Remembering is a Good Choice

What is it that You Will Choose to Remember This Day?

We all remember the scenes of devastation and sorrow. 

Do we remember the love? Do we remember the kindness?
Do we remember the humanity and the selfless service
of those who gave their all to save a stranger?

After 9-11, individuals and families all across our nation
chose to remember God and to remember Country.
Is that a choice for you today?
Are you still attending your Church?
Are you still displaying your flag?
Do you still have hope
for yourself, your children, and our Country?

The Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance.
Are we remembering to express gratitude to those we love,
to our family and friends?
Are we remembering to show kindness to strangers?
Are we remembering to give thanks,
praising God, and giving Him the glory?

We can choose to see evil every day,
because it is here and we can see it.

We can also choose to see love every day,
because it is here and we can be a part of it.
We can create it.

We clearly mean it when we say, “We will never forget.”
But what exactly is it that we are choosing to remember.
Will our memories make a difference to us?
Will our actions make a difference for others?

We can’t forget the insidious actions of hatred
that have taken innocent lives, on 9-11 and throughout history;
and how those cruel deeds caused pain and damage
to loved ones that is ongoing. 

But do those actions make a more indelible mark 

on our souls than the goodness that is witnessed 

during those very times? 

Light always shines through, 

and our choices can make it overpower the darkness 

in our own hearts, minds, and lives.
With that light,
we can make a difference in the lives of others.

Jesus is the Light of the World, 

and it is only through remembering Him 

that we can experience everlasting peace and everlasting life.

He died for all humanity, 

our failures, our mistakes, and even our hate.

He lives for all of us, too. 

He is the Way. He is our Bread. He is our salvation. 

Through Him our lives can again have meaning and direction. 

With His love, He provided hope for all. 

His invitation is, “Come, follow Me.”

Do we remember to find ways to 

recognize and remember God’s kindness?

What will you choose to remember today?

A scripture verse:

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the
rock of our Redeemer,
who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation;
that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea,
his shafts in the whirlwind,
yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you,
it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built,
which is a sure foundation,
a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

Helaman 5:12

A message from an apostle:

O Remember, Remember

Joy Comes in the Morning

This life is indeed a period of testing. Like Mother Eve said, “Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient” (Moses 5:11). Sometimes that testing really pushes us beyond what we believe our limits are. Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ are not impaired with limits or by our limits; and, with Them we can experience joy in the morning; not just in the millennial day, or in the resurrection, but every day (see Psalm 30:5 ).  

Last evening was full of pain and sorrow. It was also full of faith and love. I'd like to thank the brother from the ward who came to give my daughter a blessing along with her Dad. I'd like to thank the man in the lobby of the ER, who saw my distress in the long wait for her to be admitted; who asked if he could pray with me, then grabbed my hand and said a heart-felt faithful prayer of hope and healing; and then he helped increase our faith by sharing his testimony and personal experiences of deliverance found in Jesus Christ and His word.  I'd like to thank the many people who have blessed our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren with their goodness.

I would also like to thank the loud lady in the ER, who was distressed and alone, and just wanted someone to share her grief, pain, and sorrow. In taking the time to talk and pray with her, I had the opportunity to extend the Savior’s faith and love to another, just as others had done for me and my family all evening.

My daughter was at that limit last night. Her pain was so severe. And yet, because of the faith and love and kindness of those already mentioned and all those others who are supporting us with their prayers; because of Jesus’s infinite intercessory prayer, and because of our Father’s great love for all of us, her burden was lightened, her pain was eased, and she found rest; long before she was given the IV fluids with pain medication.

I just finished reading President Nelson’s conference talk from October 1986. What a hopeful message of joy he shared with his own family, to the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and which is still being shared with anyone in the world who would like to read it, who loves to find joy in the morning. Here’s the link: Joy Cometh in the Morning.

I Would Exhort You: Guidance Found in Moroni Chapter 10

I finished reading The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ last night. This book I have read multiple times. When I read Moroni chapter 9 a couple of days ago, I felt the Spirit of truth with me as I read, perhaps in anticipation of Moroni’s promise in chapter 10; perhaps because we still have hope even though we are living in troubled times like Moroni did.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are keenly aware of Moroni’s promise:

 3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye   should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

        5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye      
        may know the truth of all things.

We have put these words to the test and know that they are true; and we like to share them with others, so they can also pray and know for themselves. They are important verses. They are so important that Moroni uses the word exhort. In other words, he strongly urges, petitions, admonishes, perhaps even begs us to give heed. We need to remember that he is not writing to his family and friends; they have all been lost in battle. He is writing to the descendants of his enemies; and he is writing to us, here and now in the 21^st Century.

In these few verses, Moroni has a strong desire that we will read his words and the words of the other writers found in The Book of Mormon. He hopes that we will have gained an understanding of God’s love for us and feel His mercy in providing us with these sacred truths. He petitions us to pray, to ask our Heavenly Father in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and that if we do so with faith in Them, we will receive an answer to our query through the power of the Holy Ghost, as He warms our hearts and speaks peace to our souls. He then lets us know that this is a pattern by which we can discern all truth.

That’s wonderful. This is true. But it is not the end of Moroni’s testimony to us, nor is it the end of his exhortation.

Last night I continued reading the chapter with the familiar verses about God’s goodness and our need to develop faith, hope, and charity. But when I read verse 30, I had to pause. I looked up the cross reference to “touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.” I then looked back at the earlier verses to gain context. A careful reading of the entire chapter is most beneficial. I would exhort you to read it.

Read Moroni Chapter 10

In verses 6 and 7, Moroni establishes that things that are good are also just and true, and that every good thing testifies of Jesus. He then reminds us that we can know of Christ’s existence and goodness through the power of the Holy Ghost, and that this requires faith on our part. Here’s another admonition:

          I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God                     (vs 7).

Moroni wants us to believe in Jesus and in our Heavenly Father. He wants us to believe that the Holy Ghost still speaks to the hearts of men and leads them to truth. He knows that we are on shaky ground if we deny this. He reminds us that God loves us today as well as He loved His children in former days. That God does not change and that His truth remains.

We receive a new exhortation in verse 8:

8 And again, I exhort you, my brethren, that ye deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God. And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men, to profit them.

We live in a day of unbelief, yet Moroni tells us to be believing. In verses 9-18, Moroni specifies certain spiritual gifts. In verse 17, he tells us:

17 And all these gifts come by the Spirit of Christ; and they come unto every man severally, according as he will.

The gifts are from Jesus, and He is the One who gives them to us at His discretion. They are given to bless us, and we use them in turn to bless others.

In verse 18, we have a new call to action:

18 And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that every good gift cometh of Christ.

We cannot take personal credit. We need to be humble. We need to remember from whence and whom our blessings come.

In verse 19, he reiterates that God does not change and that His gifts will ever be with those who are believing and faithful:

19 And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that all these gifts of which I have spoken, which are spiritual, never will be done away, even as long as the world shall stand, only according to the unbelief of the children of men.

In verses 20-30, Moroni expounds on the need for us to have faith, hope, and charity. As we exercise these principles, the gifts of God will be abundant in our lives. If we do not feel the power of the Gifts of the Spirit in our lives, it is because of our own unbelief. We need to be equipped with faith, hope, and charity in order to have God’s plan of happiness unfolded to us.

And since we are still changeable beings, Moroni asks us to keep our memory of these things constantly fresh in our minds and in our hearts. If we forget and deny these things, it does not make them any less true, but it will work to our condemnation. Moroni’s words in verse 27:

27 And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust?

And here is verse 30, the verse that gave me pause:

30 And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.

The entire Book of Mormon serves as an invitation for all to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him. How fitting that Moroni would conclude his message to us with this same invitation. We are invited to accept Jesus and to accept His Gospel and His redemption, and to not look for another. We do not need to modify Perfection’s order.

“Touch not the unclean gift” led me to this reference: 2 Nephi 18:19:

19  And when they shall say unto you: Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and mutter—should not a people seek unto their God for the living to hear from the dead?

And then in John 14:6, we read:

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Moroni exhorts us to remember that. We have the scriptures, and we have the prophets. We have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We do not need to look beyond the mark by trying to add elements or new guidelines to God’s Plan or to Christ’s Good News. Seeking to change the gospel to suit special interests or dissuasions we may feel may very well be touching the unclean gift and the unclean things. In our limited vision, let us trust Them who are perfect to support us perfectly through the sacred principles and ordinances of the gospel. Let us develop faith in Them and increase in faith, hope, and charity, relying upon the witness of the Holy Ghost and the Gifts of the Spirit to bring the enhancement into our lives that will bless and prosper us and make us ready for that great day when we stand before Them, saved through the goodness and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This last admonition is for all of us. We need to be on guard. We need to be vigilant. We need to hold strong to the very tenets of our faith, to the Doctrine of Christ. We can do it. The Lord has provided the way, if we wake up and stay alert. Closing verses:

31 And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

34 And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen.

(Italics added)

Our Hope is in Jesus and Knowing His Words

We Must Know His Words

Have you ever noticed how many people make up quotes? Now, I’m not saying that we can’t be original and come up with great ideas to share and, as a result, we’ve made a quote. No; what I mean is when people attribute sayings to someone which, in all reality, that person never said…or at least there is no record of it.

While it is easy for all of us to draw conclusions from content we hear or read, we need to be able to acknowledge what is our opinion and what was actually said. That’s important. Even if we give a gist, we need to be careful that our interpretation isn’t way off from the intended purpose.

I think that this is especially true when we consider quoting the word of the Lord. We can’t just assume that since Jesus is a loving God, He would want things the way that we individually think they should be. No matter how loving and kind we are, we need to read His word and become accustomed to hearing His voice through the Holy Ghost and through His prophets if we really want to understand who He is and what He would have us do. Interestingly enough, when we do that, we really won’t have a desire to misquote Him. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (see John 10:27).

In today's world, especially, it is important for us to know what Jesus actually said. When we quote Him, we must be careful not to misquote Him or twist His meaning.

We hardly need to make Jesus into something He is not. He is our Savior and our Redeemer; and that does not ever need redefining, no matter how well-intentioned the self-appointed critic believes he is.

Now I have heard many people say things like they don’t understand a God who wouldn’t treat all His children the same. They think that no matter what path we choose to walk, God will invite all of us to sit down with Him in His kingdom. But He cannot deny His word, and what He really has said is that no unclean thing can enter into His kingdom (see 3 Nephi 27:19-22; Matthew 7:21-23; Moses 6:57; Revelation 21:27; 1 Nephi 15:34). 

The Need for a Savior

Well, of course Heavenly Father knew that all of us are unclean and fall short of the glory of God; that’s why He sent His Son, our Savior, who can make us clean through His atonement, if we come unto Him (see Romans 3:23-24; Isaiah 59:1-2; Alma 11:32-40; ). 

We are of the Most Worth to God

Some have misquoted Him, thinking they are rather clever. Jesus never said, “I didn’t say it would be easy; I only said it would be worth it.” I guess because we have experience in this life, we know it isn’t easy; and if we believe His promises and trust in Him, we have hope that it will all be worth it. But what did the Lord actually say about “easy”, and what did He actually say about “worth”?

Matthew 11:28-30:

“28 ¶Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.


In other words, following Jesus and taking upon us the good news of the gospel through obedience to His commandments is easier than falling in all the pitholes we may encounter if we ignore His word. Plus, His burden is light. I don’t think that this just talks about weight, but about direction and purpose. If we know that the burden we are carrying is aiding our journey, we will be much happier to carry it.

What is really of most worth to God? We are. We have been made a little lower than the angels (see Psalm 8:5). It is His work and His glory to bring about our immortality and eternal life (see Moses 1:39). The worth of souls is great in the sight of the Lord (see Doctrine and Covenants 18:10-16) . So what will be worth it? It will be worth it for us to keep the two greatest commandments (see Matthew 22:36-40). It will be worth it for us to choose to return to Him and to help others do the same.

As far as the misquote, the implication is that if we put up with hard things the Lord will give us great things. That’s both right and wrong. If we turn to the Lord, He will make difficult things become easier for us, so that we can carry the load with His help and His guidance (see Ether 12:27). What about the misquote of “It will be worth it.” That is actually one of the biggest understatements there is. It’s worth it if we put in a 40 hour week and we get a full salary, plus health benefits, plus vacation. But the Lord isn’t paying us for our efforts alone, because we could never buy or earn our salvation (see Ephesian 2:8). The Lord is inviting us to come unto Him and be perfected in Him and to share His glory (see Romans 8:16-18). 

God is our Father

So in the increasingly crazy environment we find ourselves in, with so many professing to proclaim profound truths; we need to remember that we are the children of God (see Hebrews 12:9) and that his purposes are higher than the purposes set forth by the world (See Isaiah 55:9). We need to have the faith, hope, and trust to rest assured that his promises will be fulfilled and that His love for us will never be betrayed (see Matthew 24:35; Doctrine and Covenants 1:37-38); and no matter what we have done, His hand is stretched out still (see Isaiah 5:25), mighty to save. The world’s views don’t make sense, but be not afraid, Christ has overcome the world (see John 16:33). Our hope must always be in Him.

The Father and the Son are One in Purpose

“How are Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ the same but different?”

We have been told to worship the true and living God, and some people believe that the Father and the Son are just one personage of spirit. But this isn’t true. They are two separate identities who are one in unity, purpose, and likeness. How can we come to recognize Heavenly Father as the Father of our spirits and Jesus Christ as our Savior? 

These few scriptures provide a good beginning point in strengthening our understanding. There are so many more. You can open the links to these verses and find tools for cross-referencing them with other scriptures. Plus, you can use great tools such as The Bible Dictionary, True to the Faith, and Preach My Gospel. But don’t stop there; pray for answers. God will listen to your prayers and help you find answers to your questions.

John 3:16,35:

16 ¶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

John 17:20-23:

20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Mormon 7:5-7:

5 Know ye that ye must come to the knowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the victory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up.

6 And he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead, whereby man must be raised to stand before his judgment-seat.

7 And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end.

These are a few suggested scriptures in this month’s New Era, but there are so many more. Which are some of your favorites? How have the blessed you to have a greater understanding of our Heavenly Father and of His Son Jesus Christ? How can developing an understanding of both of Them help to enrich our lives? How can you share the truths that you learn with your own family? How can you share them with your friends and associates?

(Source: New Era: Learning of Heavenly Father: A Study of Epic Proportions)

End of Part 2
Part 1
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5 

The Gift of Faith

What is the greatest gift that I can give 

to myself and to my children?

The greatest gift that I can give is my faith in Jesus Christ. Why is this such a great gift?

Jesus Christ gave us life, and when we believe in Him, He gives us life even more abundantly. It is through Him that we all have life, the ability to think, and move, and do. And it is because of Him that we have the right to choose to believe or to not believe in His gracious gift and His never-ending love.

He is The Light of the World, and His light is manifest in all of His creations. Through Him we have life and without Him we do not. Even when we deny Him, He causes His sun to shine and his rain to fall on both the righteous and the unrighteous, the believers and the non-believers, because He is good and He loves us all.

To reap the blessings of His goodness while refusing to recognize His gifts shows lack of knowledge and absence of faith. To lay claim on the goodness within ourselves while denying Him shows an attitude of arrogance with misdirected praise.

The world teaches that people can be good in and of themselves whether they believe in God or not. But this reasoning is faulty. While people may believe that they are good on their own, they cannot even exist on their own. We all need God. The goodness that is inside us is from God even if we don't recognize it or Him.

Why is my faith in Jesus Christ important to me and why do I think that it is important to you? Jesus Christ wants our success. He loves us. He created this beautiful world in which we live, and He allows us experiences that build our character and bring us joy. More than that! He has our backs. He has paid the ultimate price, so that each time we fall, He is personally there to catch us and lift us back up. My faith in Jesus Christ is important, because I know He loves me and that He has redeemed me and that He will continue to redeem me; and He has and will do the same for you. His love knows no limits, even when ours is shaky at best. His power, His mercy, His love, and His glory are everlasting.

The hope that I have for happiness in my life stems from the faith I have in Jesus Christ and His promises. The hope that I have in my family and our happiness now and in our relationships in eternity are founded in His glorious gospel and the covenants and ordinances that He has provided to me for my safety and eternal progression.

We may think that we don’t need God and that we don’t need God’s Son. But do we need the air that we breathe? Because if we do, then we need Him. King Benjamin’s words are words of pleading, because He too knew that the greatest gift that He could give His people was His faith in Jesus Christ:

“Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.

“And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them” (Mosiah 4:9-10).

Our good works are nothing without the goodness that He has poured into us through His creation and His sustaining power. Our haughty and our sincere efforts pale in comparison to the work of His atoning sacrifice for us, which gives us the power to be able to be good.

“I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another—

"I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.

“And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.

“And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him.

“And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?

“And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you” (Mosiah 2:20-26).

I love Jesus, and the best gift that I can give myself and others is my faith in Him. King Benjamin was not emphasizing the unimportance of men, but the importance of Jesus Christ in our daily lives. Even though He makes His sun to rise and His rain to fall to bless us, we cannot count on Him giving us the gift of peace in this life and eternal life with Him and with our families in the next life if we do not love Him and keep His commandments. And that takes faith. Holding on to my faith and living my belief in Jesus Christ is the most important thing I can do and the very best gift that I have to give.

I am thankful for the many gifts God has given me: life, agency, family, friends, peace, faith, resurrection, and the prospect of eternal happiness and joy. I love my family; I love my friends; I love my Heavenly Father; and I love His Son, my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.It is because of Him that I am able to enjoy everything else. 

When we are sad and feel alone, we just need to listen for our Father's voice. He loves us, and it will be all right.

Abortion and Trafficking Children

Thoughts on Abortion and Trafficking Dead Children

(Shortened link for this post: http://tinyurl.com/opovckp)

The recent exposure of the inhumane trafficking of human baby parts is soul stirring, or at least it should be. Some say that it's merely propaganda, and that the presentation is given out of context. It really doesn't matter. There is enough evidence against Planned Parenthood, and the practice of abortion for that matter, for those who value life to know that the slaughtering of babies and the trafficking of their body parts for both commercial and scientific gain is evil. A society that does not value the life of an unborn baby, but places value on his or her dismembered body, is not a civilized society.

I can't help but think of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Speech. Do we have a dream of brotherhood? Do we? For all of those who speak about rights, please note that abortion is a wrong. How can all children walk hand-in-hand when their hands are torn off before they are even born? Whether you believe that there are exceptions to rules or not, there are rules of civility and ethical rightness. No matter what anyone believes about equality, all choices are not equal, which means that all outcomes are not equal either. Ending life will never be equal with giving life. Even without organized religion, every human being is born with the Light of Christ. We all must know that ripping a child limb from limb is wrong. When abortion is accepted as a mores of society, not only are those facing abortion at risk of losing life, but civility itself is lost; and civilization is following suit.

Abortion is the greatest evil to ever happen in this Country. Yet we condone or accept it. We hear the same old rhetoric over and over. Some defend all abortions for the few extreme cases. Killing millions of babies in order to secure the right to get rid of a few pregnancies that are due to rape, incest, or illness is bizarre. For those of us who were reared in civilized homes, were we not taught the importance of life and love? Do we not realize that life itself is more important than the length of life, or what some people would deem the quality of life? Certainly, the life of a child is more important than his or her flesh made dead through an abortion.

I had an emergency C-section with my fifth child. When I was eight months pregnant, the specialist told me that he did't think the baby had any kidneys, so did I want to just have him naturally since he'd die anyway? Are you kidding me? I am his mother. Why would I want to terminate his life purposefully and perhaps prematurely? Why would a doctor? Isn't a doctor's concern to protect and preserve life? Was my son's life of less value than mine, or yours, or the doctor's? No his life held significance, and he left a positive imprint in the lives of many.

Even at six months into my pregnancy, I knew that our son had some problems, but I did not know that he wouldn't be able to live long after birth. Should I have ripped him apart because of that, or burned him with saline solution? No way. I enjoyed each time he rolled or kicked and every single ultra sound. Would it have been easier for me to have aborted him than to have lost him two months later? By no means; No. There is healing in love, even when there is pain. For the poor women who have chosen abortion, there is just pain.

While some cry that the current undercover videos exposing Planned Parenthood are merely propaganda, I can agree that the presentation may be propaganda; but I won't agree that the content isn't true. How long will we idly stand by, burying our heads in the sand, while millions of unborn children are massacred? This is happening. It has been happening since the 70's. Children are burned, torn apart and slaughtered while yet alive. It is gruesome. I don't need to watch videos, whether in or out of context, to inform me how evil Planned Parenthood is or how evil it is that any thinking and feeling human being can become so clouded and calloused in his or her judgement to call mass murder freedom of choice. This should sicken us all.

Legalizing things that are clearly unlawful will never make them ethical or good. Not yesterday, not now, not ever. I can only hope that some good will come from these disturbing undercover videos which show the true nature of this wicked practice and evil organization. Maybe, just maybe, some people will finally understand that these are babies with body parts the same as you and me. They are not merely tissue. They are real. And their souls have value.

I believe that shedding innocent blood ranks up there with crucifying our innocent Lord. And still He reaches out to us to forgive us. But we had better hope that He doesn't say, “Father, they knew what they were doing.”

Do you see a contradiction in supporting Planned Parenthood and in valuing human life? I do, and I know others that do as well. There are those like me who have lost sons or daughters way too soon, who would have done everything possible to keep them here with us. So it is difficult for me when I see people still supporting the killing of their own babies, or even saying, “I don't agree with the practice for myself, but I think everyone should have the right to choose.” To choose murder? Really?

Everyone should have the right to choose whether or not to have sex. Beyond that, take responsibility and be an adult.

Whether you think that these babies' body parts are being trafficked for money or not, why are they used at all? I personally have the right to say whether my organs are used for someone else or for science, should I die an accidental death. Life is sacred, and my body is mine. But these babies are being denied the right to life, and their “tissue” is not even considered theirs. It truly, truly is sick.

So when we consider checking the facts, we might actually begin by checking our own consciences, even before we check the news media, right or left; because, it looks like the “right in our society “left” a long time ago. We might actually try using our hearts along with our minds to consider why our own lives have value, and why we should extend that value to every other human being, both those born, and those waiting to be born.

The safety of all children is important. Where there is life, there is hope.

I have personally taken the time to write these thoughts and to contact the Representatives and Senators for my state. Please do the same. We need to take a stand, and we need to walk hand-in-hand.

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