Children are a gift of God. And Abortion is MURDER.

Let me start this with saying: if you have had an abortion and regretted it, yes you allowed something horrible to be done, but God will forgive you. He is merciful, and just, and He will lovingly take you back into His fold, all you have to do is ask.

Now, if you read the news, I am pretty sure you know who Lena Dunham is. I distastefully call her a woman, she is not much of one, but God made her one so that settles it no matter how I view her. This disgusting woman, who wrote about an experience with her sister (Lena was 7, her sister was1) that sends chills up my spine (see link below) had the audacity to proclaim the following:

“Now I can say that I still haven’t had an abortion, but I wish I had.”

She was at an abortion clinic, a Planned Parenthood if you are wondering, and a young girl "asked me if I’d like to be a part of her project in which women share their stories of abortions,” Dunham said. “I sort of jumped. ‘I haven’t had an abortion,’ I told her. I wanted to make it really clear to her that as much as I was going out and fighting for other women’s options, I myself had never had an abortion.”

She has never had one but she wishes she had.

There is so much wrong with this woman I am not sure where to begin.

She goes onto say,
“And I realized then that even I was carrying within myself stigma around this issue,” Dunham continued. “Even I, the woman who cares as much as anybody about a woman’s right to choose, felt it was important that people know I was unblemished in this department.”
…“I feel so proud of them for their bravery, for their self-knowledge, and it was a really important moment for me then to realize I had internalized some of what society was throwing at us and I had to put it in the garbage,” she said.

I read Matt Walsh. He is a Christian Conservative who speaks on faith, family, politics, and much more. Much is tongue in cheek but there is a heavy dose of truth and wake up! He shared what Ms. Dunham expressed and has written a few times in the past two days on the matter.(see below again) The last he shared was on the stigma. How, yes, there is a stigma to abortion, and for those who feel there shouldn't be, shame on you. That stigma, that guilt, that is your conscience speaking. That is the Holy Spirit telling you that abortion is wrong.

The great thing about God is that He will never go away. Therefore the Holy Spirit will not go away. And the stigma of abortion will not go away. I watched earlier this year the videos of the abortionist discussing money for different aborted baby parts.

Over salad people were discussing how much money could be made by murdering babies, cutting them up and selling the parts.

Again, there are so many things wrong with that statement...

Psalm 139:13 (ESV)

 For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

God knit us in our mother's womb. That means created. And if you know a knitter, they love what they create, the cherish it. As does our Heavenly Father love us.

I am disgusted by Ms. Dunham. She needs prayer's ya'll. Her and those like her. Maybe we have lost our country and all we can do is pray. I know that Texas today moved forward to prevent Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicare money. That is a step. But these people do not give up. And they won't, they have been at this game for decades, and those of us of faith are behind, and not working hard enough to catch up.

I want to recommend a book to you. It will explain much of what is going on in our country (world), how it all started, why it is happening, and who is behind it. A lady who I admire, and her husband who has an amazing testimony, recommended this book to me. I finished it Monday. Now...it is not an easy read. It will make you mad, make you sad, and make you want to fight. Maybe if enough of us stand up we can fight back and take back our country. But if all we can do is pray, will you join me? Will you pray for the babies who have been murdered since Roe v. Wade? For the hundred of babies killed everyday? Will you pray for the misguided crusader's of choice who think that murdering a baby will make their life better....easier? And will you pray for the church to stand up, call abortion for what it is (MURDER), and to help the women who feel they have no choice?

I cannot wrap my mind around the pro-choice movement. I am not judging those who have had abortions and regretted it. But there are people out there that say their abortion was liberating, the best thing to ever happen to them...and all I can think about is how a baby was murdered.

In the past few days I have 2 stories of families who chose life. One is a family I do not know personally, but they are friends of a sweet family I know. The mother-to-be was told that her baby, the one in her womb, would not live to birth. At 20 weeks gestation, her baby, a girl, was diagnosed with anencephaly (see below). This family did not abort. They instead celebrated every week they had with that little girl. Cupcakes, crafts to remember a little girl who would not grow up. And that sweet baby hung around 15 more weeks until going to be with Jesus just a few days ago. Pray for that family please.

The second story I knew nothing about until I saw something on Facebook a few hours ago. I didn't even know that this friend from high school was pregnant (and I wasn't the only one). But apparently a test had shown something wrong with the baby. Her post today was along the lines of "don't kill your babies, tests can be wrong even when you are told they are 99% accurate, etc." Now, I don't think this friend would abort, her Facebook picture is a panda holding a sign that says "Save the human babies." And today she shared with the world that test was wrong, and her and husband will now be having a baby girl, after already having 2 healthy boys! Praise the Lord for her strength and faith in God. Reading her Facebook wall, it is full of praise, and people proclaiming an answered prayer.

That book, that I think all believers should read is called, "Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption Disguised As Freedom," by David Kupelian. Barnes & Noble and Amazon both sell it. After reading that book, I do have more of an understanding on how people have been sold that Abortion is a right and not evil. But my heart, that I have given to God, refuses to accept it.

Lena Dunham Article

Matt Walsh Article About Stigma of Abortions

Anencephaly Diagnosis

Where to find The Marketing of Evil

Time With Famiy

Did you hear?

I have the best job ever!

I am enjoying, since high school (12 1/2 years ago), two weeks off for Christmas! My new job has some great perks, let me tell you. A week off for Thanksgiving, 2 for Christmas/New Year, 1 week for Spring Break, and a handful of holidays. I work with a great group of individuals who all love the Lord, pray for each other, and enjoy simple fellowship. I feel so blessed.

This week so far I have: read 2 books and am on #3, hit up the gym early in the day, visited with my mom and little brother, and today as a family we all went to the zoo.

Oh the zoo! My kids had a blast. The weather was perfect, not exactly wintery, but hey, I am not complaining. I love cold weather, but the temperatures today insured we spent several hours outside enjoying life!

My wonderful husband with our kiddos 

My little man and I. He is my cuddler and sweet boy.

Proof that they can be sweet to each other.

 We had such a great time petting the goats, avoiding the chickens and seeing the animals moving around. Due to the great weather not many were inside the enclosures. They were lounging in the sun, pacing back and forth. And since many people were working there was hardly anyone there. In past trips we have continually bumped into people - not this trip.

After a few hours we came home. My husband had a few clients lined up for the evening so he wanted to rest. I packed the kids up and went to Chick-fil-A. They got ice cream (we are in Texas) and I got coffee. And let me tell you, the customer service was fantastic! At 3:00 they still had coffee and I wasn't expecting fresh brewed. Well the server gave me my cup and I thought that was that. A few minutes later a manager came over and said she was brewing a fresh batch and would bring me some out shortly. I told her she didn't have to, but thank you. And sure enough, no longer after she swapped my cup out. That was some good coffee! Once the munchkins gobbled up their cones I let them play in the play area. They giggled, made new friends, and went up and down too many times to count. And once we got home I unleashed them and the dog into the back yard. Swings, imagination, tossing the stick for our dog Lady, and lady bugs! My goodness, close to 10 lady bugs around our play-scape. They were lovely and the kids kept trying to grab them. Of all the bugs in the world, those are my favorite and I was tickled pink to see so many!

After a day of much activity neither child argued about dinner - left overs.

Do you know that leftovers are a blessing? Think about it. Leftovers imply so much:

• You have food and the means to prepare it.
• You have enough food to go around and then some.
• You have the means to save (refrigerate) your food.

This year has been tight for us financially, actually the past few years. But through it all I have seen God's hand. He has always allowed us to eat: through food we have prepared, donated meals, gift cards given as gifts, parents/family inviting us over for meals. God takes care of his people. And those of us in America, we have it good. And I feel we take it for granted. I know for one that we throw away many of our leftovers because we get tired of eating the same thing and the fridge needs cleaning. I saw a video yesterday about a lady in Los Angeles who went a month trash free. She only had a handful of scraps at the end, but it was impressive. It takes an effort and work to not waste. It has given me a few things to ponder.

But tonight my kids who are not really picky didn't even blink at their plate of hodgepodge leftovers. And both pretty much cleaned their plates. Normally I get a negotiation about amounts or how many bites, but after a day full of activity dinner was quiet. Little man tuckered out right after 7. I checked on him a bit ago and sweet boy was about to fall out of his bed. Him not being a crib was a smoother transition then I expected.

Abigail and I had a wonderful evening of drawing and games - her homework. Yes, I have my 4 year old "do" homework. But honestly it is just fun. We color, we read, we play games, we create. Sheis learning and we are bonding.

Round 2 - she won the first round.

The memory game was a birthday gift that we finally opened. Abigail really impressed me and I am sure we will repeat this over the next two weeks. Still can't believe my 4 year old beat me.

This time with family has been refreshing. And we have so much more to do. Christmas itself, New Year's day, both of which have church services. There will be time with family, Brock and I will divide and conquer and have fun individually with each kid, and hopefully we will manage a date night sometime soon.

I am thankful for this new chapter in my life. God has given me an opportunity that I never imagined having.

Merry Christmas!

No Santa...and other parenting differences.

"Abigail, are you ready for Santa to bring you presents?" Mrs. G. asked my 4 year old. Who in turn replied, "Mommy and daddy work hard, we don't get gifts from Santa."

The look on my friends face was one of horror.

We. Don't. Do. Santa.

My husband and I made the decision to not do: Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, or the Elf on the Shelf, before we ever conceived.

Now hear me out Christmas is my favorite holiday. My tree is up, I want a 2nd one even, I have wreaths up, Christmas oven mitts out, we bake Christmas cookies, and watch Christmas themed cartoons. I love the idea of Santa, even have a few ornaments on my tree of the jolly old guy. But, my husband and I do work hard, and if we give something to our children, we want them to know that it is because we worked for it.

Years ago I heard the story of Tim Tebow and his mom. She too did not do Santa, the Easter Bunny, etc. Her reason (and ours too): What happens when your child finds out the truth? Something inside them knows that you can lie to them, and to a 6 or 9 year old, being told Santa isn't real is earth shattering. That child will call into question what else have you lied about. And like Tim Tebow's mom, we don't want our kids to think that Jesus is a lie.

The look on my friends face is one I have seen before. I have had people look in me in the face and tell me I am mean, a Grinch, and that I have sucked all the joy out of the holiday's - just because my family has chosen to not do Santa.

Do I think my husband and I have taken all the joy out of the season? No. My children are excited, they have there 3 gifts from their parents under the tree. A box arrived from their great grandmother, and they cannot wait to open it. And just yesterday, our neighbor brought over a gift for each of the kids. The stash under the tree is growing. My kids are excited. And my four old will tell you, besides that we don't get presents from Santa, but that the reason we celebrate is Jesus.

This isn't just about the holidays, this is about different parenting styles. I have friends with grown children, grandchildren even, teenagers, elementary age, preschool age and even newborns. And not a single one of parents the same way. Some are fine with their 4 year old having a pacifier, others are mortified that their 1 year old still has one. Some are fine with their daughters having messages on their rear ends, not going to happen in my household. I have friends who have devoted their life to their children doing sports, all the sports you can imagine. They spend months with one team/one sport, then move onto the next. My daughter is 4 and will try t-ball in the Spring - after that, who knows. I have friends who on Sunday sleep in, eat a hot breakfast at home, and spend the day watching movies. My family is different. We wake, we dress then go to church for half the day essentially.

No matter the differences, there is one thing in common.

We are all doing the best we can, and believe we are doing what is best for our family, for our children. I might not understand why some of my friends do what they do, and I bet I confuse them at times with what we do. But at the heart of the matter, we do what we do because we love the little humans we have been blessed with.

So, when someone tells you "We don't do__________." Don't be mortified or feel you need to justify why you do "do ___________." Nod your head and say okay. And remember, life didn't come with a handbook (other than the Bible) and so for the most part, we are all winging life.

God bless!