdered by abortion. That is over 60 million children in America, who are endowed by their Creator with the unalienable right to life, whose innocent lives have been taken, without due process of law.

I am an abortion abolitionist. I believe that these children are persons with the same rights as any other citizen of the State of Maine and of the United States of America. They have dignity and value as human beings, and they are deserving of the full protection of the law. It is my hope to lay out for you in this essay a moral, scientific, and legal case for the abolition of abortion in our State.

Moral
As our founding fathers believed, everyone is endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights among which is the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. All human beings are created in the image of God. No man has the right to destroy a fellow image bearer. In our country we have laws against murder in most cases, but there is an exception for unborn children if their mother chooses to abort them. My case is that this is an absurd situation. Since all human beings have the right to life given to them by God, and since, as we shall see later, a child is a human being at conception, it follows that anyone who willfully takes the life of an unborn child is as much a murderer as the person that kills an adult human. In our country we have said that the willful killing of an adult is murder, but that the willful killing of an unborn child is merely a “ woman's choice”. May I point out that no person in their right mind would accept a woman's “choice” to murder her husband, but they fully support her if she chooses to have her child dismembered by abortion. This is inconsistent.

Scientific
At conception a new human being is created, separate from both it's mother and father. As the American College of Pediatrics says: “The American College of Pediatricians concurs with the body of scientific evidence that corroborates that a unique human life starts when the sperm and egg bind to each other in a process of fusion of their respective membranes and a single hybrid cell called a zygote, or one-cell embryo, is created.” (1)

Since, at conception the child is a unique human life, the only thing that is different between that child and an adult human is, 1) Size, 2) Level of development, 3) Environment, 4) Degree of dependency. As we examine the differences listed above, we see that these are not legitimate reasons to discriminate against unborn children and deny them the right to life. Both of the first two points, size and level of development, could be applied to a 3 year old child. The reasoning would be like this: A 3 year old child is smaller and less developed than an average adult, therefore we should have the right to kill them. This is absurd and should never be considered. Looking at number 3, your location does not determine your value as a human being. The last point is degree of dependency. Most people do not believe that we should kill a person who is dependent on insulin, or an oxygen tank, or a person who is on life support. I hope that it is clear that we should not discriminate against any person for the above reasons.

Legal
Now we look to the legal case of why unborn children have the same rights as other citizens. We look first to the Constitution of the United States. In the 14th amendment it states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

In the case of Jessie Livell Phillips vs. State of Alabama, the Supreme Court of the State of Alabama stated: “Today, this Court adds Alabama's capital-murder statutes to the growing list of Alabama's, and other states', broad legal protections for unborn children. In so doing, we affirm once again that unborn children are persons with value and dignity equal to that of all persons.” (2)

All human life is worthy of protection from the point of conception. We cannot deny equal protection of the laws to certain humans based on arbitrary standards. It is our duty to uphold justice and to defend the rights of the poor and needy. Today in our culture, many unborn children are at risk of death. They are vulnerable and it is our duty to protect them.

The Declaration of Independence states: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

The reason governments are instituted among men is to secure the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Sadly our government is not protecting those rights but instead have made it “legal” to murder unborn children. When our government perverts justice and fails to fulfill the goals for which it was ordained, we as a people have the right to abolish or alter it. Will our government stand up and fulfill it's obligation and enforce justice for all it's citizens?

Abortion procedure
A D&E abortion procedure is performed by a medical professional inserting objects into a woman's body and brutally tearing a live human being limb from limb and crushing their skull. They then take the baby's body and reassemble it on a tray. You can affirm this fact by reading the testimonies of doctors who have performed abortions. Abortion is murder and it is inhumane. I hope you are fully disgusted by the fact that children in your State are being murdered by these methods.
You can also find pictures of aborted children on http://www.createdequal.org/

Conclusion
As we have seen the moral reason that we must protect human life because it is created by God, the scientific reason that human life begins at conception, the legal reason that all persons are deserving of equal protection of the laws, and the truth of what abortion actually is, what must we do with this information?

My call to the government of the State of Maine, is to abolish abortion. I do not ask that you regulate the murder of children by making a pain-capable ban on abortion, banning only dismemberment abortion and still allowing other methods of murder, or by instituting a heartbeat bill which only prevents the murder of children at a later stage of development, or merely regulations that only limit the number of children that are murdered. What you must do to uphold justice and to protect your citizens is to fight for the complete and immediate abolition of abortion by any means from the point of conception on!

From conception to natural death, all human life is precious. It is your duty to protect these children! Stand for the law. Stand for life. Stand for justice! Children are dying in your State. What are you going to do to stop it?"

Sincerely,
Virginia Cowperthwaite, age 15
Thomaston Maine

Footnotes
(1) https://www.acpeds.org/…/position-statements/life-issues/wh…
(2) https://law.justia.com/…/al…/supreme-court/2018/1160403.html

With love in the Lord,

Virginia

East Coast Tour: Harvard Square And UMass Boston With Pictures.

Hi everyone,

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week our family joined Scott Smith and the East Coast Tour for a couple days of street preaching, and we had a great time! We met up with Scott, Mike Stockwell, Robert Gray, Don Karns, Scott's son Brendan, and Tom Mammen on Wednesday at Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachussetts.

After we all got together Scott, Robert, Brendan and Tom went over to the Harvard campus while Mike and Don stayed and preached at Harvard Square. We stayed with Mike and Don and were able to pass out tracts. I was able to talk to one girl as well. Don had a heckler who got up and shouted about Donald Trump and other things. There was even a girl dancing. Even those who try to mock the Gospel message can draw a larger crowd of people who can hear the truth of God's Word through the preaching. 

After a while the other men came back from the campus and a couple of them preached at the Square as well. I got to meet "John" who I think is actually a girl, who the guys knew from another campus. There are certain people that have absurd beliefs but are okay with it. Like "John" thinks that before humans existed the universe could have both existed and not existed at the same time and in the same way. These people need Christ. As my brother in Christ would say, "Jesus did not only die to save souls for eternity, he died to save reasoning now". "John" has some Christian literature, please pray for her salvation. 

On Thursday everyone except Tom went to UMass Boston. It was a crazy day. Different men preached throughout the day from the stone ledge on campus. I passed out tracts and we were able to have many conversations. One of my conversations was with a Muslim boy and two other boys. This was my first time doing campus ministry. I had a great time but sadly I do not have much opportunity to have conversations like that so I can still use practice. Questions such as, "Why did God make us if he knew we were going to sin?" One person used the analogy that I was a teacher, and if I knew that no matter how much I studied with a student they were going to fail the test, why did I even give to them? An objection came up that the Bible had been rewritten multiple times. One boy showed me a supposed contradiction in the Bible. These are some of the things you encounter when doing street ministry. Daddy came into the conversation after I had been talking with the Muslim boy for a while, but he had spoken with Scott and Mike previously and just didn't like the Bible's answers to his questions. 

One of the boys, Greyson, asked if I was okay, if anyone hurt me. I told him I was fine, I was not part of a cult. That I had men who loved me and would protect me. Why do people think that since I go out to do ministry with my family that I am abused? The people I need to fear are the worldly people who attack Christ's messengers. We will hear about them later in this post. Mommy and Daddy were both able to talk to lots of people as well. We met one Christian girl that was very nice, and we even got some pictures together. 

We had some police around and a huge crowd, probably up to hundreds of students at a time. The more people that hear the preaching the better. There were some people yelling, and some who were opposed to the Christian's presence got mildly violent.

Mike was up on the ledge preaching and two people jumped up behind him and one of them dumped water on Mike, hence the wet shirt. The other person poured water on the team's signs and literature. At another time a girl jumped up on the wall and put her hand on Mike but did not push him or anything. The police had her move away. Someone else was led off by a police officer after she spit something towards Mike. Another person threw packages of Skittles up on the raised area that we were on. The crowd at one point moved closer and the police ended up standing near the preacher. Here is a picture of Robert with his "bodyguards". We are very thankful to the police for their work. Some people tried to put papers on one of the signs with stickers but the police officer took them off and put them somewhere else.

Daddy had a large group of people that he was talking to. 

Someone tried to steal the team's things but Robert got them back. We had what looked like some police cadets around along with other officers. In the end I think we had 12 or 14 police. Yesterday was the first time that I walked away from the preaching spot followed by police officers. It is a new experience when you are walking into an elevator and the police are around and then you get down to the next floor and they are there to continue walking with you. They walked with us down toward our cars. Like I said, it was a crazy day.  

We had a great time and the Gospel was proclaimed. We learned some of what these brothers go through as they preach at campuses like this. We knew some already but yesterday was another example of the total depravity of man. One guy had written a sign with things that I will not even bother to repeat here. These people need the Gospel and sadly there are not many Christians that will stand up and preach it boldly. I am not saying that everyone has to be a street preacher, however WE ARE ALL COMMANDED to PREACH THE GOSPEL. We are not given an option, it is a command. If you do not preach the Gospel you are in disobedience against God.

Yes, people are willing to hurt God's messengers and there can be an element of possible danger as described above. However that is not often and we cannot use our fear of what man may do as an excuse to not obey God. Christians in other countries face imprisonment and even death for preaching the Gospel, yet they still do it.What are you afraid of, that someone might look at you funny or think you are strange? Or in the weird situations, are you afraid that someone will scream at you or pour water on you? Persecution is part of being a Christian. Those who are persecuted for their Christian faith are blessed. Think about it this way, are you more concerned for your physical safety and your feelings, or about the souls that are dying and going to Hell and the command that was given to you by your God? 

"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age'.”

Matthew 28:18-20

Do not be afraid to be a fool in the eyes of the world. Paul the apostle challenges Christians to be willing to be a fool in the eyes of the world in order to be wise in Christ.

"We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute."

1 Corinthians 4:10

Be an ambassador for Christ!

"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."

2 Corinthians 5:20

Myself, Mike and Robert. These brothers are faithful ministers
of God and it is a privilege to labor alongside them.

So what are you going to do this week to preach the Gospel to the world? Pray for these brothers as they continue to go out and labor in this world. Pray also that they will continue to have access to college campuses.

With love in the Lord,

Virginia

September 11th and God

Hi everyone,
This is a video of my dear sister in Christ Angela Braxton. She still suffers from physical challenges from 9/11/01 and yet she still goes out on the streets to preach the Gospel to the lost. What is your excuse for not preaching the Gospel?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cryzjnZJFes&feature=share

With love in the Lord,
Virginia

Care Net, Pro-Life Or Pro-Choice?

Hi everyone,
As many of you probably know I am very passionate when it comes to the abortion debate and I do not like when people claiming to be Christians undermine the issue of abortion and seem to treat abortion as a valid option for a pregnant woman. One organization that seems to treat abortion as something other than the murder of a baby is the National Care Net Organization. From here on when I reference Care Net I mean the National Organization not one specific center.

Some people may disagree with my position expressed herein but please know that I am not speaking in ignorance, I have taken a course put out by Care Net entitled "Pro-Life 101" I have read Care Net literature and I will link to a Care Net video. I also just signed up for another online course that they offer. I have written to someone from Care Net and to someone from the Pregnancy Decision Line. The man from Care Net did not answer my questions in one email and I am still waiting for a response to my recent email. The person from Pregnancy Decision Line never responded. This is not just an issue with Care Net. Too many pregnancy centers do not treat abortion as murder. We are not the only ones who have noticed the problems with the modern pro-life movement. If we truly wish to abolish abortion we must do more than take a back door approach. We must be bold in our message.

Here is a quote from Care Net in their material titled "Guidelines for Life Advocates Ten Things Not To Do When A Woman Tells You She Wants An Abortion". You can read the whole thing here.

Number 4 says: "A good Life Advocate recognizes that the pregnant woman is in a challenging situation and may be emotionally vulnerable. Manipulation is never an option. However, all of us benefit from being aware of the distinction between speaking persuasively and being manipulative. According to the Oxford Dictionary online, manipulate is defined as "to control or influence (a person or situation) cleverly, unfairly, or unscrupulously.” Effective Life Advocates avoid potentially manipulative tactics like overemphasizing abortion procedure terms, exaggerating abortion risks, or introducing words like kill or murder. Instead, remember how Christ reached out toward us in love before we knew we needed Him. It is always best to pray before it’s your turn to talk, even if its a quick silent prayer. Ask God what He wants her to hear from you. Ask Him to reveal the root cause of her decision to abort and trust that He will empower you to present the truth in the most loving and compelling way possible. Remember, according to Romans 2:4b, it is God’s kindness that leads people to repentance."

Realize it says that introducing words like kill or murder are potentially manipulative tactics. The issue with this is that abortion is murder and if you truly love the pregnant woman and her baby you will tell her the truth. Just think that if a woman has an abortion that will mean death for the baby and keep that at the forefront of your mind when talking to a pregnant woman who says that she is considering abortion. Remember to speak in love, but remember that though you can speak things out of love for a woman, she may not perceive it as love. However a person's wrong perception of what love is cannot prevent us from speaking the truth.

Part of number 9 says: "No matter how much we love someone, we cannot force anyone to do what we think is best for them. How does that transformation come about? Only through the power of the Spirit. As we behold something greater than ourselves (see the bigger picture), we are renewed. As a Life Advocate and a person she trusts, you are uniquely positioned to help her see the bigger picture. Don’t break that trust by short-circuiting the transformation process by telling her what to do. True transformation can only come from within her as God works on her heart."

I agree that a change of heart can only come about by the power of God's Spirit. However we have the duty to rescue those who are being taken away to death and to hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. (Proverbs 24:11) Why is it wrong to tell a woman that she should not murder her baby? While we cannot force the mother to do something, we must tell her that abortion is wrong and is not an option to be considered.

In this video from Care Net "Abortion or Baby: Before You Decide" realize that they are saying that you can have an abortion OR you can have a baby. When you have an abortion it is aborting a baby. If you are pregnant you have a baby already, in most cases the woman had a choice whether or not to engage in activities that could cause the formation of a baby. A woman's right to choose ends where the baby's body begins. Whether you have an abortion or deliver the baby, there is still a baby involved.

In describing the abortion procedures they use terms such as fetus and the video seems like it could have been produced by Planned Parenthood. They say things such as that a surgical abortion "will end a pregnancy by stopping the growth of your fetus and removing it from your body." They do not use the term baby. At one point they say "body parts". They list risks of abortion but they also list challenges of parenting.

"The fetus is suctioned out." In later abortions "the Fetus has grown too large to fit through suction tubing." In later terms of pregnancy they say that it is possible for the fetus to survive outside the mother's body "The law requires that the doctor must make sure that the fetus is no longer alive before it is removed, this is done by giving an injection to stop the fetal heart before proceeding with the remainder of the surgical abortion."

At one point in the video they say "Now let's talk about having a baby" as if when an abortion takes place there is nothing happening to a baby. It merely ends a pregnancy, it is just a fetus. Not so. If a woman has an abortion she has murdered her child.

"If you choose to continue your pregnancy, your body will stay on it's natural course through the birth of your baby". See, when talking about abortion they call the child a fetus or other things but not a baby. But when talking about the decision to not have an abortion it is now a baby. The child is called different things depending on whether we are talking about murdering it or nurturing it.

I am not the only one who thinks that this video sounds like a pro-choice video. This was in the comments section of Care Net's video:






Realize people are saying that it is so nice to see a "pro-choice" video. Is Care Net actually so against abortion that they are willing to call it murder, or are they presenting it as an option so much so that people think that their video is pro-choice?

We as Christians in America must stand up and call abortion murder. We must obey the command to rescue those who are being taken away to death. We must stop treating woman who have abortions as victims but instead as murderers. We must realize that babies lives are at stake. I know that God alone can save, but we must also do as we are commanded and do our duty to be a voice for the voiceless.

Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Proverbs 31:8-9
Are you willing to love your pre-born neighbor as yourself? Will the American Church sit by as babies are murdered in our nation or will we actually open our mouths, give of ourselves, and do as we are commanded?

The issue of not seeing abortion for what is truly is, does not only affect other people. I myself need to realize the full weight of what is going on. May God make us all more aware of the reality of this holocaust and may he make us warriors in this battle, both at home in prayer, and on the front lines.

Remember that while it is important for us to cry out for the protection of these precious image bearers, the primary goal is to preach the Gospel. The only way our nation can be truly changed is by people's hearts being changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Preaching the Gospel is primary, saving babies is secondary and if someone is truly saved by God they will no longer have the desire to murder their children.

Go forth in Christ's name for the sake of His Kingdom and for the sake of your weak, defenseless, and voiceless neighbors!

With love in the Lord,
Virginia

Mormons

Hi everyone,
I know that I have not written a post for awhile now. As an update to my last post about Officer Bealls, since that day when our relationship seemed to be going so well, we have had a strained relationship. I do not know the whole situation behind the scenes of our relationship, but please be in prayer for her salvation.

A couple weeks ago now two Mormon missionaries walked down the sidewalk. Being that I cannot stand having Mormon missionaries walk past me without talking to them, I walked down to meet them. We talked for a little bit. Elder Kunzler and Elder Rice were planning to do a booth, the Book of Mormon Experience. One elder is almost done with his mission and the other one is only 6 months in. After talking for around 1 minute the one missionary said that I seemed to know a little about Mormons. He asked if I had any friends who were Mormons. I told them that the missionaries in our area would not meet with me anymore. When asked why I told them that I shared the Gospel with the missionaries and told them that Mormonism is false. After I told them that, the one missionary went on to tell me that there is a lot of confusion in our world today and that he is glad that we are doing what we are doing (being outside Planned Parenthood sharing the Gospel). They also liked our shirts that say "JESUS CHRIST IS KING!" I told them that they could come down on Fridays to talk and they took tracts and I told them that they could write to me. I have left them a message on their phone but they have not called me back. We will have to see what happens.

The missionaries in our area will not get together with me for a meeting. Caleb and Matthew were the missionaries that were here. They came once but then would not come again. I spoke with one of the other missionaries that is now here. Jaren talked to me once but after that I would call and they would not answer me and they would not return my message. I finally stopped calling on our home phone and used Daddy's cell phone. They answered. We talked and Jaren said that based on past experience and talking with Elder Petersen, (Matthew), that they would not get together with me for a lesson. Since then we have not spoken.

Mormons are a very interesting group of people. If you do not know how to talk with a Mormon things can be interesting because they use the same terms, Jesus, Salvation, Heaven, Repentance, they use the same words as Christians but mean very different things. If you do not know this you could think that we actually agree. For instance, a Christian and a Mormon can both say that Jesus is the Son of God. The Christian would mean that Jesus is the second Person of the Triune God. The Mormon believes that Jesus is the son of Elohim who is one god among many, and that Jesus is the spirit brother of Lucifer. Very different views described with the same words. When talking with Mormons you have to make sure you know what they mean when they use Christians sounding words.

I highly suggest James White and Jeff Durbin for resources on what Mormons believe and how to talk to Mormon missionaries. Both men have gone out to the Mormon Temple to witness to the Mormons there. I am just entering this world of witnessing to those of the LDS faith and let me tell you they have some strange beliefs that sound more like science fiction than a religion that people would actually devote their lives to.

Mormons believe that there are many gods and one day if you are a good enough Mormon man you can become a god yourself. They believe that there are 3 levels of Heaven. According to LDS theology we were all once spirit children of Elohim. There are many different things about Mormon beliefs that you can learn but one major issue is that of the nature of God. The Bible teaches that God was God from all eternity. (Psalm 90:2) Joseph Smith taught in the King Follett Sermon:

"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!"

"In order to understand the subject of the dead, for consolation of those who mourn for the loss of their friends, it is necessary we should understand the character and being of God and how He came to be so; for I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see."

"It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, and to know that we may converse with Him as one man converses with another, and that He was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ Himself did; and I will show it from the Bible."

Hopefully it is clear to you that the teaching of Joseph Smith in this sermon is contrary to the Bible. 

"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. " Psalm 90:2. Joseph Smith says that "We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see." That is clearly in contradiction to the Scripture. Joseph also says that the first principle of the Gospel is to know that God was once a man. Whereas in Christian theology it is clear that God was never a man. He has been God from all eternity. So when a Christian and a Mormon talk about "Heavenly Father" the god talked about by Joseph Smith above, who was once a man, is the true "Heavenly Father" of Mormonism.

While there are many things that I disagree with Mormons about, the nature and character of God is definitely a big point. Joseph Smith says it is the first principle of the gospel. Again, I am just entering this field of witnessing to Mormons. Please check out this Youtube page which belongs to Dr. James White. Alpha & Omega Ministries: Mormon  And these videos by Jeff Durbin, Jeff Durbin: Mormon 

Please be sure to pray for those of the LDS faith. Some of them are very involved in the Mormon Church. Their live the Mormon  life, it is more than just Sunday morning Sacrament Meeting. They believe in their works. As Romans 10 says: "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.  For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.  For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."

Mormons have a zeal for their god. The problem is their god is not the One True God. They seek to establish their own righteousness by their works. That is a sad life to live. They will never be good enough for God. They are dying in their sins. Will you love them enough to share the Gospel with these precious people? Some young Mormon men give up 2 years of their lives to spread the false gospel of Mormonism. Some young women give up over a year of their lives to do the same. That is commitment.

Christians, we could actually learn from their example. If they are willing to do that for a lie, what are you willing to do for the true Gospel? Are you willing to give up your time, your entire life, to serve the one you call King? Go forth with faith in Christ and love for the lost souls of the world! In Jesus' Holy Name. For He is worthy!

With love in the Lord,
Virginia