Great Read

I am currently reading a book called "Created to be His Help Meet " by Debi Pearl (Debi and her husband Michael have a ministry called No Greater Joy that can be accessed at www.nogreaterjoy.org).  While we were living in NH my husband's friend ordered us a bunch of their literature knowing that we are Christian's (it was free for military if you requested it, not sure if it still is).  We listened to one of Michael Pearl's sermon's and WOW...I could immediately tell that the No Greater Joy ministry was extremely "old school" aka conservative. This was not "feel good" religion.  This was Biblical straight talk like I hadn't heard before.  I told my husband to turn it off... I couldn't listen to it.  Not because I disagreed with what Mr. Pearl was saying, but because it was too harsh...too raw.  I wasn't mature enough to handle it.

In the package we received there was a book called "Created to be His Help Meet" that Debi Pearl had written about the biblical role of a wife.  The back cover read that the book would transform your marriage.  At the time, our marriage was at a rough patch, but at the time I was too stubborn to accept any wrong doing and so after reading the first chapter of Debi's book I literally threw it across the room.  That was 3 years ago.

We got through that rough patch and our marriage is great thanks to the Lord's blessing, an awesome support system and a great church family.  But a year ago I felt an internal stirring.  I wanted to not only to have a great marriage, but a Godly marriage.  I wondered how God really intended marriage to be.  What could I do to have the best marriage possible?  Last fall I came across "Created..." and I am a little more than half-way through it now (in addition to reading it I am reading 2 other books and raising a family... I'm taking my time with it).

I read the first chapter through different eyes the second time around.  This book has resonated with me in a way that continues to surprised me.  Although I don't agree with everything in the book, there are so many "ah ha!" moments throughout it.  I have a better marriage because of it.  I have a clearer understanding of my role as a wife and I am better at loving and serving my husband because of it.  

No matter the state of your marriage I recommend this book.  It will give you a different perspective on marriage and a woman's role in that union.  It will most-likely challenge you, since we are women of a new era and mind-set, but considering the rising divorce rate in our country, it may be beneficial to become a little more "old school" and examine what God really intended marriage to be.

Who Would Choose This?

Today I read an article on partial-birth abortion.  I always knew that partial-birth abortion was an abortion that was preformed during the end of the 2nd or beginning of the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, but I never knew the exact details of the procedure itself.  I honestly don't know what to say...

I sat on the couch and cried.  I cannot understand how any human, especially the pregnant woman and operating doctor, can willingly involve themselves in something so completely inhumane. The only way to describe what is being done is murder.  It is as simple as that.  To murder a viable baby is so disgusting and so selfish.  

I have heard all the arguments before..."what about if a woman is raped?" or "what about those unfortunate cases of incest?" or "what if the woman's life is at risk?".  We live in the 21st century.  Rape is no longer an excuse for an abortion because of the education of women these days.  We have all been taught about rape kits and the benefit to the woman of not only being medically examined after a rape has occured, but also in aiding in the arrest and prosecution of the accused rapist. Incest falls under the same category as rape. As for protecting the health of the mother, all I know is that if I were in the position where a possible pregnancy compromised my health, I simply would not get pregnant.  If once I were pregnant there were complications to my health, I would go the course and trust in God.  I would never choose to murder so that I could live.

There is currently a ban on partial-birth abortion nationwide and additional bans exist state-to-state.  But there are definitely those who believe that this should be legal and available to women in support of a woman's right to choose.  What about the rights of that child?  How is it that we live in a country that is so conscious about everyone else's rights (black, white, gay, straight, etc.) yet we can allow a baby with no voice be discarded without batting an eye?

Don't get me wrong, I am against all forms of abortion, but for some reason this particular form (and forms similar to it) really enrages me.  If a woman chooses to have sex outside of marriage she needs to be responsible.  Free birth control is widely available and easily accessible.  If a woman does get pregnant and does not want that child, adoption is the way to go.  

Women need to take responsibility for their actions and stop buying into the lie that this quick fix will solve everything.

Sounding Board

Lately I have been needing to express thoughts and opinions that I only share with a select few and otherwise keep to myself.  Some of these are pretty simple and straight-forward while others are controversial and completely go against the grain of our selfish culture.  I just need an outlet and since conventional journaling (which I used to do religiously) has become a luxury as I am rarely able or willing to pull out the old journal and pen, I figured this would be a more convenient option.  

Stay tuned...