Neat New Website

Through BiblicalWomanhood.com, I found a really neat website. Check it out when you get a chance!

His Help Meet

It's Cold!

For Florida, it's pretty chilly today. When I got up this morning, it was 38*, and there is a freeze warning for tonight. We got some things to cover our plants with; our citrus trees (orange and lemon) are blossoming, and if they freeze, we'll have no fruit come next winter! That would be a bummer! It's waaay better than fruit you find at the store...our lemons are HUGE and our oranges have great flavor. We didn't plant either tree...they were in the yard when we got here, and we don't have to do anything to them to take care of them (besides cover them if it freezes). :o)

Today has been fairly productive. I didn't get everything done that I wanted to, but I was able to exercise, read a lot of Calvin's commentary on 1 John (so good), and I also made lunch, and I'm working on dinner. The multi-grain quick bread is in the oven, and the chicken for the soup is cooked, but the soup is really quick (about 10 minutes cooking--!!), so I'm going to wait until the bread is closer to being done before I start the soup.

I also was able to work on Greek for about an hour, clean the kitchen (Monday is the day I work on cleaning appliances), and walk the dogs with my Mom. I'm hoping to do a little more reading after this post, and then eat, and talk to Ben later tonight.

There will be a big crowd on Thursday night and Sunday night. I'm looking forward to that. I'm also looking forward to getting to spend some time with BEN over the weekend (he'll be here from Thursday night until Monday morning). I can't wait to see him!

I need to maybe try to keep my blog more on one topic/theme...but, I don't know how I'd NOT talk about any of the things I talk about (my day-to-day, pro-life stuff, and Christianity). I guess they all sort of play a part in my Pursuit of Holiness. :o) That works. Thoughts?

Does anyone know of any frugal ways to keep plants from freezing? We tried sheets last year, and they didnt work, so this year we bought the stuff they recommended on the news (which ended up being $45!!! *gasp*).

I think I'm going to start using my camera more often, and putting more pictures on the blog. Do y'all think that would make the blog more interesting?

Back to the kitchen!
-Mary Jo

Jill Stanek on Way of the Master Radio

"Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee..."

For those of you who don't know of her, Jill is an outspoken pro-lifer who was a nurse at an Illinois hospital until she was fired. She has taken quite an interest in the born-alive babies who have been born at James Pendergraft's death mills here in FL. Please take the time to read through the following is a quote from the 1-22-07 Podcast from Way of the Master Radio.

"We listen to stories about the holocaust and we can't believe it and the civil war and the civil rights movement and incredible stories throughout history of mankind not just being so unkind to mankind ... but of torturing and killing them and we wonder how could that have happened? And we are living in those times right now... "~Jill Stanek to Todd Friel

Now for a news article. It's quite lengthy, so I have bolded or colored some of it, for those of you who want to skim. Some of you might already know a lot of what she says, but many of you might find it shocking, and learn some things about the abortion industry that you never knew:

Nurse's Testimony shocks Illinois Senate Judiciary Committee

SPRINGFIELD, IL, March 27, 2001 (RFM NEWS) EXCLUSIVE RFM News has exclusively obtained a written transcript of Nurse Jill Stanek's written testimony before the Illinois Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on the Born Alive Infants Protection Act. Stanek, a labor and delivery nurse at Christ Hospital and Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois, was first to expose an abortion procedure which many are calling "live-birth abortion."

Stanek will appear in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday afternoon in Springfield. Following is a transcript of Mrs. Stanek's testimony.


I am a Registered Nurse who has worked in the Labor & Delivery Department at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois, for the past 5-1/2 years. Christ Hospital performs abortions during the second and even third trimesters of pregnancy. The abortion method being called into question that Christ Hospital and other Illinois hospitals practice is called "induced labor abortion." This abortion technique sometimes results in infants being aborted alive. In the event that an infant is aborted alive at Christ Hospital, she or he is given no medical assessments or care whatsoever, but is left to die. The induced labor abortion procedure can be performed using a couple different medications, but the goal always is to cause a pregnant woman's cervix to open so that she will deliver a premature baby who dies during the birth process or soon afterward. At Christ Hospital the physician inserts a medication called Cytotec into the mother's birth canal next to the cervix. The cervix is the opening at the bottom of the uterus that normally stays closed until a mother is about 40 weeks pregnant and ready to deliver. But Cytotec irritates the cervix and stimulates it to open early. When this happens, the pre-term baby drops out of the uterus, sometimes alive. In the event that a baby is aborted alive at Christ Hospital, he or she is not given any medical care, but is rather given what my hospital calls "comfort care." "Comfort care" is defined as keeping the baby warm in a blanket until the baby dies, although until recently even this was not always done. The baby is then offered to the parents to hold until he or she dies. If the parents do not want to hold their dying aborted baby, as is most often the case, it is left to nursing staff or support staff on the floor to hold the baby until he or she dies. And, until this past December, when staff did not have time or the desire to hold the baby, the baby was taken to our Soiled Utility Room and left there alone to die. Christ Hospital's comfort care policy, #WHS492, only requires that live aborted babies be checked for signs of life once an hour, or "as needed in order to verify time of death." It is not uncommon for a live aborted babies to linger for an hour or two or even longer. At Christ Hospital, one of these babies once lived for almost an entire eight-hour shift. Last year alone, of the 13 babies that I am aware of who were aborted at Christ Hospital, at least four lived between 1-1/2 to 3 hours, two boys and two girls. Christ Hospital says that it compassionately aborts babies with very serious mental or physical handicaps. But Christ Hospital will also abort for life or health of the mother. So at least two of the second-trimester babies who were aborted last year, for instance, were completely healthy. One night, a nursing coworker was taking an aborted Down's Syndrome baby who was born alive to our Soiled Utility Room because his parents did not want to hold him, and she did not have time to hold him. I could not bear the thought of this suffering child dying alone in a Soiled Utility Room, so I cradled and rocked him for the 45 minutes that he lived. He was 21 to 22 weeks old, weighed about ½ pound, and was about 10 inches long. He was too weak to move very much, expending any energy he had -- trying to breathe. Toward the end, he was so quiet that I couldn't tell if he was still alive, unless I held him up to the light to see if his heart was still beating through his chest wall. After he was pronounced dead, we folded his little arms across his chest, wrapped him in a tiny shroud, and carried him to the hospital morgue where all of our dead patients are taken. Other coworkers have told me about incidences of live aborted babies whom they have cared for. A Support Associate told me about a live aborted baby who was left to die on the counter of the Soiled Utility Room, wrapped in a disposable towel. This baby was accidentally thrown into the garbage, and when they later were going through the trash to find the baby, the baby fell out of the towel and on to the floor. A nursing coworker told me about an incident she was involved in last spring that she said "I just can't stop thinking about." She participated in the abortion of a healthy 23-1/7 week baby who was given no medical assessments or care after delivery, but was allowed to languish for 2-1/2 hours until she died, even though she showed early signs of thriving. Just three weeks after this baby was aborted, another mother came to the hospital under similar circumstances, carrying an identically aged baby, and she was offered the same options. But she said that she wanted her baby. And so present at her delivery – because Christ Hospital is a Level III mother/baby care hospital -- was a neonatologist, a pediatric resident, a pediatric nurse, and a respiratory therapist – all assigned specifically to take care of that little girl at delivery. And for the two days that I tracked her, that little girl lived. Christ Hospital is one of only 11 hospitals that the State of Illinois has designated as a level III perinatal institution -- its highest ranking -- which means that Christ Hospital is considered to have both the best equipment and the most highly trained medical personnel care for the sickest of the sick mothers and babies. Another nurse friend told me about the patient she was caring for who had chosen to abort her second trimester baby, having been told that the boy had gross internal and external fetal anomalies. When her baby was aborted alive, however, he looked fine. The mother became hysterical and screamed for someone to help her baby. A neonatologist was called over, but told the family that the baby had been born too early to help. The mother was so traumatized that she had to be tranquilized, and it was left to the grandparents to hold the little baby boy the ½ hour that he lived. Last July, I was asked to testify before the U. S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution regarding the babies I knew about who were aborted alive and left to die at Christ Hospital. Another nurse who worked at the hospital, but who has since moved to Virginia, Allison Baker, also agreed to testify. Allison described walking into the Soiled Utility Room on two separate occasions to find babies left naked on a scale and the metal counter. She told about the patient, that she herself had, who didn't know that her aborted baby might be born alive, and after he was taken to the Soiled Utility Room she kept asking, "Is he dead yet? Is he dead yet?" Allison and I were called to testify in Washington in regard to a bill called the Born Alive Infants Protection Act. This bill simply clarifies an apparently confusing tenet -- that any baby born alive, completely separated from his or her mother, whether through abortion or not, has the same rights as American citizen human beings that you and I have. This would include the right to medical assessments and care -- and not just "comfort care" when a baby is not wanted. The Born Alive Infants Protection Act flew through the Judiciary Subcommittee, which had some well-known pro-choice congresspersons on it such as Jerry Nadler and Maxine Waters. It then passed in the House by a large vote of 380-15. Almost everyone on both sides of the abortion debate clearly saw that what was being discussed was infanticide. It was still confounding that 15 Congresspersons could vote against this bill in favor of infanticide, but they did. World Magazine listed these people and called them "the Fanatical Fifteen." The congressional session did end before this bill could be introduced in the Senate last autumn and still stands to be reintroduced in the House very soon. Meanwhile, here in Illinois, life and death go on. Four months ago, Christ Hospital unveiled its "Comfort Room." So now I can no longer say that live aborted babies are left in our Soiled Utility Room to die. We now have this prettily wallpapered room complete with a First Foto machine, baptismal gowns, a footprinter, and baby bracelets, so that we can offer keepsakes to parents of their aborted babies. There is even a nice wooden rocker in the room to rock live aborted babies to death. It is wrong that current Illinois law mandates a doctor to pronounce a born-alive aborted baby dead but does not mandate the doctor to assess that baby for life and chances of survival. It is wrong that Illinois law mandates both birth and death certificates be issued – admitting that these aborted babies are indeed human – but does not give these babies any rights whatsoever to medical care. No other children in Illinois or America are treated this way. It is just not right that a baby should be left to die simply because her mother does not want her. It is not right that the very doctors who may be miscalculating due dates and fetal birth weights or misdiagnosing fetal handicaps are the same ones deciding that these babies should not be assessed after delivery. They're being allowed to destroy the very evidence that might make them liable for lawsuits if they have been wrong. What is the difference between a teen-age girl at her prom putting her unwanted baby in the garbage to die and the medical staff at a hospital putting an unwanted baby in a Comfort Room to die? There is no difference. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On August 5, 2002, President George W. Bush signed the Born Alive Infants Protection Act into law. It recognizes that babies born after failed abortions are citizens and have all rights provided under our Constitution and laws. Jill Stanek was invited and was present at the signing ceremony in Pittsburg, PA. The U.S. Senate passed this bill by unanimous consent on July 18, 2002. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill in March, 2002. It is still unclear how Christ Hospital will respond to the new law. In 2002, Senator Patrick O'Malley introduced Born Alive Infants Protection legislation. Two of three bills were passed by the Illinois Senate, but these bills were killed in the Illinois House Health Care Committee. Even though many strong abortion supporters in the U.S. Senate approved of this legislation, it was denied a vote in the Illinois House. In 2001, the Born Alive Infants Protection legislation introduced by Senator Patrick O'Malley was passed by the Illiinois Senate, but all three bills were rejected by the Illinois House Judiciary Committee so the bills never got to a vote by the entire House. Jill Stanek was fired by Christ Hospital on August 31, 2001. Since that time she has continued speaking about the live birth abortion procedures used at Christ Hospital. She ran for state legislator in the March, 2002 primary, but lost to the incumbent.
~~~~~~~~~
Why is this allowed in "the land of the free"? Why does the church sit by, like so many did in Nazi Germany, and pretend like there's nothing going on...like there's nothing they can do, as babies are being slaughtered by the dozens. We're not even just talking about precious 10 week old infants...these are babies who could live outside the womb with proper medical care. This is complete wickedness. It needs to stop. And it will only stop when the church in America obeys God. God, have mercy on our land!

Thankfully, the BAIPA has been passed, but if you think it is effectively enforced, think again. I have not personally heard of any charges made under it. Here in FL, there are a number of babies who have been born alive that I know of, and nothing has really happened.

Baby Rowan
Baby Brass

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." ~2 Chronicles 7:14

photo from robynsnest.com

Inexpensive Books

Lately, I have been buying a lot of books. I've had some money from birthday and graduation, and there are so many excellent books out there by such godly, intelligent people, they are worth buying. But, also lately, I've been training myself to have a more frugal mindset, and try and save money. When I find a book I want, I usually look at 3 to 4 websites before making a purchase. Those include Half.com, Amazon.com, and eBay.com. I don't usually buy books right from Amazon.com, but rather from people who sell their books through amazon. If you buy from a Half or Amazon, they usually have a standard shipping cost for any books. eBay, however, is different...people can charge whatever they want for shipping.

In addition to those, Christian Book Distributors, as well as the Westminster Theological Seminary are great on-line bookstores, with books that are marked down. If I wouldn't be saving a considerable amount ($5 or more), I prefer to buy from a Christian place as opposed to half, amazon, or ebay. WTS has a standard $5 shipping cost, no matter how much you order. CBD has an affiliate program. I was going to sign up for it, but you have to be 18 or up...come December of this year, I'm in! :)

Another great way to save money on books is to find a used bookstore. Here where I live, there is a used Christian book store, called Bright Light Books. They sell other types of books, but primarily, they are a Christian bookstore. Their prices are great, and every month a book is in, it goes down about 10%. So, books that have been there since March '06 are 50% off. Another benefit of buying from them, is you can trade books for credit or cash. They give you 33% of what they'd sell the book for in cash, or 50% trade credit. I haven't taken advantage of this yet, but while Ben is down next weekend, I plan to take some books over. Also, if they don't have a book that you want, they'll find the least expensive, quality copy they can and sell it to you. The benefit to buying it from them instead of finding a used copy yourself is you can trade for it.

God has so richly blessed His people with many godly men and women who write wonderfully, edifying books! We Christians ought to take advantage and feed ourselves as much godly literature as we can. And since we ought to do that, we ought to get ahold of them as frugally as we can!

Back in the Field of Souls

at 1103 Lucerne Terrace.

Today was the first day of abortions at Lucerne since August. Mom and I arrived about 10:15, and were shocked to see that many cars were already there. Today was a rough day. Most of the people were very hard hearted...a number of the people were also professing christians.

For those of you who haven't noticed, there aren't many things that make me more upset than when professing christians have their children slaughtered. How dishonoring to our LORD, and what a terrible witness it gives the REAL Christians...not to mention that the abortionists think they're getting away with murdering true covenant children. One of them even told Patte, "My favorite babies to kill are Christian babies." What a sad state the church (visible church) in America today is in! If there will ever be revival in our land, it will start in the churches...it must start in the churches.

There is so much to say, but I'll just point out a few stories...

A while after we got there, Mom was in the back passing out ministry packets to the folks driving into the parking lot. One big van stopped to take one, and the girl (we'll call her "Shiela") seemed soft. She actually did stop and talk to us, and she professed to be a Christian. The reason she was murdering this baby was because she thought she couldn't handle having another one right now. . .she has a 3 y/o and a 1 y/o. What a selfish Mommy...we even offered (well, Mom did) to adopt her child, and she just didn't feel like allowing us to. "Oh, I could never give up my baby," she said. Yet, murder is an option. *shudders* We had a chance to talk to the father of the baby later on. He too was a professing Christian, and even said, "Oh, I talked to God about it already. It's a personal situation." Almighty God does not condone abortion. He forbids it at the penalty of death. . .physical (which, if we had righteous laws, would be what would happen), as well as eternal. He said he'd go in and talk to her about it, though. I have little confidence that he actually did.

Then there was a less-than-delightful young woman named "Hannah." She was laughing her head off as Patte talked about the consequences of abortion. She even laughed when we brought out the graphic sign (it's of a dead baby). "Oh, look at the dime," she giggled. Patte said to her, "I don't know how many children you've murdered..." (she was unable to finish what she was going to say), but "Hannah" replied by saying, "Oh, I'd do it a hundred times," as she continued to laugh. When her name was called to go in, Patte pleaded with her not to, but to no avail. She turned around and gave her a thumbs up, and a big grin.

A little while later, I approached a young man who is a father of a (now) dead baby. I had tried to give him a packet before, but this time I was a little more persistent, and followed him. He really didn't want to talk to me, but I continued to talk to him for a while, using God's Word. He told me I was a horrible person, and continued walking. I asked why he wasn't responding, and he said he didn't want to do anything that would get him thrown in jail (nice guy, eh?). Mom approached him later on. He was completely apathetic.

The last couple we talked to (well, Patte did all of the talking until the end) completely broke my heart. The girlfriend was on the porch on a chair, and the guy was sitting on the other chair. As Patte spoke, the girl kept looking over quite intently. The guy was flirting with her, and trying to be all sweet (which really sickens me...'let me "love on you" while we wait to kill our child'), which she didn't really appear to appreciate. They eventually walked over to Patte and took a bunch of information, and got in the car. We were rejoicing because we thought they were leaving. A while later, the guy walked inside, and as he was walking I asked him if they were leaving. He said, "No." Immediately, Patte went over and began talking to the girl, who was quite shy. She hardly said anything. She had taken all the things we gave her, though. Prenatal vitamins, a book about pregnancy, a bracelet, etc, and I think she was ready to leave with her baby. But, the boyfriend had other plans. He came back out and got in the car, and Patte began talking with both of them. He had every excuse. "I'm not financially ready." "I live with my parents." "I could never give my kid up for adoption." The girl remained silent as Patte talked. After a while, she was just looking at the guy, with what appeared to be a "I'm looking to you for your guidance" type look. Then, her name was called. He immediately got out. She didn't. Patte and I were kneeling next to her car door, and the boyfriend came up and asked us to move...we both hesitated, and then stood up. I asked him if he loved her. He looked at me for a little bit and said, "Well, I've got feelings for her. We haven't been together very long, though." As she got out of the car, I pled with her. "He doesn't give a rip about you. He doesn't even love you." We pled with them the entire time they were walking up to the building....and then they went in, and he came out alone. It broke my heart. He is a truly sorry excuse for a man. I'm so thankful that God has brought a godly young man like Ben into my life. I don't think I'll ever appreciate him enough.

As we walked away, I looked back at the mass of people on the porch, in tears. What a puzzling thing...spending three hours pleading with people not to pay someone to murder their own children. One day, Pastor Dave asked his son to pray with him for the people, that they wouldn't kill their babies...and he just looked at him and asked, "Dad, why do people want to kill their babies?" Out of the mouth of precious babes, amen?

Scripture is so true when it says in Romans 1,

"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful,proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." ~Romans 1:28-32

It describes aborting parents to a "t." They are filled with immorality, fornication...they are wicked and covetous (that's why they murder their children--financial gain)...they are full of murder (they are happy and willing to murder their own child, for their selfish purposes), they hate the Lord Jesus Christ, Almighty God in the flesh, they are despiteful, and proud and boastful as they delight in their evil deeds. They are truly without natural affection (mothers murdering their babies in not natural...men not loving their women enough to protect them from murdering their children...men not loving their children...that's all unnatural), and indeed they are unmerciful, as they take their infant child to be slaughtered, for the sake of what they think will be their own gain.

I especially fear for unrepentant murderers (especially those who had Christians there pleading with them and offering them help and showing and telling them the truth) when they stand before the Lord God Almighty on judgment day. I say along with the scriptures that it truly is an incredibly fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Menu Planning

So, due to the surprise ministry opportunity this morning at OWC, my schedule has been pretty off today. I was able to exercise this morning, and mop the house the house this afternoon (my chore for the day). I also got to plan our menu for the coming week (an excellent eBook on this topic is Menu Planning Made Easy--it has helped us be FAR more frugal in our shopping, as more organized as well). It was rather time-consuming, as I was peaking around looking for new recipes. Thanks to Crystal at Biblical Womanhood I found a great blog with lots of wonderful looking recipes on it, by Tammy. We are having about 20 people at our house for dinner (not including the three of us) on Thursday night. The folks going to down to Miami to ministry at the Super Bowl from Life and Liberty Ministries are spending the night at our house before heading off for Miami on Thursday morning. Ben's family is coming with them, but Ben is spending the weekend here in Orlando and we'll be ministering around here. There will also be some other folks from the VA area. They're stopping here again on the night of February 4, to stay the night, before heading back to VA on Monday.

My menu for the coming week is as follows (if you want any of the recipes, let me know):

Sunday (January 28):
Breakfast~French Breakfast Puffs (from Crystal's eBook, Simple Centsible Breakfasts) and eggs
Lunch/Dinner~There is a chili cookout after church, so I don't need to make lunch or dinner!

Monday (January 29):
Breakfast~Leftover French Breakfast Puffs
Lunch~Curried Chicken Salad (sooo good)
Dinner~Chicken & Orzo soup and multi-grain quick bread (these recipes are both new...hopefully they turn out!)

Tuesday (January 30):
Breakfast~English muffins w/ egg, ham, and cheese
Lunch~leftovers
Dinner~chicken tacos, homemade refried beans (another new recipe), and rice (also new--I've made rice before though :o).

Wednesday (January 31):
Breakfast~Cinnamon Crunch Granola (another new recipe!)
Lunch~Creamy Broccoli and Cheese Soup (new also)
Dinner~leftovers (Mom and I go out on Wednesday night, since we go to the abortion mill and have women's group after that)

Thursday ( February 1):
Breakfast~English muffins w/egg, ham, and cheese (or granola)
Lunch~sandwhiches
Dinner~KFC Chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, corn, and oreo dessert (that's a "family recipe" of sorts...delicious, even if you don't like oreos!)

Friday (February 2):
Breakfast~Breakfast Casserole (also from Crystal's eBook)
Lunch ~Sandwhiches (or leftovers or something)
Dinner~homemade pizza and salad (Ben likes pizza a lot *grin*)

Saturday (February 3):
Breakfast~Biscuits and gravy (another of Ben's favorites!)
Lunch~leftovers
Dinner~Lasagna, salad, and rolls (30 minute dinner rolls, from Crystal's eBook, Simply Centsible Suppers)

There you have it! The perfect menu plan (haha). :oD

The Thoughts of the "Enemy" on Abortion

This is an interesting "letter". It is worth a read, quite thought provoking. Patte Smith sent it to me. The apathy of supposed "christians" to the wickedness that is rampant in this country makes me sick. They love to go over seas for a week at a time to "minister"...I guess evangelizing your own neighbors, and seeking to save those being taken to the slaughter (both of those things, by the way are expressly commanded in scripture) are just less glamorous. . Christians need to wake up and get moving...forget about their superbowl parties and the other "ministries" (laughing ministries--absurdity of absurdities), quilting ministries--nothing wrong with quilting, just don't quilt instead of obey God, etc), and begin obeying Almighty God. They'll stand before Him one day...and a number of "good church-goers" will be shocked when the Lord Jesus Christ separates the goats from the sheep, and tells the goats to depart from Him, as they are cast into the lake of fire.

(NOTICE: I am not advocating work-salvation. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone...but one's obedience to Christ, and their willingness to sacrifice for Him is a good indicator as to whether they have truly been saved. Like Martin Luther said, "We're saved by faith alone, but a faith that saves is not alone.")

To the throngs of demons,:

One of my favorite principles is qui tacet consentire videtur or Silence Gives Consent.

This principle, along with man's natural tendency toward the sin of spiritual sloth, allows me to ensnare more church-going "christians" than any other.

I delight in abortion for many reasons. As you well know, I view the death of innocent babies as a sacramental sacrifice to me. I relish each and every additional weight of punishment that will be meted out against the mother and fathers of the baby and all those who provide the service of offering human sacrifice for financial gain. I take great pleasure in watching the medical personnel abuse their power and take authority over life and death. Oh how I love to prosper them!

There is something else too, that I gives me particular glee. It's the number of those who call themselves "christians" that I have serving me through their explicit and tacit approval of these mass infant sacrifices. Their deafening silence is music to my ears. It appears that their sins of omission are of no consequence to them. I watch them sit idle as the little children are led to bloodly deaths and the church-goers accumulate wrath for themselves in the day of wrath by their failure to lift a finger to intervene. They seem oblivious to their spiritual fate, as day by day, year by year, over a lifetime they look the other way while I preside over the systematic tortured, mutilation and premature births of these unwanted infants. The church-goers continue their weekly religious duties, seemingly unaware that their sins of ommision will be counted heavily against them at their judgment. If they had intervened, many, if not most, of the mothers and their little ones would have escaped my sacrificial altar. What a victory! I will admit that the apathy of the outwardly pious is a perpetual puzzle to me. Perhaps it is because they cannot see the victims inside their mothers or witness the actual slaughter. Perhaps their conscience is on the fritz. Well, no matter. I get such a kick when I see the throngs of "christians" going in and out of Mass or church service, year after year, never bothering to think about, let alone do anything about, this deliciously sacred act of mass human sacrifice to me. Their religious prayers and songs and their silence about the blood offerings being poured out in my honor our silence is sweet music to my ears. They all think that they are bound for rewards in heaven -- well, heaven's loss is certainly my gain. Ha Ha!

Another reason why the principle Silence GIVES Consent is such a favorite of mine is that it is so easy to keep men in a condition of spiritual sloth, where they are mute. I can get most people to ignore their own sins of omission indefinitely, especially since it doesn't seem to draw any attention to the priests, pastors and the other church-goers like some of the blatant sins of commission do.

This legion of lukewarm souls is one of my greatest assets in my war against the image of God in humanity. Without them, it would be impossible to perpetuate this act of worship to me.

Regards. . . . . . . . . . Satan

It's back to OWC...

Just in time for the 34th anniversary of the tragic Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion (ie: government sanctioned murder of unborn babies), Orlando Women's Center is up and running again. Today was the first day they were scheduling murders since they closed on August 10. Some of you might recall my post about it back then. "Dr." James "Scotty" Pendergraft has called on his hireling, abortionist Harry Perper, to murder infants in the first trimester at Orlando Women's Center. Though Pendergraft hasn't been tried yet (the depositions were today--please pray their crimes would be revealed and he would be charged with many charges of murder, that his medical license will be permanently revoked, and that the murder of innocent children at his hands, and the hands of his hirelings would cease), apparently he has been given the OK to get Perper to kill.

We showed up this morning at OWC around 10:45. The only people we talked to were not there to kill their children. One precious young lady we spoke to really wants to be pregnant! She was there for a blood test to see whether she is pregnant. Thankfully, the Lord allowed us to convince her to go the The Birth Place, a wonderful birthing center, for her test! We later found out that though they were taking appointments today, no one scheduled an abortion. Tomorrow, however, there are some scheduled, so we're planning to hit the streets again. Please pray that the Lord will intervene on behalf of the precious infants who are, for now, comfortably growing and developing in the wombs of their mothers. Pray for good weather (Praise be to GOD, as He held the rain back for us today as we ministered--what an answer to prayer that was!), and that God would give us all a holy boldness to be good witnesses for Him!

The news that OWC is open for killing again breaks my heart. We don't know what the "routine" will be, as far as when to minister and where, but we'll get that settled soon. May God lead and guide us in the decisions our ministry will be making in the coming weeks.

May God grant repentance to our nation, that we might turn away from the shedding of innocent blood that is sanctioned by our government, as well as the mass wickedness that has grown so rampant in a nation that was once godly.

"Righteousness exalteth a nation but sin is a reproach to any people." ~Proverbs 14:34

Being Organized Feels Good

Today was my first day of implementing my "I Don't Have Schoolwork Anymore" Schedule. Thus far, everything has been really great. I've gotten lots of things done, and it feels so good to know my day wasn't wasted "eating the bread of idleness" (something the Prov. 31 woman did NOT do). I slept in a little bit (until 6:20), since I got home late last night from women's group. But, I got up and did my devotions...I started Exodus today :) After that I talked to Ben for a while (I love him!). Then, I exercised, and got "freshened up." After a quick breakfast, I cleaned, worked on scripture memorization. Today, I memorized Titus 1:1-2 (we're memorizing all of Titus in my small group). After that, I worked on my new cross-stitching project for a while. It's my first time cross stitching, except for part of one I did as a little girl. It's pretty fun, but more time consuming then I expected. After that, I had some lunch with my Mom. Then, I started catching up on Tabletalk devotions (I'm waaay behind for this month). After that, I worked on my inductive study of 1 John, which was thrilling as always! Today, I paraphrased 1 John 3, in my own words. The thing I like about paraphrasing it is that it forces you to try and figure out what some of the more tricky parts mean. After that, I worked on NT Greek for a while (I'm behind!!). I practiced piano and flute, and walked the dogs with my Mom. Now, I'm spending some time on the computer doing some things and talking to Ben (*grin*). Today, all I have left to do is work on marketing for Ben's shop. make dinner and then I get to read! (After that, I get to talk to Ben again!!). And then tomorrow, I'll do it all again, Lord willing.

I guess that wasn't the most interesting blog post ever...alas...

Hope everyone has a blessed day!
Mary Jo

Precious Letter from John Piper to his Wife

John Piper made a letter in honor of his wife's birthday public, and it is worth a read! It is truly touching, and comes from the heart of a man who obviously loves his wife...and with good reason! I hope that I might be a truly godly wife one day, to the glory of my King. To see the full letter, you can go here.

Here are a couple of excerpts:

You have supported me in my faith. When I have wavered in discouragement, you have never sunk, but stood. You have directed me to our sovereign King again and again.

You have supported me in managing a home with four small sons, now grown, and one late-arriving daughter, now growing. Only a mother can know what it costs the heart and body to be there for children all the time. But I know some of the cost. And I do not take it for granted. It shall not go unpraised. The price was high. Our sons are not perfect, but they are strong with your strength, and I am glad. May Talitha bring such strength to her man.

He closed the letter with this poem that he wrote:

For None But You
December, 2006

Before his boils made him unable to
Feel anything but pain,
Job made a covenant: “I will be true,”
He pledged. “If I should gain

Or lose the world, I will not use my eyes
To look upon a maid,
Nor let my mind spy or pursue a prize
By which you are betrayed.”

And thus he loved his wife with all his heart.
And I have done the same,
But not to imitate, as though the art
Of such obsession came

By wanting more, and saying No to this.
It has not been that way,
Though tearing out the eye is good, the bliss
Of eyes that will not stray

Is best. Nor do I mean such bliss that breaks
Beneath the weight of pain,
But ever holds like steel and never shakes
Beneath a world of strain.

This is the deep allegiance of my eyes
And of my mind and heart.
It is not wrought by pow’r of will that tries
With effort to depart

From foreign fire. It is a gift to me
And you. I will be true,
So help me God. These eyes will never be
For anyone but you.

Why I Sidewalk Counsel

I know I meant to have this post up weeks ago, but I just haven't gotten around to it until today.

As many of you know, I go at least weekly to All Women's Center abortuary in Altamonte Springs, FL. I have been sidewalk counseling for about a year and a half. A post recently on the Biblical Womanhood blog sparked a discussion via comments that gave me the idea to write this post, as some folks did not agree with my "method" of pro-life ministry. One individual went as far as to say that sidewalk counseling is hateful and abusive.

First, I want to clear something up. Scripture is clear that abortion (the murder of a precious unborn baby, made in the image of Almighty Gody) is an abomination. The Bible says in Proverbs that God even hates the hands that shed innocent blood. The shedding of innocent blood is a violation of God's holy law, which says "Thou shalt not kill (murder)." It is clear from just those verses, as well as many others, that abortion is no light matter in the eyes of our Lord, since people are created in His image, and the unborn are the most innocent of the human race!

I'll give a quick overview of what we do, for those who don't know. Upon arriving at the killing place, we immediately begin by offering practical help to the Moms and Dads. We have financial assistance, we can get them to an adoption agency, help them find jobs, and the married couples who minister with us even offer to adopt people's children themselves. It is clear to every woman that we are not there to harass her, but to help. When people reject our help, we begin preaching the law of God, as a prophetic witness against the wickedness taking place (we do not yell and scream, contrary to popular belief). I believe both of these "methods" are clearly supported by scripture.

At the abortion mill, we try to reach every individual according to their needs--Mothers, Fathers, clinic workers, and we of course try to rescue the babies. We are commanded to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We love the Moms by offering them help through their pregnancies, so they don't feel the need to go through with something as wicked as paying a man to murder their infant child.

Preaching God's law is also loving them, since the LORD tells us in the book of Galatians (v. 3:24) that the law is the schoolmaster that leads people to Christ. We don't only try to get them to leave the abortion mill without harming their baby...the ultimate goal is for them to hear the gospel and repent of their sins and trust Christ! One girl said, "Worst case scenario, the woman has an abortion..." But, scripture makes it clear that each sin committed by a lost person heaps up wrath for the day of judgment. Even if they fail to repent and believe the gospel, preventing them from murdering an innocent child is sparing them from one more sin they will be punished for in eternity.

In addition to the mothers being our neighbors, though, the babies are our neighbors as well. How can we love them if they are dead? We are commanded by God to rescue those who are being taken to the slaughter. Not only are we supposed to rescue them, but if we don't, God will hold us accountable for their deaths.

It is never wrong to proclaim God's word to people. Preaching is not yelling. Preaching is not harassing. Preaching brings glory to God, if done in love. We are even told in Ezekiel that we are to show the wicked city her abominations. Since the gospel is to be preached to every creature in the name of Christ, why not aborting mothers?

I don't deny that what we do is offensive to the hardhearted. In fact, scripture promises us in the beginning of the book of 1 Corinthians that the preaching of God's word WILL be offensive and be as foolishness to them that are perishing. So, being offensive is certainly no reason to discontinue the preaching of God's word.

Unfortunately, most abortion related ministries miss the mark. They fail to talk about the absolute necessity of repenting of the sin of abortion (as well as fornication, which, in all likelihood got the woman in the situation she was in to begin with), as well as forsaking all other sins and following Christ. Contrary to popular belief, not every woman who has her baby killed is broken and sad over it. "Seeking healing" does not mean they have godly sorrow. It can very well mean they have worldly sorrow and want their conscience to stop bothering them so they can continue on in sin. That is what we run into most often.

The same girl I've mentioned also asked if I would want the only thing the woman who had an abortion to remember is me or another individual screaming at her that she is a murderer. While we don't scream, I certainly hope that each and every person remembers what was preached to them the day they killed their baby. I pray that the conscience of every individual won't leave them alone until they repent! I pray that the preaching nags at them and nags at them until it drives them to their knees. I honestly don't have much concern for the aborting women to be happy, while headed for hell. My desire is for them to be saved, and find their joy in the King! Scripture says that godly sorrow leads to repentance. Scripture also says that it is God's kindess that leads to repentance! Would it not then follow that godly sorrow is a gift from God? And what brings godly sorrow more than the preaching of God's holy word? It is only by the mercy of God towards the aborting men and women that there are people preaching the gospel to them, so they have the opportunity to repent.

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:13-14)

There also seems to be a fairly common misconception that preaching = being judgmental, and that all judging is wrong (scripture commands us to judge righteous judgment!). Preaching is a command of God. We are to call sin exactly what it is. Anything that waters down the message of sin and repentance is an affront to Christ. The goal is not to make people feel good in their sin. The goal is for them to see themselves and their actions in light of God's word. When we preach the word of God, we ourselves are not judging, but merely declaring what God has already judged! His words and judgments are obviously without blemish, and are written to bring people to Himself.

Preaching is not harmful in any way. Any "pain" it causes a woman here is nothing in comparison to the pain she will experience for all eternity if she fails to repent and believe the gospel.

To say sidewalk counseling (grant it, some folks go about it the wrong way) is "hateful," "abusive," "ungodly," or "unloving," is simply falsely accusing the brethren of being hateful and ungodly, when they are acting in obedience to God (showing the people their sin, proclaiming the gospel, and rescuing those being carried off to slaughter) THAT, if anything, is what is ungodly. If examined from a biblical perspective, it is clear that sidewalk counseling, done right, is indeed loving and, if the gospel is preached (which it should be!!), it is fulfilling the Great Comission of our Lord Jesus Christ to preach repentance in His name!

Response to a comment from dt123

On January 5, 2007 dt123 commented on my post Laboring in the Field of Souls with the following comment:

Just out of curiosity...do you believe that pro-choice advocates have the right to endorse their view at your church or house of worship??

My church, unlike many who have fallen into the deception of liberal, openness to and "tolerance" of wickedness, would not allow an individual who is supportive of Moms paying an individual to chop their infant children into pieces at our pulpit. If they want to stand outside, that is their perogative, although disturbing the preaching of God's word and His worship is unwise.

Now, if I am correct (and please correct me if I'm wrong), you're attempting to make a parrallel between us going to abortion mills and pro-aborts coming to churches. The parrallel doesn't exist, though. At abortion mills, people hire a hitman to murder their babies. There is blood guilt. We offer practical help to the Moms as well as preach the word of Almighty God and plead with the Moms and Dads on behalf of the voiceless unborn. That is loving.

Additionally, there is no question that we have the "right" to be outside of an abortion mill, since political (don't get me wrong...I don't consider what I do politics at ALL...it's simply for God's glory...but it's considered "political speech") and religious speech are two of the most protected rights in this nation.

I truly hope I responded adequately. Feel free to comment again.

-Mary Jo

Response to a comment from Anonymous

On January 2, 2007, "Anonymous" commented on my post, "Laboring in the field of souls" with the following:

Your bible endorses killing children and aborting fetuses:

Numbers 31:17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones.

Deuteronomy 2:34 utterly destroyed the men and the women and the little ones.

Deuteronomy 28:53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters.

I Samuel 15:3 slay both man and woman, infant and suckling.

2 Kings 8:12 dash their children, and rip up their women with child.

2 Kings 15:16 all the women therein that were with child he ripped up.

Isaiah 13:16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled and their wives ravished.

Isaiah 13:18 They shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eyes shall not spare children.

Lamentations 2:20 Shall the women eat their fruit, and children.

Ezekiel 9:6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids and little children.

Hosea 9:14 give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.

Hosea 13:16 their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.

Psalms 137:9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.

A simple examinations of the scriptures, in their proper context, shows that Anonymous is clearly mistaken about the message of the Holy Scriptures. I will examine each one individually.

• Numbers 31:17~To see the reasoning behind this command, all one has to do is examine the previous verse which says, "Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD." The point of the command in verse 17 is that the infants being killed was a judgment of God on the wickedness of the Midianites. God commanded the armies of the nation of Israel to do that. That is not the same as a woman paying someone to slaughter her own child.
• Deuteronomy 2:34~This passage, if you look at it in context is describing a war against another nation. Again, obeying the command of God for the nation of Israel to wipe out a wicked nation is not the same as condoning a mother, or anyone else, murdering her own child.
  
• Deuteronomy 28:53~This is not a command of God. This is simply a description of what was going to happen...the consequences of the nation's disobedience to the LORD. God said that they would eat the fruit of their bodies (their children), not because He desires it, but because they were in rebellion and would, in their wickedness, decide to do that. It's a prediction.
• 1 Samuel 15:3~again, a command of God to wipe out a wicked nation.
• 2 Kings 8:12~This is a prediction of what one Judah was going to do to the nation of Israel, not a command of God to do it. Scripture is not condoning abortion...it simply records that Judah did this to the children of Israel, because it did.
• 2 Kings 15:16~Again, a record of something that happened, not an approval of abortion
• Isaiah 13:16~this is a prophecy of the fall of Babylon
• Isaiah 13:18~this is again part of the prophecy of the fall of Babylon
• Lamentations 2:20~This is Jeremiah's *lamentation* of what was happening, certainly not an approval. You misquoted the verse by putting a period where you put it, instead of the question mark that is actually there.
• Ezekiel 9:6~This is God ridding His people of wickedness, using His angels...certainly not condoning a woman slaughtering her own baby.
• Hosea 9:14~This is a plea for God's judgment, in closing the womb, which means they are unable to bear children. It does NOT in any way show approval of abortion.
• Hosea 13:16~This is again a prophecy of what was to happen to a particular nation, Samaria, because they were rebelling against God.
• Psalm 137:9~This is a prophecy...not a condoning of abortion.

As is obvious after a rather quick look at each of the verses you gave, scripture does not condone abortion. Rather it forbids it. The Bible even says that God hates the hands that shed innocent blood. Anonymous, your mistreatment of the Word of Almighty God is shameful. I plead with you, in the name of Jesus Christ the Savior, to repent of your sins and flee from the wrath to come (God's just judgment of sin is an eternal, literal, burning hell) by trusting in Christ, who died for your sins and the sins of the whole world, that those who trust Him and turn from their sin might inherit eternal life with Him.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me again.

I'm Back!

Okay, okay...

I've been back since late Wednesday night. It is so hard to get back into the habit of blogging regularly (even though I enjoy it!) when I've been away for so long. Not to mention, I've been fairly busy the last few days. But, anyway, I've returned to the blogging world. For those of you who are still with me, thanks for not leaving! I know that failing to blog for 2 weeks (gasp) is a biiig no-no in the world of blogs...nonetheless, one must maintain proper priorities!

My trip to Covenant Farm, the Murch family's residence, was splendid. I very much enjoyed my time with Ben (*sigh*) and his precious family. The fellowship was so sweet, and it is truly a beautiful place! I was sad to leave...one day, I'll be up there for good! :) Hopefully it's not too long...God's timing is perfect though, so I'll trust Him! I really enjoy their Pastor's preaching, too, so being away didn't prevent me from sitting under sound preaching of God's word. Pastor Ware is such a wonderful man of God. We were able to go out evangelizing one Saturday and then we all went to his house for lunch. It was such a splendid time of fellowship. The stories he has are so great to hear. He's about 78, so he has a lot of them! :o)

Ooh! Ben gave me my birthday present the day after I got to his house. :D He got me a beeeautiful white gold heart necklace. I should post a picture of it. I've worn it every day since I got it. He's such a sweet guy. I was so surprised, too! I had nooo idea what he had for me, even after numerous interrogations on my part (poor Ben...he doesn't really like being bombarded with questions very much).

Since I got home, I've been enjoying not having to worry about doing schoolwork. The day after I returned, I finished read a book Lauren, Ben's sister, lent me called The King James Only Controversy, by James R. White. It was a very interesting read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I've read a number of good books lately...perhaps I will do some book reviews on the blog soon. Any thoughts?

In addition to reading, I also helped my Mom get our house ready for company. We had a bunch of friends from church over yesterday afternoon for lunch. We made homemade spaghetti sauce with meatballs and Italian sausage, salad, rolls (which I completely messed up--whoops!--we had to run out and get some at the store), and turtle brownies (brownies with carmel) served with vanilla icecream. It was such a wonderful time of fellowship. I really enjoyed it! Hopefully, we can do it again soon!

While I was gone, Liberty Counsel sent out an email containing a news release about how they helped us in our situation with the Altamonte Springs Police Department, in which they linked to my blog. That news release is online, but does not contian the paragraph that included my blog. Here is a link, if you are interested. I'm so thankful that God used them to open the doors of communication wider between us and the aborting women. Praise His name!

That e-mail brought a lot of traffic to my blog, as well as a few comments. I think I need to respond to some of the comments in individual posts. Over the next couple of days, I plan to go ahead and do that. I think I'm going to go ahead and start on that endeavor.

It's good to be back (in the blog world)!

Many blessings,
Mary Jo