July 24, 2008 by pamela.

I’ve received emails with the following article a few times since yesterday afternoon… and each time I receive it I’m once again encouraged and reminded of the great blessing of motherhood and childbearing specifically. I’m encouraged bcz the ones who have sent it are mothers who not only love their children but also love being mothers — mothers who have borne many children and whose bodies have been made comfortable… for babies… and adored by husbands who appreciate and marvel at the handiwork and blessing of the Lord.

Article by Jeff (The Public Undressing of America) Pollard

The True Meaning of Beauty:
A Pastoral Letter to Fruitful Vines

 Dear Fruitful Vines,

One never knows in God’s mercy and kindness what a simple appeal to a Biblical passage can produce. As I was pondering my last encouragement to you all, I pondered Psalm 128. Verse 3 says, “Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house.” I thought, “You know, instead of saying, ‘Dear pregnant moms,’ maybe, ‘Fruitful Vines,’ instead.” Now “pregnant moms” is a lovely term to me. Nevertheless, from the encouraging replies I received regarding the term Fruitful Vines, it will now be the address of choice!

This also pointed out to me again the importance of words and, especially in our society, of image. You dear sisters have to stand in the checkout lines of Wal-Mart and other stores all the time. Glaring at you are rows of magazines that virtually shout at you, “The Hollywood Harlots are the standard of beauty. You have to look like this, and display that, or you are not beautiful.”

Don’t listen to this. Reject it. Replace this lie with God’s truth.

Some of you mentioned waddling. Some of you mentioned that vines are thin. I was amused. Yet, I was also pierced to my very soul. Our society has made body-sculpting surgeons rich and constantly shoves its artificial, nip-and-tuck, silicone and Botox standard of beauty in your face. Let me tell you something: waddling, as your body bears the children God gave you, is holy. The changes, the aches, the pains, the swelling, the stretch marks, and all the rest-these are all beautiful in the eyes of the Lord and to any man who has his biblical wits about him. It is stunning beauty to see women submitting to the often painful changes that bearing the Lord’s children brings. Being fruitful and multiplying brings glory to the Lord Jesus Christ and is the holy act of bringing God’s elect into this world. Through virgin’s womb, our beloved Savior entered this world. Mary did the most holy waddling that has ever graced the planet. It was not the sultry, sensual sashay of seduction. It was the humble, load-bearing, groaning, aching waddle of the salvation of all God’s elect for all eternity.

Waddle on,groan on, swell up to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ: you are displaying a true and holy beauty to your God and to anyone who has eyes to see.

My beloved wife used to say in her last trimester, “I feel like a beached whale.” I wish I had told her a million times and more, “But you are beautiful to me and to the Lord.” She was then and she is now the delight of my eyes. Dear Vines, there is a beauty in your fulfilling the eternal purpose of God to which all the airbrushed, surgically enhanced bodies on this planet will never compare. Your self-effacing sacrifice displays the glory of your Lord.

Waddle, swell, and groan to glory of your Savior. He knows true beauty when he sees it…”

The above article by Jeff Pollard posted at Vision Forum | Doug Phillips Blog Permalink

with love and thanks to the LORD for the inestimable gift of motherhood and opportunity for life…

Posted in birth control, Motherhood | Print | 3 Comments »

March 11, 2008 by pamela.

I thought I’d just start this post off with a bang: vasectomies. Writing the rest of it will be easier now, comparatively speaking.  Well, with the exception of replies to comments - but that’s probaby the good thing about not receiving lots of daily comments here.

I don’t know of an elective surgery that is more emotionally charged than vasectomies - with the exception of tubal ligations. Every week I receive letters from women — men and women — couples — who ask for prayer for conception and pregnancy - most requests are posted on our site. In addition to those, we receive letters inquiring about birth control and vasectomy or tubal ligation reversal. So many aches. So many questions.  So much regret and disappointment. So many broken hearts and marriages. Week after week, couples plead for prayer on their behalf that God would be merciful and grant them conception… that God would provide a way for a vasectomy reversal… that God would forgive a bad or foolish decision.

If you’ve visited our site or have known me any length of time you will readily know my strong opposition to the big fix. It’s a lie… the big fix is no fix at all - for breaking things that work just fine isn’t a solution or a fix-all. Very, very rarely do I ever talk with a person for whom pregnancy is or would be fatal or detrimental health wise. Very rarely do I ever read of situations where a woman should not — must not — get pregnant.  And most of the time, my estimation of birth-control is this: it is for people who should not get pregnant. And who should not? People who are not married. to. each. other.  Sincere or Medical cases of necessary abstinence are rare - much rarer than are cited.

Responsibility is a marvelous gift to men and to women.  Responsibility requires necessary restraint and composure, resolve and commitment.  Vasectomies remove a substantial restraining factor in men’s lives and behaviour.  That’s something that’s probably not mentioned when men seek a vasectomy.  It’s not like the doc sits there and says, now, brother, you do realize that you now have total secsual freedom, don’t you?  Are you sure you can handle this?

Of course not.

Instead, docs ignorantly praise a man for the decision he’s making (the great financial bene, notwithstanding) and how now he’ll be free to enjoy secs completely and his wife will never have to be burdened again, blah, blah, blah.   Based on the number of women who’ve written to us, and we’re nobody!, and I will tell you, women cry over the foolish decision and men ache with shame and regret for making a decision based on convenience. and doubt. and fear.

Page two, Local Section of this morning’s Seattle Times has an article about a doc in Oregon who is offering “premium vasectomy appointments” to men who want to time their vasectomy just right to enable them to watch March Madness college basketball… “It’s snip city.” the ad in the article proclaims.

Another sad consequence: older men acting on impulse; younger men instructed.  Older men paving the way for younger men to neglect God.

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.  — Psalm 19

Problems?  Headaches?  Tired of being tied down?  Kids interrupting your game or game-plan? Make an appointment to cut them off today.  You’re in charge of your life - why be bogged down with children and family, why bother?

So light and so cavalier is the view of the great gift of life.   Pragmatism makes many foolish decisions.  For which man could know what God has in store for him?  Who can know the great mind of God on matters of life, offspring and posterity - except that He says children are a blessing and a great heritage to the man who has them.  Decisions with eternal implications made in a moment of frustration or despair… based on a most convenient scenario.

I wonder how many will be grieved five minutes or six months later when the gravity of the decision is realized.  It is a grievous thing to cut off the possibility of children - the heritage of the Lord.  The big fix is a lie.
We know many who have sought forgiveness for the hasty or illadvised action and have joined in prayer and have sought reversal: “Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.  Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me…”

God help us.

Posted in birth control, marriage, Family | Print | 2 Comments »

February 29, 2008 by pamela.

I thought it appropriate to clarify something in regard to my previous entry: Birthcontrol at Mars Hill.  First, I’d be remiss if I didn’t quickly say that I think Mark Driscoll is a good teacher and sound in doctrine.   I think he handles societal issues well — though differently than I might.  But so what.  I don’t live in Seattle anymore.  Near, but not in.

I also want to clarify that my entry was in regards only to that particular sermon on birthcontrol and his personal views and teaching on that particular matter (though I tend to believe that his teaching and personal application are not necessarily exactly the same).  I believe he must, as a compassionate teacher, feel the need to be lenient - or compassionate to reach those for whom there are no easy answers.  And… I’ll give him that - bcz, face it, we’re all lenient at times regardless of what we think we resolutely believe or think we’d say or do in a given situation.  Faced with it, we might not necessarily do what we resolutely say we would do.   So — given more time to mull over what he said, I understand why he takes the broader lane of the narrow path.  Okay… so… Mars Hill.  In my previous blog entry, I was just alluding to some of his comments on birthcontrol and the biblical rational or mandate regarding its use or practice or prohibition.  Those are some things I might question.  But as for the general teaching and theology of Mars Hill.  Fine; just fine.  I think what one might glean by listening to his teaching would be profitable and insightful.  So, yeah — hope that doesn’t make things clear a mud.

And, by the way,  the Seattle Mars Hill Church is in no way affiliated with Rob Bell’s Mars Hill in Michigan.

Posted in birth control, The Church Today | Print | No Comments »

February 29, 2008 by pamela.

In our area lots of folks are drawn to the Mars Hill church in Seattle and ‘tens of thousands’ more who listen on line. I began to watch this lengthy video - it is a sermon, after all, and listened to his take on birth control and what the Bible says about  marriage, procreation and principles of birth control. So after listening for awhile I realized that he, as we all do I suppose, interprets according to his conviction or his interpretations or reactions to what he’s read, heard or seen. I notice this throughout life, when we like someone or want to like someone, then we tend to accept what they say or teach - but if not, and especially when it comes to ‘religious’ people with views counter to our own, we tend to discount, exaggerate or mock what they say, do or think. We might even dare to call them legalists or legalistic. That label used to be bandied about by people outside the church, but now it’s increasingly common within the church to divide from legalists. Interestingly, though, legalism has been redefined to include much more than it ever did before recent times. Now, legalism is anything that holds to what’s considered a ‘narrow view’ of the Word of God and moral absolutes. Before the paradigm shift of much of the modern church, what’s now called legalism was simply adherence to high morals based on what’s clearly defined and taught in the Word.

When Mark Driscoll started his sermon, I thought… hmmm… I think he just might have something here. But the longer I listened, the more I realized he had an agenda (again, as most of us do when talking about things we’re passionate about) and his preconceived notions or his biases were evident. If you like (follow, subscribe to, admire, agree with, etc., etc.) Christian teachers such as Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Nancy Campbell, Doug Phillips and/or Mary Pride, then his comments and interpretations of their teachings, Biblical understanding or positions will likely cause a reaction. And it won’t be cheerful. Well, that’s what I thought, anyway. But I always react pretty strongly when people trot out the Andrea Yates argument and start dumping conservative homeschooling, homebirthing, yada, yada, yada mothers into her bathtub.

Further, you’ll likely have some strong reactions if you’re attempting to live in accordance with God’s Word and are asking His blessing on your marriage and especially if you understand that to mean: one, some, none, many or however many children “blessing” means. And if, with that mindset, you are “quiverful minded” and/or are a homeschooling mom in a dress with a wide collar (snipe, snipe) or if you take the verse, “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it…,” to mean what it says and you don’t reinterpret it to fit your agenda, then you will likely react to Mark Driscoll’s condescending remarks.
But… if you’ve been taught to believe otherwise, then… you’ll find his sermon and his assumptions — well, just what you want to hear. Bcz whatever you think is what’s best.

Posted in birth control, marriage, The Church Today | Print | 1 Comment »