Chewymom

The problem (the “elephant in the room” as Craig Schwarze would put it) is that the pro-life movement has failed - completely and spectacularly. Despite 30 years of protests, political action and even violence (albeit from a militant minority), western society has embraced abortion. Despite the efforts of the pro-life movement, support for abortion has increased since the early 1970s. While pro-life people argue and agitate to make abortion illegal, a considerable majority of people wish to keep it legal. Moreover, voting for politicians who support the pro-life camp has resulted in absolutely no change at all in abortion laws. For example, from 1994 until 2006, the US congress was controlled by conservative Republicans who had been voted in by the American people to enact conservative legislation - which included support from pro-life groups. Despite 12 years of congressional control (of which 6 years were spent under a conservative president who would not veto conservative legislation), Roe vs Wade was never repealed, abortions were not reduced and public opinion of abortion did not swing enough towards the pro-life position (if it swung at all).

One Salient Oversight argues (much more eloquently than I have attempted to do on here) that having a pro-life political stance may not be the best way to reduce abortions. He points out an interesting study that shows that countries where abortion is legal actually have lower rates of abortions than those countries where abortion is illegal. If you truly consider yourself to be in the pro-life camp, this is a must read post.

You all know the phrase, “knowledge is power.” Most of the time I agree with that. But sometimes that just doesn’t ring true.

Apparently Festus agreed with me. In Acts 26:24 it says, “That was too much for Festus. He interrupted with a shout: ‘Paul, you’re crazy! You’ve read too many books, spent too much time staring off into space! Get a grip on yourself, get back in the real world!’” Or in another translation, “Your great learning is driving you insane!”

I’m a member of a PCA church. When I first began attending a “reformed” church, my knowledge grew like gangbusters! It was refreshing and exciting for me, a young college girl who had been hungry to understand more about my faith that was growing in my heart. I soaked up knowledge like a sponge!

And yet, as my husband, who has a degree from Westminster Theological Seminary, would say, “We need to repent of our knowledge.” We in the PCA are SO PROUD of our theology!! There was a group of people in Jesus’ day who were known and exalted for their knowledge. They were the Pharisees. They had all kinds of facts rolling around in their whitewashed heads, but their hearts remained unengaged. How much better it would have been for them to be poor, ignorant tax collectors who were passionate about Jesus in their hearts!

Most people within the PCA absolutely adore their Presbyterian theology. And I can understand that! I understand many of their backgrounds, and I know they were starving for understanding! But now, that knowledge can come out as a dry list of rules and expectations, and the heart is squashed and ultimately stops beating altogether. Not just their hearts, but the hearts of those to whom they spit out this head-knowledge. As it turns out, this knowledge is power–just the wrong kind of power. It is the kind that puffs up, not the kind that empowers others to live joyful lives in Christ!

I am not advocating a life of sticking our heads in the sand and refusing to learn theology. Goodness knows, my theological understanding of God’s sovereignty has gotten me through many rough times, from receiving the diagnosis that Brig has Down syndrome to the every day challenges of managing a busy household with five children. But if you find yourself getting excited about the knowledge you carry in your head, you need to examine your heart. Is it warm or cold? Are you soft and tender toward Jesus? toward sinners? Do you recognize that you are in the exact same position as those “tax collectors” (or drunks or financially irresponsible people or promiscuous teens or fill-in-the-blank)? Do you really understand the message that you are just as needy as others and that Jesus is just as compassionate and tender-hearted toward them?

If you can answer that yes, you are soft and tender toward God, and that your heart beats for him, then your knowledge is not taking you out of the real world or driving you insane. In fact, it is probably the firm foundation that your heart stands upon in times of need. But if you know and recognize that your faith is all about godly discipline, rules, and head-knowledge, then I would say knowledge isn’t power for you. Knowledge is killing you. Or at the least making you out of touch with the real world, or as Festus would say, “insane.”

About a year ago I made a bold move. I admitted to a small adult group from my church that I had [gasp] voted for a candidate who was not pro-life in the previous presidential election! This was quite a shock within this group. I’m not sure that anybody in our church has ever voted for someone who was not pro-life. Almost every car (er rather large SUV) in our church parking lot has a “W-The President” sticker on the back. If not that, then they have “S-The Coach.” As in Saban. University of Alabama.

One of my friends was quite alarmed at my statement, and said, “Wait! Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!!”

So anyway, I clarified to this group that I am adamantly pro-life. I have a son with Down syndrome, and 90% or more of all prenatal diagnoses of Down syndrome end in an early termination. That offends me. And I want it to stop. But I no longer think it is a reality that a presidential candidate is going to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Yes, he (or she) may be able to appoint pro-life judges. But what then? If they overturn Roe v Wade, do you not think the congress will turn right around and re-overturn it? Or that the backlash in the next election will result in a president and representatives who will set into place a more permanent proclamation of this “women’s right?”

In my opinion, the most likely way to change opinions on abortion is one person at a time. My son hopefully does that all the time. He is a testimony to the fact that people with Down syndrome can have meaningful, fulfilling lives. That as children and teenagers, they are not a burden. I mean, sure there are struggles. Hard ones! It’s a pain in the butt to juggle the therapies when they are young. It is challenging to manage behavioral issues when they have limited communication abilities. It is a headache to fight with the IEP teams. But believe me when I say that my oldest son is not the only child who has presented me with parenting challenges. My middle child has spent significantly more time at the hospital than my oldest, what with his chronic ear infections, bacteremia, multiple broken bones, and concussions. My youngest has thrown far more temper tantrums and been much more of a discipline challenge than my oldest. Etcetera.

But back to the topic. Babies. Abortion. And elections. I am almost sick of hearing about Iowa, but I have to admit that I was tickled to hear about Obama’s big win in the Caucus last night. I really, really like this guy!! I find myself nodding and grinning and agreeing wholeheartedly when he speaks. And yet, I’m not sure my acquaintances in my little southern town with their “W” stickers are ready to hear that. And I’m not sure I am ready to defend it yet. And that’s where I hope you can help out.

And by you, I mean the two of you who are still checking in here, what with my lack of blogging for the last several months.

Those of you who are personally opposed to abortion, but who are inclined to vote for a non-pro-life candidate…how do you reconcile the two? How do you intelligently discuss your views with people who are single-issue voters? I’d love some ammunition input.

Here’s a version of Jesus’ birth that you likely won’t find in most church services. It is more raw, more violent, more real than most of the passive nativity scenes lovingly placed upon our mantles. But it is the story, nonetheless. Read this account taken from Revelation 12:1-5a

A great Sign appeared in Heaven: a Woman dressed all in sunlight, standing on the moon, and crowned with Twelve Stars. She was giving birth to a Child and cried out in the pain of childbirth. And then another Sign alongside the first: a huge and fiery Dragon! …With one flick of its tail it knocked a third of the Stars from the sky and dumped them on earth. The Dragon crouched before the Woman in childbirth, poised to eat up the Child when it came. The Woman gave birth to a Son who will shepherd all nations with an iron rod. Her Son was seized and placed safely before God on his Throne.

My friend Molly over at Adventures in Mercy asked me to do a guest blog spot on my parenting journey. Quite a while ago, I might add. I finally spit something out–a process that was not easy as is evidenced by the lack of new posts on my own blog. I’m very honored that the ever popular and thought-provoking Molly would ask me to put something on her blog! Go check it out!

I have been the lame blogger of the month for November. I was finishing up my Microbiology class, which has been killer-hard. And then it was a year ago that my mother was declining rapidly and ultimately passed away on December 6th, so I have had lots to occupy my mind and my time in what is also known as the “real world.”

Yesterday I arrived at church feeling a bit less than prepared for worship, but hoping to meet God in a real way during the service. We opened with the Christmas hymn, “Once in Royal David’s City.” Not one of the more common hymns, but one I have sung quite a bit. This time I guess I really paid attention to the lyrics. And I got mad. Here is the third verse:

And, through all His wondrous childhood, He would honor and obey,
Love and watch the lowly maiden, in whose gentle arms He lay:
Christian children all must be, mild, obedient, good as He.

Um, ok…where’s the gospel in that?? It sounds like something straight out of Gary Ezzo’s Growing Kids God’s Way (or On Becoming Childwise or whatever the latest version is called). Why do we bury our children under the weight of this garbage? Our children do not have to be as good as Jesus! Unless we want to teach them that they do not need Jesus–that Jesus was just a nice man that we ought to imitate. That’s all wrapped up in a neat little package, and it makes life easier for Mom and Dad…”Just be a good as Jesus, dear!” But it is NOT the gospel.

The gospel says you are not as good as Jesus. Life is hard, and you will struggle. You want your own way and to do your own thing. Life hurts you, you lash out. Here’s the good news. Jesus knows all about that. His friends betrayed him. He got punished when he did nothing wrong. He gets it. And he also knows the Heavenly Father’s perfect love. He offers that to you, in your weakness and flesh. He came to give you life! Do not worry that you are not perfect–you cannot be. Don’t straighten your life out first–come straight to him, as you are, and lay your cares upon him. He is good!

And thankfully, that was the sermon message that countered the anti-gospel that was presented in the hymn.

Now I’m off to rip hymn #225 straight out of my Trinity Hymnal….Not really, but I’m tempted to pull out a Sharpie and fix the words or mark out that verse, at least.

We opted out of our church’s Reformation Day party this year. To my knowledge, this is only the second year our church has held one, and interestingly it is not really advertised other than bulletin inserts for about a month before the date. I appreciate the love of the adults planning the party–they adore the children in our church and want them to have a good time. But I have to ask, what is the purpose of a Reformation Day party? And how does that mesh with a missional church? And does it place unnecessary pressure upon the children (and adult and teen helpers) to give up an activity that they might otherwise participate in, and that might provide opportunities to meet neighbors?

Our family has gone through a personal transformation in our view of Halloween. You can read about it here, but we have gone from hiding in our house, pretending Halloween didn’t exist, to attending church festivals, to trick-or-treating. We have looked forward to trick-or-treating this year. When else can you wander the neighborhood, knock on doors, and chat with the neighbors without appearing odd or too forward? When else do neighbors pour into the streets, knocking on your door, and poking their heads in to introduce themselves? I can’t think of another time!

Some people may live in less-than-friendly neighborhoods, and I know that would present a challenge. But in the context of being part of a church that claims that it wants to reach out to our neighbors and friends, and ultimately to the city, some creativity may be needed. And in my opinion, that creativity does not come in the form of a Reformation Day party that is advertised only within the doors of the church. That is called insulating yourself against the neighbors and whatever you view as the evils of Halloween. If your neighborhood is not trick-or-treater friendly, perhaps you need to find a few neighbors and join forces to have some games and a bouncy contraption in the front yard. Or invite some neighbors over for a dress-up party! Or try to find a few houses with the lights on, knock on their doors, and then go to a nearby neighborhood.

I realize that some churches have a huge outreach-oriented party, and that is great! Some churches in our town do as well. It might be interesting to take a poll and see how many of the families that attend are from your own church, and how many are from outside of the church community. If you find that your church is not truly reaching out to others, and if it is your desire to meet, get to know, and ultimately reach out to your neighbors, then I suggest showing yourself to be friendly and interested in them. And what better time to begin that than on a holiday where your visit is welcome?

Here is my trick-or-treating gang:

DS9 and two friends went as the Blue Man Group:

And then DD5 and her daddy went as the Princess Bride and the Dread Pirate Roberts:

A great time (and buckets of candy) was had by all!

A couple of weeks ago, Brig got a big surprise in church. As our pastor was preaching, he called out to Brig and asked him a question. Brig turned bright red and answered, and then he heard our pastor use him as a sermon example. The text our pastor was preaching through was Genesis 30:25-43. Read this transcription of this sermon excerpt and be encouraged!

God in His wisdom writes stories, that though, like Jacob’s aren’t what we plan–aren’t what we expect–often are disappointing and often are hard, turn out better that we would have ever planned it. Turn out better than we would have ever written.

October 27th. There’s something happening on October 27th! Brig, what’s happening on October 27th?

Brig: My birthday

Your birthday! It’s Brig’s birthday on October 27th! Seventeen years old….You know, there’s something about Brig. He’s special. You know, you look at Brig, and he displays the image of God in a way that’s different than the way that you and I will ever demonstrate the image of God.

When you and I meet people, we’re categorizing. Where do they fall socially? Where do they fall economically? Where do they fall popularity-wise? Brig simply meets people. That’s a lot closer to the way God meets people.

When most of us are expecting children, we have something in mind. If we’re expecting a son, we’re thinking a better ball player than Lebron James. As handsome as Ben Affleck. As smart as Albert Einstein, and as great of a leader as Rudi Giuliani. You know, I look around this room, and I see no one that is as good of an athlete as Lebron James. I see nobody that’s as handsome as Ben Affleck. I see no one that’s as smart as Albert Einstein; particularly not rolled up in one package. But who would rewrite the story? Who would rewrite the story? No one! Brig’s story is better than any we would have written! Our children’s’ story is better than any we would’ve written. It’s not what you plan, but God gives you something better.

And you see, it’s that way with all of our disappointments. Right now, some of us are in the midst of hardship we can’t imagine–we never imagined would happen. We’re experiencing difficulties that were never on our radar screen and that seem bigger than we can handle. We wouldn’t write it that way! But you see, God is wiser than us, and He is writing a story of our lives that’s better than any we’d ever write.

We have friends who are living overseas. Here is a story they shared with us of a conversation between the dad and his six-year-old son:

The morning was quiet, and the old city streets were almost deserted. This morning, as we wound our way through the maze everything was still except for this conversation I listened to between father and son…

Son, commenting on seeing a poor unkempt woman sitting on the street: “Daddy, why is he sitting there?”

Dad: “Well, honey, first of all that is a she, not a he, and she doesn’t have a home to live in. She is homeless.”

Son: “How does she get food?”

Dad: “People give her food.”

Son: “Do they ever give her money?”

Dad: “Yes, sometimes people give her money too so she can buy food to eat. (Pause…) … Do you think we should give her something?”

Son, looking up into Dad’s face with grave sincerity after a long quiet moment: “How much does a house cost?”

I am interrupting your regularly scheduled Down syndrome posts to blog about something else. See, I told you Down syndrome doesn’t dominate my life! I wrote this email to a few of my precious friends, and I decided to make it into a blog post. Here it is.

I got some “me” time on my back porch this morning with a blanket, a latte, and my Ipod. I was feeling quite spoiled! I was listening to a song that has been one of my favorites for a long time, and I was pondering why this song moves me like it does. the song is “Sing to Jesus” by Fernando Ortega. Here are the lyrics:

Come and see, look on this mystery
The Lord of the Universe, nailed to a tree
Christ our God, spilling His Holy blood
Bowing in anguish, His sacred head

Sing to Jesus, Lord of our shame
Lord of our sinful hearts.
He is our great Redeemer.
Sing to Jesus, Honor His name.
Sing of His faithfulness, pouring His life out unto death

Come you weary and He will give you rest
Come you who mourn, lay on His breast
Christ who died, risen in Paradise
Giver of mercy, Giver of Life

Sing to Jesus His is the throne
Now and forever,
He is the King of Heaven.
Sing to Jesus, we are His own.
Now and forever sing for the love our God has shown.

Sing to Jesus, Lord of our shame
Lord of our sinful hearts.
He is our great Redeemer.
Sing to Jesus, Honor His name.

Sing to Jesus His is the throne
Now and forever,
He is the King of Heaven.
Sing to Jesus, we are His own.
Now and forever sing for the love our God has shown.

Y’all, when I think of Jesus as Lord, I tend to think back to my own “salvation experience.” I professed faith in high school because some sweet baptist friends told me terrifying tales of hell. A few years later, through a Keith Green memorial concert, I realized that I was only in it for whatI could get, but I wasn’t willing to follow Jesus and let him be Lord.

This song puts a whole new twist on “Lord.” Is Jesus “Lord of my shame?” “Lord of my sinful heart?” I think of him as Lord of my goodness, of my obedience, of my mind. But of my shame and sinfulness? It’s a big whammy of a reminder to me that he loves me IN my sin and shame, not in spite of it, not peering around it to find the good. But IN it. Wow. Join me today in singing to Jesus–Lord of our shame and our sinful hearts. He IS our great redeemer!!!