The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10
"Has US abstinence policy failed?" shouts the headline on a BBC news report. It reads:
"US lawmakers are investigating whether to cut government funding for health education programmes that promote sexual abstinence until marriage. The move follows a report earlier this year from America's leading health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which revealed one in four teenage girls has a sexually transmitted disease."
Indeed, that is a significant amount of STDs among teenagers. The article continues and sites:
"This national programme which has wasted $1.5bn (£750m) of tax money is a failure and our teens are paying the price," says Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood. "We've been wasting money on programmes that don't work and we're seeing the consequences every single day."
It reads as though the president of Planned Parenthood is actually blaming the abstinence programs for the increasing number of STDs among teenagers! I am sure she is not, but she certainly is trying to give the impression that abstinence programs are a waste of time. Thankfully, the Heritage Foundation have done their homework on the issue of the impact of abstinence programs and it is very encouraging news. Read more about their findings here.
As adoption advocates, we aim to see truths about not only adoption, but also about all issues concerning God's heart for life. We must continue to uphold and teach God's will for us as individuals and in our relationships. If abstinence before marriage were so well taught, understood and embraced that there was not a need for crisis pregnancy centers and teaching about parenting choices, then... praise God! Praise Him, indeed.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Letter to My Son
Unmarried women face many fears when they discover they are pregnant and they are not prepared. Some are immediately tempted to abort because fears of the future for their children are so great they cannot fathom any other alternative. What is she to do? Where is she to turn for answers?
I would like us to consider a woman from many generations past who faced some very similar fears: the mother of Moses. Let’s remember that when Moses was born, the ruling Pharaoh demanded that all male Hebrew babies be killed. Moses’ mother must have harbored very real fears and concerns for her baby’s future. As she held her infant son I can imagine she wondered, “Do I attempt to hide him any longer? If I’m discovered they will surely murder him. Perhaps I should end his life before they do...What am I to do? Where do I turn to for answers?”
Moses’ mother was not paralyzed by her own fears. She took time to think, to pray, to make a plan, and then to act. She deliberately put her trust in Yahweh. He would take care of her son.
Here is a letter she might have written to her tiny boy* :
* taken from Birthmothers
By equipping pregnancy counselors Act of Life helps today’s women see that they, too, can overcome their fears. They too, can take time to think, to pray, to make a plan, and then to act. Adoption just might be the right choice for her and her baby. Please pray with us as we continue to advance adoption awareness so that all women will be given the opportunity to fully explore adoption as a way to create homes for their children.
I would like us to consider a woman from many generations past who faced some very similar fears: the mother of Moses. Let’s remember that when Moses was born, the ruling Pharaoh demanded that all male Hebrew babies be killed. Moses’ mother must have harbored very real fears and concerns for her baby’s future. As she held her infant son I can imagine she wondered, “Do I attempt to hide him any longer? If I’m discovered they will surely murder him. Perhaps I should end his life before they do...What am I to do? Where do I turn to for answers?”
Moses’ mother was not paralyzed by her own fears. She took time to think, to pray, to make a plan, and then to act. She deliberately put her trust in Yahweh. He would take care of her son.
Here is a letter she might have written to her tiny boy* :
My precious son Moses,
How deeply I love you! Yet the Pharaoh said all Hebrew baby boys must be thrown in the Nile and drowned. I could only hide you for three months. To save your life, I carefully wove a basket big enough for you, waterproofing it so it would not sink. I sobbed as I hid you away among the Nile's reeds. But I knew this was the best choice for you. Your sister watched as the princess found you there! God's hand is upon you, my son. As you grow up, please understand that I allowed another family to raise you so that you might have a special life - one I could not give you because of circumstances.
With all my loving heart and soul,
Your mother
* taken from Birthmothers
By equipping pregnancy counselors Act of Life helps today’s women see that they, too, can overcome their fears. They too, can take time to think, to pray, to make a plan, and then to act. Adoption just might be the right choice for her and her baby. Please pray with us as we continue to advance adoption awareness so that all women will be given the opportunity to fully explore adoption as a way to create homes for their children.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Flushing a Newborn Baby Down a Toilet?
My friends, if ever there was a time we need to advance adoption awareness in our society it is now.
Earlier today, a 14 year old teen delivered a baby in the restroom at her junior high school in Baytown, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Overwhelmed and not sure what her next step was, she attempted to flush her seconds old baby down the toilet. As a result of this desperate action her baby died. Now she finds herself in the midst of a homicide investigation.
Inconceivable, irrational, and insane are just a few words that come to mind.
As bizarre as this seems, she is not the first to have attempted this. Last summer, a 20 year old woman delivered a baby in a McDonald’s restroom in Kansas City, MO, and tried to flush her baby down the toilet as well.
How could Act of Life have benefited these mothers and their precious babies? The answer: education.
Are you aware that Texas has a law called the Baby Moses Law? According to the non-profit group called Baby Moses Dallas, “Of the over 100 babies who are abandoned each year in Texas, about 16 will be found dead.” This is alarming. However, there is a solution. The Baby Moses Law provides a responsible alternative to mothers and fathers who might otherwise abandon or harm their newborn child. The law states that a parent may leave an unharmed infant, up to 60 days old, at any hospital or fire station with “no questions asked” and will not face charges of abuse, neglect or abandonment.
Had the young teen in Baytown, Texas, known about the Baby Moses law perhaps her baby would be alive tonight.
Act of Life includes instruction on the Baby Moses law in our adoption training seminars. We regularly ensure that pregnancy counselors are aware of the law and understand the importance of explaining it to their clients. Act of Life also recognizes the desperate need to get adoption tools, resources, and information inside our school classrooms.
Will you help us advance adoption awareness at such a critical time? In doing so you will help save lives and create families.
Lives are at stake,
Julie
Earlier today, a 14 year old teen delivered a baby in the restroom at her junior high school in Baytown, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Overwhelmed and not sure what her next step was, she attempted to flush her seconds old baby down the toilet. As a result of this desperate action her baby died. Now she finds herself in the midst of a homicide investigation.
Inconceivable, irrational, and insane are just a few words that come to mind.
As bizarre as this seems, she is not the first to have attempted this. Last summer, a 20 year old woman delivered a baby in a McDonald’s restroom in Kansas City, MO, and tried to flush her baby down the toilet as well.
How could Act of Life have benefited these mothers and their precious babies? The answer: education.
Are you aware that Texas has a law called the Baby Moses Law? According to the non-profit group called Baby Moses Dallas, “Of the over 100 babies who are abandoned each year in Texas, about 16 will be found dead.” This is alarming. However, there is a solution. The Baby Moses Law provides a responsible alternative to mothers and fathers who might otherwise abandon or harm their newborn child. The law states that a parent may leave an unharmed infant, up to 60 days old, at any hospital or fire station with “no questions asked” and will not face charges of abuse, neglect or abandonment.
Had the young teen in Baytown, Texas, known about the Baby Moses law perhaps her baby would be alive tonight.
Act of Life includes instruction on the Baby Moses law in our adoption training seminars. We regularly ensure that pregnancy counselors are aware of the law and understand the importance of explaining it to their clients. Act of Life also recognizes the desperate need to get adoption tools, resources, and information inside our school classrooms.
Will you help us advance adoption awareness at such a critical time? In doing so you will help save lives and create families.
Lives are at stake,
Julie
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Act of Life on KKHT 100.7 FM
This evening, between 6 and 7pm, Julie called in and I was in the studio as guests on the ChurchQuake radio show on KKHT 100.7 FM. ChurchQuake's host, pastor Chris Murphy, and co-host, Jim Serber, kindly dedicated the whole show to adoption and conducted the interview so that Julie and I could talk about what Act of Life is doing, what adoption is and how the message needs to be heard that adoption is a very viable parenting choice, is an alternative to abortion, and even, in some cases an alternative to parenting!
It was a fun time to be able to share, and we thank the ChurchQuake ministry for this opportunity.
ChurchQuake dedicates the show to talking about the elephants in the church. I want to know which churches Chris has been preaching in as I have never seen an elephant at church! I can say this as Chris, his lovely wife, Mica, and their three precious children are my neighbors. Our kids play together and we have been threatening to all go on a motorcycle ride together. Chris is also Pastor at the local community church, First Baptist of Brookside Village, Pearland, TX . By the elephants in the church, Chris is referring to the causes of church division in modern Christianity. He addresses the issue every week in a loving but direct manner that makes for a powerful show. I encourage you to tune in. You can also visit their website for more information.
The subject of adoption and how that parenting choice can save lives and create families falls nicely into the category of an elephant in the church because, by proxy, it is also touching on the subject of abortion, abstinence, two parent families and the family unit. These are issues dear to our Father's heart and would benefit from being addressed more directly in society and the church.
Listen to tonight's broadcast as an MP3
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Christ's Amazing Love for You
Where do you find yourself today? Do you feel all alone in your situation or perhaps not very loved at the moment? Let me share something with you.
During my time with the Lord today I read from Andrew Murray's book called Abide in Christ. When writing about how Jesus loves us just as the Father loved him (John 15:9) Murray wrote,
"When it was needed, He sacrificed His throne and crown for you. He did not count His own life and blood too dear to give for you. His righteousness, His Spirit, His glory, even His throne, all are yours. This love holds nothing back, but, in a manner that no human mind can fathom, makes you one with itself. What wondrous love, to love us even as the Father loved Him, and to offer us this love as our everyday dwelling."
Our everyday dwelling - in this love. What a truth! This is a truth you can stake your life on. God wants you to know the truth that He loves you and that His love is available for you to abide in every single day. This love is not based on who you are, what you do or what you have accomplished. It is also not based on what you think you can do for God. This love He extends to you is based on who HE is. Love is not one of God's attributes. It is who He IS - the very center of His being. He loves you simply because He created you. Isn't that amazing?
God asks us to take notice of this deep love which we cannot comprehend. We dare not resist or ignore it. My prayer for you today is that you will yield to His love. He longs to spend time with you and show you how you can live a victorious life. If you have any questions about this, please contact me. I would love to hear from you.
In the meantime may I ask that you listen to one of my favorite songs? It's a song by Dennis Jernigan called "Passionate Obsession" and you can find it by clicking http://www.myspace.com/dennisjernigan and locating it at the end of his playlist on the right of the screen. Allow yourself to take a moment to hear a song sung from the perspective that God is singing to you. Bask in the truth of this most amazing love, and hold on!
During my time with the Lord today I read from Andrew Murray's book called Abide in Christ. When writing about how Jesus loves us just as the Father loved him (John 15:9) Murray wrote,
"When it was needed, He sacrificed His throne and crown for you. He did not count His own life and blood too dear to give for you. His righteousness, His Spirit, His glory, even His throne, all are yours. This love holds nothing back, but, in a manner that no human mind can fathom, makes you one with itself. What wondrous love, to love us even as the Father loved Him, and to offer us this love as our everyday dwelling."
Our everyday dwelling - in this love. What a truth! This is a truth you can stake your life on. God wants you to know the truth that He loves you and that His love is available for you to abide in every single day. This love is not based on who you are, what you do or what you have accomplished. It is also not based on what you think you can do for God. This love He extends to you is based on who HE is. Love is not one of God's attributes. It is who He IS - the very center of His being. He loves you simply because He created you. Isn't that amazing?
God asks us to take notice of this deep love which we cannot comprehend. We dare not resist or ignore it. My prayer for you today is that you will yield to His love. He longs to spend time with you and show you how you can live a victorious life. If you have any questions about this, please contact me. I would love to hear from you.
In the meantime may I ask that you listen to one of my favorite songs? It's a song by Dennis Jernigan called "Passionate Obsession" and you can find it by clicking http://www.myspace.com/dennisjernigan and locating it at the end of his playlist on the right of the screen. Allow yourself to take a moment to hear a song sung from the perspective that God is singing to you. Bask in the truth of this most amazing love, and hold on!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
A True Celebration of Life!
"Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples; sing to Him, sing praises to Him; speak of all His wonders. Glory in His holy name; let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad. Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually."
Psalm 105:1-4
This passage has been dear to me since the day the Lord whispered His vision for Act of Life in my ear, and this scripture continues to remain the focus of our ministry today. How fitting it was to share these verses with those who braved the stormy weather last night and joined us for our benefit concert.
We were blessed with a tremendous evening as we commemorated the great acts which the Lord has accomplished in our midst. We remembered the Lord’s faithfulness in our past and we put our trust in Him for our future.
Best of all, Dennis Jernigan led us in an extended time of worship through music and words of encouragement. His lyrics, apart from the melodies, can lead me to the throne of God in an instant. When we heard the breadth of his talent and the depth of his passion for Christ pour powerfully through his voice and fingers, hearts and hands were lifted high all around the room, and the Spirit of the Living God truly inhabited the praises of His people.
Act of Life is poised to embrace the next level of ministry, and we are eager to see where the Lord will take us! We are thankful for your consistent support as we continue to advance adoption awareness at the local, state, and national level.
Blessed to be a part,
Julie Stobbe
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