by Sue Forde | Nov 24, 2020 | Observations, Patriotism, strength
A famous quote from Thomas Paine from the book “The Crisis” (1776) talked about the tyranny in his day from the English King, who was taxing the American colonists to the point of poverty, and where freedom was limited to what he, the King, determined it was.
There are certain liberties that come only from God – among them, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our founding fathers and the patriots of that day put their lives, their own liberties and their livelihoods on the line to resist the tyranny and bring those individual freedoms to this beautiful land. We have the words of the Declaration of Independence and our Constitutional Republic as a result. (more…)
by Shauna Millar | Mar 29, 2019 | General, Observations
When does life begin? That is a debate, that for many, has been going on for decades. As a believer, if you fully believe the word of God as it is written, then you may say that life begins in the womb or at conception. However, at various times in the Word, we are told, “I knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb…” (Jer 1:5) and you were set apart.
What do you believe? How do we encourage others to share this belief? We can’t force our beliefs onto another person. You can’t force someone to change their mind. You can force the illusion of someone changing their mind. Only God knows what is in our hearts. We can’t force change on other people, we can make a change in ourselves. Knowing this, how do we stand firm in our faith and beliefs and share with others what we know to be true?
Often we come across a crisis of faith; teetering on the edge of what we believe and if it is strong enough for us to stand up for it and against what we know is wrong. Yet, so many people falter when it comes to this moment of truth. When someone falters it is not our job to stand in judgment, but to help guide them back toward the light by not only sharing the truth with them but being a beacon of light as well. There are some people who are so firm in their adverse ideals, that they will not be swayed by words, but it will be our actions that bring them to the truth.
Unfortunately, once again, our country has reached a crossroads where life is not being valued. We have become desensitized to abortions; the number of which happen during a day is outstanding. The argument becomes “a woman has a right to choose”. While this is true, a woman does have a right to choose. She also has a right to choose not to become pregnant (baring outstanding circumstances which must be recognized due to the vast number of criminal activities that take place in not only our country but our world.) However, I firmly stand against a woman’s right to choose to use abortion as a method of birth control. I stand firm against late semester abortions simply because suddenly someone changes their mind and no longer wants the child.
If you have gone so far as to carry a child to full term, then why not use another acceptable method of removing the child from your life, adoption. The number of families out there who desperately want a child and for various reason are unable to have one on their own, is outstanding. It probably comes close to the number of abortions that are happening. Adoption is not only a viable option, but it is a life-giving option. One that saves a child and helps create a family.
The number of births every year is dropping at a vast rate. Not only here in the U.S. but in other countries as well. (See Germany’s birth rate as an example.) There will be nations that will disappear simply because children aren’t being born. I realize some people may applaud this idea; since some firmly believe that the world has become overcrowded. Yet, murdering innocent children is not the way to attain this ‘goal’ that some may have. When you could give the gift of innocent life, that would be cherished by other parents, rather than destroy that same life; what has this world become when this is what people would rather do?
You have a right to choose what to do with your body. Do you have a right to choose to destroy an innocent life simply because you didn’t choose birth control? When there IS another option open to you? Again, I recognize, that in some extreme cases (such as rape) someone may choose not to keep the child. Remember, that life is appointed by God. There is a reason that things happen.
I would like to encourage you to take a stand for life. Think before you act. Pray. Seek God’s wisdom. Stand firm in your believes. Know that you are loved. Someday you will stand before your maker; are the choices you are making ones that you are willing to be held accountable for?
by Sue Forde | Jan 21, 2019 | encouragement, Observations
When I was a little girl, we used to go outside and play with the neighbor kids – games like Hide and Seek and Kick the Can. We lived in a small town, and all the kids close by knew one another, and looked forward to the play time. As we got a little older, we’d roller skate down the street, and ride our bikes all over town. We weren’t afraid that someone would try to kidnap us, and our lives were innocent. Life was simple. Boys were boys, and girls were girls. We went to church every Sunday. I had a mom and a dad.
God was removed from the schools in 1963. I was a sophomore in high school, and we still followed the moral practices of the society our parents had grown up in.
As I got a little older, society began to change. It seemed like a subtle change, little by little, and folks were busy with their lives, so didn’t really notice it as it was happening.
Music was one example. It went through a transition from the innocent songs and big bands of the 40s to Elvis and the Beatles in the 60s, then heavy metal and hard rock in the 70s and 80s. At the same time, drugs came on the scene. We were taught in school to stay away from drugs, as they would destroy our lives. Meanwhile, the popular bands openly used them, and those who placed those bands and entertainers on a high level, followed suit. Today, we see the results of that growing problem, with so many lives affected by the drugs they depend upon – and the loss of lives.
The welfare state came into existence, taking the initiative away the necessity of having a two-parent family, and the “State” took a parenting role. The interest in God, family and church gave way to a more hedonistic society, where women became independent and getting ahead at work became more important than raising a family. Kids became “latch-key” with babysitters instead of moms. Of course, there were exceptions – there are always exceptions, thank God – but society as a whole was in flux, moving in a direction that saw increasing violence and crime, less or even no respect for the elders, and a sexual revolution that ignored the admonitions of God and the Bible.
Boys and girls began to dress alike. There was a move toward “unisex”. Over time, boys were no longer “boys”, but could define themselves as “girls” or a myriad of other things. Abortion became a norm in 1964, too, after the Supreme Court upheld Roe V Wade. As a result, the population began to drop. Society was changing, and not in a good way.
Innocence died, as the public schools began to teach “sex education” at a very early age when kids should be playing with toys and be ignorant of such things.
I’ve been on the planet for a while, and I’ve seen these changes happening – and many more – with my own eyes. Has this been happening as a natural progression, or has it been orchestrated by some force?
The light-heartedness of days past is gone. It seems that everyone with whom I visit is depressed about the direction our society has taken and can’t see any way to reverse the trend. Sometimes I feel that way, too – when I look around and see what’s happening across our nation and the world.
When these feelings come, I remember what it used to be like, and am grateful that I got to live in that time. I share those times and the reason we were innocent and more carefree then with anyone who will listen, especially younger folks.
There are others who have been through these changes and understand what I know to be true. Our nation was founded on principles based in God’s Word, and we have gone away from those principles. If we are ever to experience the joy that I and others of my generation did, we will need to get back onto the right path. First and foremost, we need God back in our lives and our communities – and to reinstitute those principles. That happens when individuals get involved in their communities – whether it’s politics or community organizations – to bring those ideals back into the spotlight and act upon them. It happens when men and women marry and raise a family together in a church that emphasizes those biblical principles.
So, a word of encouragement: when it feels like nothing is going right, and the everyone in the world is against you, offer up a prayer to the God of Creation to give you strength, wisdom and the ability to take some kind of action to bring about a societal change that will return joy and innocence.
