Burn Baby Burn

Who says the Burning Bush is done? Today the Bush Administration released the draft of a regulation that would define pregnancy and when pregnancy begins. Specifically it would define the most widely-used forms of birth control as ABORTION. This ignites a blazing fury of debate because of it’s implications for those seeking to establish “personhood” as beginning at conception.

I’m not sure of it, but it sounds like this was possibly influenced by the ruling of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals that recognized the SCIENCE defining a fertilized egg as a “human being.” The new regulation would define abortion as

“any of the various procedures - including the prescription, dispensing and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action - that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation.”

Critics are quick to attack this calling it Bush’s final effort to block women’s right to choose. Already Pelosi and Feinstein are calling for the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary to reject the draft. What’s profound is that the President doesn’t need approval to enact the regulation. It could be revised, rejected or the President could just put it into effect by his own prerogative.

The regulation also exposes the problem of forcing health care workers to cross personal moral barriers. It would increase the rights of conscientious objection. The White House said the administration “has an obligation to enforce” that right and is “exploring a number of options.”

The Wall Street Journal Article

No doubt the debate will heat up even more. My prayer continues to be that God would drive abortion like a wedge into the 2008 elections. I believe the soul of the nation is at stake. When it comes to the candidates, I say “I don’t need a savior. I already have one.”

Please pray for Michael Leavitt the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Doesn't Red and Blue make Purple?

Have fun coloring the United States. Trick is, you only get two crayons–red and blue. Test your political prediction prowess by guessing which way each state will go. Watch the electoral vote counter shift with each whimsical (or serious) prediction.

Another Milestone

In February of this year, the Senate passed a Native American Apology (authored by Senator Sam Brownback). This came with much prayer dating back to 2003 when God led our company to walk the Trail of Tears as an act of intercession to identify with injustice. That Apology is now stalled in the House.

Yesterday the House passed a resolution apologizing for Slavery and Jim Crow. This is extremely significant. There have already been states that have issued similar apologies, but it was imperative that it come from the federal government.

God has spoken to us clearly concerning the three streams of innocent blood that have flowed into and fueled the demonic strongholds of the nation.

1. Injustice to the Native American
   
2. Injustice to the African American
   
3. Injustice to the Unborn
   

Each one of these must be cut off. The Christian native american leaders have instructed us that the only thing required to sever the ties to the past is an apology. No reparations–no payment for damages. Just a big federal “I’m sorry.”

That’s exactly what this Slavery Apology does as well. There has been fear about these kinds of resolutions because they could open the door to endless lawsuits demanding restitution. This Apology is crafted to go to the root which is to deal with the “misdeeds” and not the “lingering consequences.” I love it that God has used a white man representing a black majority district to bring this forth.

For the full text of the Native American Apology go here and search S.1200.ES.

For the full text of the African American Apology go here and search H.RES.194.EH.

These Doors Will Stay...(to be continued)

Yesterday marked the first official day that Planned Parenthood of South Dakota was required by law to inform a woman seeking an abortion that it ended the life of a separate unique living human being. PP had challenged the law on the basis that it infringed on the doctors freedom of speech, but the 8th Circuit Court determined and ruled overwhelmingly that it was not unlawful to require them to tell the truth. Truth? Yes, truth. The court found the genetic research presented was profoundly convincing evidence, and also stated that Planned Parenthood presented no evidence to the contrary.

So what does this mean for Planned Parenthood of South Dakota? Yesterday their defiant doors were supposed to be open for business ready to honor the law. The photo of the banner is from 2006 when they challenged an abortion ban passed by the state legislature. The Bound4LIFE South Dakota team was there early to pray yesterday. They watched as the morning appointments began to show up, but the doors never opened even though there was a sign on the door stating they planned to close early at 3 PM. Apparently they also refused media access that wanted to report on their compliance to the law.

Monday’s are typically busy days even though there are no doctors in SD that will perform abortions–the abortion doctor flies in from Minneapolis. MN has been exporting death to SD for years. The first young woman that showed up for her abortion yesterday morning was left in the parking lot confused even though there were two staff cars parked in the lot. Surprisingly she came out to the sidewalk to talk with our Bound4LIFE chapter leader to see what was going on. It was an emotional conversation as our leader pleaded with her not to take the life of her baby and make a decision she would regret. The young woman sat in her car with her boyfriend for a while crying and eventually left. Four more appointments showed up and were forced to leave as well. Clearly Planned Parenthood is demonstrating here that their utmost concern is for the well-being of the women, right? WRONG!

Of course the parking lot is the safest place to be when Planned Parenthood is concerned.

So it’s anybody’s guess what was going on yesterday. Perhaps the doctor is protesting the law by refusing to come. Maybe the lawyers are the ones holding up the doctors. Not sure, but one thing is for certain–Planned Parenthood is desperate and scrambling to hold together what shredded pieces of their facade are left. That thin veneer of prettiness is starting to look a bit tattered.

Truth will prevail. From our beginning it has been declared that we are created in the image of God. Abortion strikes at the very image of God. Why does Planned Parenthood want to suppress the truth that is being revealed through genetic science? Why do they say that women should have the ability to make their own choice but then not give them all the information to make an informed decision?

“Finally, this biological information about the fetus is at least as relevant to the patient’s decision to have an abortion as the gestational age of the fetus, which was deemed to be relevant in Casey. See 505 U.S. at 882. As a result, Planned Parenthood cannot meet even the less rigorous requirement to show a fair chance of prevailing, much less the more rigorous requirement applicable here to show that it is likely to prevail, on the merits of its claim that the disclosure required by § 7(1)(b) is untruthful, misleading or not relevant to the decision to have an abortion.” (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, No. 05-3093, pg.19)

Listen folks, it’s because Planned Parenthood is a business and makes a ton of money from selling death. This 501(c)(3) non-profit makes hundreds of millions of dollars each year from the killing of innocent babies. The bloodshed must end. It’s unjust gain.

Either we will cooperate with the Lord in ending it, or He will do it for us. Make no mistake.

Thank God for the Bound4LIFE South Dakota team that has maintained an ongoing prayer siege at this clinic for two years. I believe they are in the early stages of reaping what they have sown in sacrifice.

Haven’t made the satellite photo yet...yet

Look up Washington DC on Google Earth and click the option to show stock photos. You’ll find some nice shots of all your favorite DC monuments, but more importantly you’ll find a shot of “The Wall” in front of the Supreme Court.

It’s great to see a photo of Bound4LIFE among the collection of tourist images in the nation’s capitol. Labeled simply with the caption “LIFE.” Yep, that pretty much says it all.

Check the previous post “What if?” for a great anecdote about becoming a statue.

Flower Girl–Not Flower Child

Gracie looks like a princess today while Sam looks on. She's the flower girl for Kim's brother's wedding. She's very excited about dressing up for real this time. The outfit just wasn't complete without the tiara. She is disappointed however that this getup doesn't include her patented cowgirl boots.

Exit Row --->

In the likely event that no meaningful blog posts appear please refer to the Twitter column to your right.

Oh, the Places You'll Go

Pre-dawn coffee in Indianapolis, IN.

Breakfast in Charlotte, NC.

Lunch in Boston, MA.

Dinner in Salem, NH.

Today, Kim and I are the jet setters.

Always a Crowd Pleaser

Word of advice: Nobody calls Buzz Aldrin a coward. He’s choked bigger men than you. So take your “moon naysaying” elsewhere.

Intercessory Hat-Trick

“Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. Still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues.”
-Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God

At the end of the day these three remain: faith, hope and love. I’ve been pouring over Brother Lawrence’s wonderful little book for the last few days. It’s so easy to find yourself in the place of a “goal oriented” life. The beauty is that He is the goal. He is the end. It doesn’t matter what you do with your day, whether you’re washing dishes or tearing down demonic strongholds, the overriding aim is intimacy with Him–to commune with the Lord. He has made faith, hope and love our means to that end.

Faith pleases God. (He 11:6)
Hope does not disappoint. (Rm 5:5)
Love never fails. (1Co 13:8)