How To Say It

What if you were asked to tell a buddy a truth that was good for him? Would it make you feel good? Would you be happy you told him?

What if you needed to tell a friend the truth, and it was dreadful for him? Would you feel miserable? Would you be heartbroken for him?

Doctors give news too often. They tell some there is no spot on their lungs. No cancer to condemn them. To others they report the spot is on their lungs, it is cancer, and they have only a short while to live.

Truth is paramount. How we react depends on us. Telling a friend good news is easy. Telling a friend bad news is always hard.

How should a surveyor tell a land owner his land was inaccurately mapped years ago?

How should a judge order a parent to release their child to the other parent?

How should a policeman tell parents their child is in the city morgue?

How should a groom tell his fiancée he is breaking off the wedding?

Joseph was a ‘trustee’ in prison. Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker were sent to his prison. Both men had dreams. Joseph, through God, interpreted the dreams. Joseph had no trouble telling the cupbearer the truth of him getting his job back within three days. But how did Joseph tell the baker his news? The sad truth was the baker, within three days, would lose his head, and his body would be feed to the birds.

I struggle here. I am a person with a big, deep voice. I am often misinterpreted as harsh and uncaring. When delivering unpleasant news, I lower my voice and over-compensate with analogies, stories, etc., in an attempt to be gentle. Instead, I am misunderstood and do poorly at expressing unsettling truth .

Do I need to be sober-minded and gentle?

Gentleness is good. Jesus was gentle. Church leaders must be gentle. A gentle and quiet spirit can win a mate to Jesus.

What about being sober? Again, church leaders are to be sober. Young men are to be sober (levelheaded). All Christians are to be sober.

When bad news must be shared, Jesus’ disciples will be gentle and rational.

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What else might help?

Have you got a story of telling someone bad news? Would you share it with us?

Use the comment section to help us complete this post.

Putting Things Together

(Writer’s Note: This is the final installment of this series. Putting Things Together and Everything Does Not Fit sections are vastly incomplete without reading Abortion, Mom And Dad Are Going To Kill Me, I’m Not Ready To Be A Parent, and Better Ideas. So you can completely understand this post, please, please, go back and read the first four. Thank you.)

Let's summarize this mountain of information into some simple statements. Each statement is general and not intended to be an absolute.

1. Abortion is the willful choice of a pregnant woman to “induce” the “termination” of the pregnancy causing the death of a living human.
2. Abortion is the “slaughter” of human life.
3. Abortion carries the intent to “deprive” life from a very tiny human.
4. Abortion LEGALLY cannot be murder, due to Roe v. Wade.
5. Abortion MORALLY is murder. It is the premeditated willful choice to “slaughter” a living unwanted person.
6. Abortion is not miscarriage.
7. Abortion is selfish and is contrary to God's principles. It considers the life of the unborn as less important than self. 
8. Abortion is against God’s principle to protect ongoing life.
9. Abortion rejects sacrificial love, the kind Jesus demonstrated on the cross for you.
10. Abortion permanently rejects all options.

EVERYTHING DOES NOT FIT.

This subject brings me difficulty, a struggle. I like all ideas to have their cubbyhole. But not everything fits. Those ideas must be addressed individually.

How should a teenager with unloving or uncaring parents present pregnancy to them? I recommend generous quantities of prayer.

Becoming a parent is cause for anxiety, especially early in life. Gather information from reliable sources. Be patience. Provide time to think and determine good resolutions. Preparing for childbirth can remove fears. Planning offsets uncertainties. Improve your relationship with God. Use prayer to reach out to Him who answers.

I recently heard of a woman who discovered she had cancer. It was bad. Then she learned she was pregnant. She, after some thinking, determined NOT to take chemotherapy. She thought more of the baby than herself. She died a few weeks after giving birth. The infant and the siblings now are with a single-parent father, but they are loved. Was this the best decision? Do you disagree with her decision?

What about a single woman who considers abortion a method of birth control? Is she right or wrong? What could you tell her to alter her logic?

Through amniocentesis, genetics can be determined for an unborn child. What if your fetus will have Tay Sachs, Muscular Dystrophy, Spina Bifida, Blooms Syndrome, Down Syndrome, or Fragile X Syndrome? What if you know your child was going to suffer with Glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency (caused by mutations in the G6PD gene), Klienfelter Syndrome, Huntington's Disease  or Turner's Syndrome? What then?

A friend reminded me of their salvation. Some problematic children, such as those with severe autism will never understand what sin is. They will never fight the battles against sin you and I face. They are not accountable. Their salvation may be easier than anyone.

When discussing these ideas with another trusted colleague recently, we determined three approaches worth considering:

1. Since amniocentesis can alert you to these problems, don't let the doctor stick you with that long ugly needle.
2. Since you can know in advance, use prayer and education to prepare yourself for working with a problematic child.
3. Pray, Pray, and Pray some more. We may not know answers, but He does.

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This is the final installment on the subject of Abortion. Thank you for reading. I hope it makes the subject more clear for you.

Below are the previous posts, in order, for your reference and reading. I suggest you read, and re-read as often as necessary. God bless you.

Abortion

Mom And Dad Are Going To Kill Me

I’m Not Ready To Be A Parent

Better Ideas?

Better Ideas?

(Writer’s Note: Better Ideas will reach it’s impact unless you have read the first three posts in this serices. Please take a few minutes to read Abortion; then Mom And Dad Are Going To Kill Me, and I’m Not Ready To Be A Parent. Thank you.)

I want you to review a principle of God. I believe a governing principle for society’s junctures, including abortion, must be love. But, what is love?

‘Love’ ranges from liking a brand of toothpaste to an erotic sexual experience. Love, as we will use in this post (and hopefully throughout life), will refer to the type of love that seeks only the best for the other person.

This is “agape,” the Greek noun for the loftiest love. When Jesus died on the cross for man’s sins, He demonstrated what was best for us – “agapao” (the verb form). Yes, Jesus loved men when he healed their paralysis, cured their leprosy, or resurrected the dead, as in the case of Jairus. But in laying down His “life for his friends,” He exhibited the greatest love.

Sturdy Christian love treats others as they themselves would demand to be treated. The 'Golden Rule'  is found in Matt 7:12. Jesus affirms the consummate law is to love God supremely. The second is closely connected – love your neighbor (others) as you love yourself.

This sacrificial love solves many abortion issues (my opinion).

If you love yourself, will you put your soul in danger of eternal hell? The loving God is also just. He is all-powerful and all-knowing.

If love is established as our life-guide, will we do what is best for the child? Or will self dominate? Here is what might result:

1. Become a planned adoption mother. Use trustworthy adoption agencies to communicate with families wanting children. Maybe a family would help with medical expenses as you ‘grow’ their child. Is this an 'accidental' surrogate mom?
2. In a case of rape, complete the pregnancy. At birth, have him/her placed for adoption.
3. If pregnancy is outside a legitimate marriage, briefly visit a relative in a distant town. Complete the pregnancy and put him/her up for adoption. Then return home from an 'extended vacation' with Auntie M.
4. As pregnancy length increases, the chances the mother or father will keep the child grow. Attitudes change with time and a supportive family. Why put the child up for adoption if he/she is loved?

I do not advocate marriage between the 'accidental' parents. Marriages based on an 'accident' fail often. Suddenly, there is a single-parent raising an infant.

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What ‘Better Ideas’ can you add? I know what I have is introductory, not exhaustive. Please share with others your additions.

If you have not do, please read the first three posts in this series.

Abortion

Mom And Dad Are Going To Kill Me

I’m Not Ready To Be A Parent.

The final installment will be posted soon.

I'm Not Ready To Be A Parent!

(Writer's Note: To understand this post best, your are urged to read "Abortion," and "Mom And Dad Are Going To Kill Me."

Becoming a parent implies a new life is about to begin.

Our next factor, in abortion, does not contradict what God has said: When Does Life Begin?

Most of your life you have believed that 1 + 1 = 2. It is a fact of mathematics, but is not necessarily true in biology. In biology, the equation is 1 + 1 = 1 + 1 +1. (Now you need to be either scratching your head in confusion, or saying 'Huh??') The equation is easily understood after bringing to mind the facts.

1.      One female egg is present. The egg is capable of exhibiting life processes such as cellular respiration (taking in oxygen and sugar to produced energy, water, and carbon dioxide).

2.      We ADD one male sperm. It, too, is capable of exhibiting life processes such as cellular respiration. This completes the left side of the equation.

3.      The RESULTS find a union of egg and sperm forming a one-of-a-kind, unique cell with its own distinctive DNA. This new cell is, like its parents, capable of life processes such as cellular respiration and CELL DIVISION. Cell division is indicative of growth, another evidence of life. It will continue dividing until it forms a blastula, then a gastula.

4.      This new entity came from one ALIVE female cell and one ALIVE male cell. As union occurred, it made a new LIVING cell. It never was, nor will it ever be inanimate or a non-living creature.

5.      Eventually the unique creature will be spontaneously removed from the female by her hormonal prompts created by her body. The female will give birth to another LIVING creature similar to both male and female parents.

So, when did this creature's life begin? Essentially, all cells come from pre-existing cells. I submit this new creature’s life began when God created man in His own image.

Why raise this question? Many individuals espouse the new cell (discussed above) was NEVER ALIVE. Therefore it cannot be killed. I see two problems with this logic.

1. On a lighter note, the person presenting this was never in MY CLASSROOM! He does not know the fundamentals of the CELL THEORY, especially number 3. It says, “All cells come from pre-existing cells.” Ironically, people claiming the new cell was “never alive” came from a similar LIVING new cell.
2. Life does not come from non-life . The truism was demonstrated by F. Redi, J. Needham, and L. Spallanzani. It was empirically proven by Louis Pasteur in 1864. He concluded, “All life [is] from life.”

You began as a single cell. You (and those who purport abiogenesis) were ALWAYS ALIVE.

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If you have any biology questions, please leave them here. I will answer them as soon as possible.

Have you considered your life as having a starting point, but no ending point?

To review this series, click on any link below:

Abortion

Mom And Dad Are Going To Kill Me!

Mom And Dad Are Going To Kill Me…

“Mom and dad are going to kill me…”

Statements like these point us beyond definitions to our next factor: selfishness.

Selfishness

A third factor looks at a biblical concept: selfishness. Every case at the beginning of the post is indicative of selfishness. All the statements point to one person’s reckless impulse for something,  You find no concern for how it affects others.

The New Testament uses the word ‘selfish’ only four times. The references are: Galatians 5:20; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Philippians 1:16 and 2:3. That is it. Strong, known for his many word definitions, said the Greek word is “found before the New Testament times [being used] only by Aristotle, where it denotes self-seekers pursuits of political offices by unfair means. Paul exhorts Christians to be one in mind of Christ, not putting self forward, being unselfish (Phil 2)” Putting one's own interests before the interests of others (selfishness) is diametrically opposed to Christianity. Christians place the needs of others before themselves, just as Jesus did.

A fourth factor, also biblical, is what God has said regarding these key words previously defined.

Individuals with immoral behavior are lead to “death,” and they do not “regain the path of life,” according to Proverbs 2:18-19. In the New Testament, James wrote how ripened sin “brings forth death.” All sex outside of legitimate marriage is called fornication. Fornication is a sin. When men participate in sexual 'adventures' with a woman who is not their wife, they sin (fornicate). The consequence is death. A woman has a 'fling' with a man who is not her husband. She, too, is fornicating, sinning, and a death will follow.

When God spoke of killing in the Old Testament, He was plain. “Whoever kills.... shall be put to death,” Leviticus 24:17 says. Exodus 21:14  says premeditated killing should not happen. Exodus 23:7 directly says the Jews were not to kill the innocent and righteous.

Murder is a stronger term and is employed frequently. The Old Testament writings expose God’s view of murder. In the 10 Commandments, Exodus 20:13 says people should “not murder.” This is echoed in Deuteronomy 5:17. Anyone using implements, stones, or wood to kill “shall surely be put to death,” according to Numbers 35:16-18. The New Testament, under which we live, declare a higher criteria for living. Matthew 5:21-22 reports Jesus saying “You have heard you shall not murder...But I say to you whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” In Mark 7:21, Jesus indicates the heart produces evil thoughts, adulteries, fornication, and murder. Paul is clear in Romans 1:28-32. Those who “do not retain God in their knowledge,” He has given them over to do unfit things, including sexual immorality, wickedness, and murder. People living this addiction are “haters of God... violent, ...unloving.” Galatians 5:21 indicates murders will not “inherit the kingdom of God.” Murderers will not go to heaven. Peter tells his audience no Christian should be spoken of as a murderer (1 Peter 4:15). Why would Cain murder Abel? John’s answer is because his works were evil (1 John 3:12). Three verses later John adds hating our brother makes us murderers. Finally, in Revelation 21:8, murderers are grouped with the sexually immoral. They will be in the second death (sent to hell).

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What would you like to add to selfishness?

Do you have an example or a story of selfishness? Please, share it here. Click on the ‘comments’ link below.

For the first post on abortion, click here. The third installment will be posted shortly.

Abortion

"Mom and dad are going to kill me when they find out.”

“I'm not ready to be a parent.”

“We already have too many children. We can't support any more!”

“It's only birth control.”

“Let's abort it while it is still tiny, and it won't hurt. It will hurt when it gets big, and I have to give birth then.”

“He raped me. I don't want any part of that man. Get it OUT of me, now!”

Abortion has divided our country. It should not. One grouping believes it is a 'thing' – not living, and definitely not a person. Discarding ‘IT’ from their body is like removing their appendix – no harm, no foul. The other body disdains the former grouping and believes anyone who aborts is killing a person and is doomed to hell.

In this series of posts, I wish to examine multiple factors influencing opinions and decisions, recommend a better idea, and then, summarize.

FACTORS

To discuss abortion necessitates examining key terms. All parties must consent to common definitions in order to discuss this divisive force intelligently.

What is abortion? Merrian-Webster Dictionary defines abortion as “The spontaneous or induced termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus.” The key terms in the definition are spontaneous, induced, termination, and death.

Webster says Death is “1: the end of life. 2: the cause of loss of life. 3: state of being dead. … 5. slaughter.”

The verb form of Kill means “1: To deprive of life. 2: to put an end to. Synonyms: slay, murder, assassinate, execute.” The noun form is defined as “the act of killing.” In killing, there is an implied direction, an intent.

Murder, as a noun, is defined as “1: the crime of unlawfully killing a person esp. with malice aforethought...” The verb form states, “1: to commit murder: also: to kill brutally  2: to put an end to  ….”  By strict definition, abortion cannot be murder. Why? It is not “unlawful.” Due to the decision of our highest court, in Roe v. Wade, it is not unlawful, and therefore not a crime against the state.

We are NOT talking about MISCARRIAGE. The same dictionary defines miscarriage as, “spontaneous expulsion of a fetus before it is capable of independent life.” Many women have miscarried their desired child. It is radically and fundamentally unlike abortion, where an “induced termination” is desired.

Connotation of Abortion

Another factor is the connotation of 'abortion'. Connotations are not found in dictionaries. It is that commonly understood meaning. The commonly understood meaning of  'abortion' is a willful choice based on incomplete information, a premeditated decision and action to remove life from an embryo or fetus.

An “induced termination of a pregnancy” cannot occur unless the female first learns she is pregnant, then follows with the “death of the embryo”, or “slaughter” of the “fetus.” Did you see the sequence? How much complete information was present? First, she learned of being pregnant, then decides to cause the death of the organism. This implied meaning, or connotation, indicates there was a WILLFUL CHOICE to “induce termination” of a living organism.

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What could you add to the definitions and applications?

Can the Connotation of Abortion be expanded? How?

Please add your comments by clicking the link below.

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If you would like to read more, please click this link for the next in the five-part series.

Never Give Up!

Have you ever been fortunate to be your father's favorite?

Have you ever been belittled because you were the beloved? Don’t give up.

Ever battled your brothers? Don’t give up.

Did they toss you in a room with no way out? Ever been pitched in a deep hole? Don’t give up.

Ever had a brother trade you to a transcient merchant? Don’t give up.

Ever been traded by a transcient to an owner in a territory that talks in a different tongue?Don’t give up.

Joseph was the beloved boy, putting him in peril. But the Lord was with him.

The brothers dispised him. They hurled him in a hole. They sold him to foreign traders traveling to Egypt. They sold him as a slave to Potifer..

Genesis 39:2 begins with hefty words of hope. “The Lord was with him…”

If the Lord was with Joseph through the troubles, I know he will strengthen me for the small struggles I have.

So be like Joseph.

NEVER give up!

NEVER give up!

NEVER give up!