A pro-life Oakland pastor choses jail time over a plea bargain
Tim Challies had a link to this article in his A la Carte post today. I felt great emotion as I read it and decided I just had to share it with my readers. The article begins...
"For 19 days in March & April, Walter Hoye was locked in a cell with 29 other prisoners at the Santa Rita jail near Oakland, Calif. There were times when he wished he could have stayed longer..."
On Saturday, I got a phone call from my dad. The Lord had placed on his heart an urgency to pray for the upcoming election and for our nation. I quickly got to work inviting everyone I knew in my email address book and all of my facebook friends. We planned for 1 hour of united prayer. So last night about 30 people from CF gathered, hands locked, in the parking lot of our Royal Palm Campus to pray for our nation. Not bad for a last minute rally!
What an uplifting time of knitting our hearts toward one purpose! We cried out to God to have mercy on our nation, to forgive the church as a whole for years of apathy, sinful behavior and outright rebellion. We asked for healing, for returned blessing and for protection. We thanked Him for the blessing and honor we have as a result of living in this great land of freedom. The fact that we are free to gather publicly and pray without persecution is a gift, one we should never take lightly. We ended in a time of worship through song, led by Dear Pastor Jim...."Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound!"
I believe we all left with a sense of peace and trust in our Heavenly Father. We realized we have a duty, as the body of Christ, to pray for our nation, for our leaders, and to vote according to biblical standards, not the worlds. We are not of this world, we are Christ's ambassadors. We must represent him well, no matter the outcome.
So with a spring in my step at 7 this morning, I went to my assigned location to vote. Forty-five minutes in line--not bad compared to the 2+ hours many had to stand for early voting! I was able to go with my husband this year and we actually had a pleasant wait in line talking with a good friend from our Life Group at CF. The line moved quickly, the poll workers were friendly & helpful, and the ballots were simple. There was a feeling of release once my ballot was cast. I had just placed my hope in God's hands. It's up to Him now what He does with it.
Watch this video. It's a plea going out to Barack Obama to support protection for babies born alive during an abortion. In case you didn't know, Obama has pledged to sign the Freedom of Choice Act as his first item of business if elected president. He opposes the ban on partial birth abortion. We can't turn a blind eye to this. It is a human rights issue. If President Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. had turned a blind eye in their time, where would America stand on slavery today? I will be a single issue voter this year. Life is more important to me than money any day!
You can donate to Citizenlink here to help them in their efforts to bring awareness.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Palin
I have shied away from saying much about politics on this blog for various reasons. However, when I stumbled across this great link from a Philidelphia newspaper, I couldn't help myself. I will say no more and let the article speak for itself, but just know, my blood is boiling over this 2008 election, and this reporter's words prove I'm not alone in my frustration!
The Che Guevara flag seen at Obama's Houston campaign office, I know, is old news. However, recently I've seen a number of t-shirts promoting Obama as president and the intentional similarity to the Guevara rendering is just creeping me out! Yes, you can actually purchase these shirts and I've seen people wearing them! Just out of curiosity, what percentage of Americans do you think know who Guevara was, what he did, and what he stood for?
Please pardon me for getting all political in the blogging world. I do have to admit, however, that it really is one of the most unusual elections in recent history and I can't help but get caught up in it. Check out this video to see how ridiculous people are getting with their banter...
I reluctantly stayed up late last night to watch McCain's acceptance speech at the RNC. I fully expected a disaster. I've not bought in to voting for this man up to now and didn't expect he'd have much to say that would convince me otherwise. His choice for VP has been the only thing pushing me to the polls in November.
Astonishingly, I was pleasantly surprised! He's not an extraordinary orator, but I don't think that's what people are looking for in a president. They want someone who has the people's best interest at heart and will work for them, not Washington. Bottom line in this one voter's opinion, he turned my ear with his shaky monologue, giving me a new surge of pride and patriotism for my country. I'm edging closer to feeling pretty good about this nomination. Considering my strong hesitation of support from the get-go, I'd say his speech was a bit of a win!
A blog I like to frequent is that of Tim Challies, evangelical blogstar and author of The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment (a must-read book!). He recently linked an article by Andy Crouch about the Palin family that really made me stop and think. After realizing the truth in Crouch's observation, I then took in a breath of excitement over the possibilities! If elected to office, this woman, this family, and their decision to welcome a down syndrome child into their family, would likely have influence in a never before seen way in this country. Check out the article and see if it doesn't fire you up!
...that's what I refer to them as. You know, the gossip rags we all see at the grocery store check-out -- Star Magazine, National Enquirer and many others that line the racks that, due to our hunger for reveling in others' flaws, beckon us to peruse at our leisure. Well, that's what the national media has become. SmutTV! Katie Couric, Meridith Viera, Matt Lauer and others are no longer reporters. They are scandalmongers, busybodies and muckraker's! I refuse to fall into their trap of attempting to remove the focus of the American people from real political coverage by creating a diversion through the obsession over the private challenges of a respected and devoted family. A family that happens to have had enough guts to willingly step into the glaring spotlight of these gossipmongers! I will not participate!
Click on this link to hear an important discussion on the candidates by Dr. James Dobson and Dr. Albert Mohler. Please listen all the way through. Discussions like these will help us become educated voters, which I believe, is our responsibility as citizens of this great country.
Recently I sent a letter to our State Senators regarding gas prices and offshore drilling. The letter was sent via a well-known conservative organization which keeps me in the loop on important issues. Here's the response I received from Senator Nelson:
Dear Mrs. Kush:
Thank you for contacting me about drilling for oil off Florida and other coastal States.
The oil industry has 32 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico that are leased but have not been drilled. Why?
President Bush has proposed allowing drilling rigs off coastal States as a way, he says, to reduce gasoline prices. But he must know this won't happen. That's because a report from inside the Bush administration specifically shows that increasing offshore drilling won't have a significant impact on gas prices for decades.
And we simply cannot wait that long on the hope of giving Americans some relief at the pump.
To lower gas prices now by an estimated 25 to 50 percent, we must reign in the real culprits: speculators who are able, because of legal loopholes, to bid up the price of oil to unrealistic and shocking highs. Oil now costs about $140 per barrel, but recent congressional testimony from a leading industry executive showed that the price of crude should only be $55 per barrel given the laws of supply and demand. That means gas prices should be about $2.28 a gallon-- not more than $4.
This is why I have introduced legislation-- S. 3134-- that would ban unregulated speculative trading in oil futures. If Congress will pass this bill, we can bring gas prices back down to earth.
The oil companies claim loudly that they need to drill off the coast of Florida so they can increase the oil supply. But what they won't tell you is that they aren't drilling on 32 million of acres they already have under lease from the Federal government. I think they should drill there first-- in areas where the infrastructure for transporting oil already exists-- before demanding more areas be open to leasing and drilling activities that could take years to produce a single drop of oil.
Americans are being gouged, and now is not the time to allow the administration to give away the store before it leaves office. It's time to do what's really necessary to lower the price of gas: reign in profiteers and speculators. I hope you will be able to support passage of S. 3134. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office again.
One phrase set me off! Can you guess which one it was? "I think..." In my opinion, that's not what our senators are elected to do! Well, to a certain degree, yes, but it seems many of them actually "think" they know better than the people and make decisions on our behalf without considering what the majority actually wants. Below is my response. I'll let you know if I hear from his office again.
Dear Senator Nelson,
I appreciate your response to my recent letter regarding offshore drilling. I also recognize that everyone is entitled to an opinion. However, as an elected official, it is not your job to do what you "think is right", as you stated in your response to me. It is your responsibility to do what the people want. So many times I feel as though congressman like yourself have lost sight of the fact that this is a nation "of the people, by the people and for the people". As per the constitution, Americans were intended to elect representatives, not proprietors. Please keep this in mind as you cast your next senatorial vote on offshore drilling or other important matters to the American People you were elected to represent.
Belief is my number one strength in the Strengths Finder test. That said, I've always been a die-hard patriot and never missed a vote. Even the little local ones!
However, that may change in the realm of presidential elections this year. I'm not interested in either candidate! One is a lifetime congressman---yeah, I'd trust him! The other, well, what can I say? There are a litany of reasons I wouldn't vote for him let alone the fact that his entire name is anti-American! What will I do? Should I write in someone? I'm thinking Anne Coulter, maybe? Yeah, I'm sure she'd give congress a run for their money! Go Anne!
President Bush is in Israel now, attempting to move forward peace talks with the bickering Palestinian and Israeli leaders. It's amazing to me that we're hearing very little of this in the media, as the President has made some very bold statements including the following...
"President Abbas and Prime Minister [Ehud] Olmert have to come together and make tough choices...And I believe it possible - not only possible, I believe it's going to happen - that there will be a signed peace treaty by the time I leave office" in a year's time."
WOW! It will be interesting to see if his gut proves him right! I will certainly be following BBC on this one...
In an article back in November, BBC did a story on the history of the middle east peace plans beginning in 1967 with the Security Council Resolution 242. In my lifetime there have been ten main proposals and, I'm quite sure, not a few back room talks unannounced to the rest of the world. We're at it again and can now add one more to this list:
Camp David, 1978 Madrid Conference 1991 Israeli-Syrian talks Oslo Agreement, 1993 Camp David, 2000 Taba, 2001 Saudi plan, 2002 Road Map, 2003 Geneva Accord, 2003
Saw this ad the other night during the news and it gave me chills! Rudy's not my first choice vote, but if he keeps these kinds of promo's coming, he just may tap in to the American spirit enough to win the election. What do you think?
Location: Royal Palm Beach, Florida, United States
I've enjoyed documenting life stories and events through the lens of my camera for a few years now, deciding to take my hobby to the world of blogging. I'm no professional, just a mom with her own take on things who loves to share her perspective with others. I hope this photographic journal inspires you!
