God, Guidotti, the Good-looking and the Gorgeous

I like Rick Guidotti!  Wow.  After this video, maybe you will too!  A short time ago, someone posted a story about Rick that appeared on NBC.  He was interviewed by Dr. Nancy Snyderman.  Rick is a photographer.   He has covered fashion in his career for the top fashion magazines.  I had never heard of him as I am not into fashion (believe me on that), nor am I into photography (again, believe me on that too). 

Yet, why would I ever pay attention for one second to Rick Guidotti? 

It is about a mind transformation that took place.  He was told something over and over by a certain pool of society and he questioned it.  He questioned it and then plunged into an entirely different pool.  That is a lot like what happened to me.  It started with God challenging me about ideas and then He grabbed my heart/soul.   I want for you to see the video first, but I am going to give spoilers left and right if you don't. 

Rick was told by the fashion society what was beautiful.  He was around models and fashion "experts" for many years.  He said he pondered about what was considered "beauty".   Don't we often do that?  Only maybe for some, more time is spent branding people as "ugly".   Bullying includes name-calling others who are perceived looking or even acting  differently. Many people believe the lies when they are branded as ugly  Conversely, we do have to be careful not to become vain if others puff us up with flattery. 

Rick shared in this video how he saw someone with albinism.  My very first encounter with someone who was labeled as an"albino" was a character in the movie "Foul Play".   The actor's name was William Frankfather but he did not have albinism.  The character he portrayed was a villain.  As Rick pointed out, our only public examples of people with albinism are movie villains or strange story characters.   Then, in further research he found more examples of people with albinism presented in medical textbooks.  They were photographed in very cold, clinical and depressing settings.  One could suppose these photos have been most likely used to warn parents about their children's futures.  Many obstetricians are painting the bleakest scenarious for parents even without the photographs!

Many people were involved in  "freak shows" or were cast aside by their own communities and this horrified him.  Rick saw beauty. , not a "freak".   He went on to say how he also got involved with other groups who help families with Trisomy 18 and Marfan's syndrome.  THIS is where I broke down in watching this interview. I that exquisiteness as well.  His excitement for discovering it and sharing it was so palpable!  I  have seen the beauty in these individuals and have had a passion for a long time to protect these beautiful people.  Prenatal Partners for Life

 I wanted to ask Rick personally if he was aware of how many babies were killed in the womb because they were not held as equally precious as the "beautiful ones".   Here is a biblical truth here.  "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'” 1 Samuel 16:7   He MUST think it is wrong to kill a person based only on the pigmentation, or lack thereof in this case, or the number of chromosomes a person possesses.  It is my prayer that he does. 

Even back when I was very young in grade school,  my heart broke for and sought out those who were left-out, the last one picked for a team, or picked-on and didn't fit into the "in" crowd.  It was not that I pitied them but it was more like "hey, let's band together as friends".  Oftentimes, we were really together because we had so many common interests that the rest of the crowds didn't know about or understand.  I saw them as beautiful even though they did not wear makeup, heels or big Texas hair.  What IS beautiful anyway?  While I am not into that secular term of "self-esteem", I am into God-esteem!  My identity is in the fact that I was created in God's image, just like these people he has been photographing.  That is how we are supposed to hold our heads up high.  We were created for His pleasure and to worship Him.  I still feel that way for people today but the territory has enlarged to look out for those who cannot defend themeselves. Back in junior high, the weapons were words, now I see the weapons are curettes and high-powered vacuums.

Rick's passion for recognizing the beauty of individuals who are "very different" from society's perception of beauty touched my heart and a nerve. This is where it strikes my nerve. It is more than the outward appearance because while I see that many fashion models (or actresses)  splashed onto magazine covers for their beauty, their behavior is what sticks in my mind.  I do not care how "beautiful" a person  may be deemed by this society.  Naomi Campbell has been arrested for spitting on a police officer, assaulting her assistant and throwing tantrums......that's UUUUUUUUUGLY!  We all have to guard our thoughts, words and actions so believe me, self-examination IS first!  I can be very "ugly" too....even if I am "stylin'"!

Mark 7:18-23
 So He said to them, “ because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”


I don't know if Rick is a Christian but whether he considers himself one or not, he still may consider himself "pro-choice".  I pray that this part of his life, this new discovery, is a stepping stone to going deeper in what constitutes beauty.  Will he question what happens to babies who are aborted because they MIGHT be diagnosed with Trisomy 18?  If he found out that a baby was to be aborted because of Marfan's or albinism, would he fight tooth and nail to try to protect that little one?   He thinks they are beautiful but would he put down his camera and protect that little beauty?  Does that baby deserve a chance to live? And not just the babies who may have physical or mental difficulties...but all babies!  How does Rick view Jesus Christ and his death on the cross for Rick's sins?  Is that beauty?

In closing, the account of Mephibosheth came to mind because not everyone is born with a noticeable malady (except for the very real defect of the heart...sin). Mephibosheth was Jonathon's young son whose legs were injured when his nurse was hasty in her flight from danger.  He was 5 years old.  His legs became  "lame".    

2 Samuel  9:6-12
⁶ Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?”And he answered, “Here is your servant!”
⁷ So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”
⁸ Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?”
⁹ And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. ¹⁰ You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
¹¹ Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.”
“As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.” ¹² Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. ¹³ So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet.

Today, in the Netherlands,  babies born with physical/mental challenges can be killed after they are born.  It's called the Groningen Protocol.  It is a very slippery slope.  What is the criteria?  Age?  Severity of "deformity"?  It really does not matter.  It is all about not being "inconvenienced"!  It is about "ugliness".

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and fortunately, God's eyes hold the standard, for which I am grateful.  In a world that might deem me ugly from outward appearances, God calls me His and I am weak and lame and beautiful.  Are you His?

Pater Familias Day

Hellooooooooo, Loved Ones! 

Sunday was Father's Day and it was my desire to at least post a "Happy Father's Day" to all the dad's out there.  So I'll say it now...."Happy BELATED Father's Day".  I had just enough time to address all the fathers related to me (i.e., father, husband, brother, brothers-in-law) on my Facebook page, complete with nostalgic photos, early in the morning.  After that, the whole day slipped by very quickly.  Sundays are very full for us here.  I'll do my best to try to follow through next year.  Mea culpa, pops!

Our children are older now so we have pretty quiet and sedate celebrations these days.  Not that we ever were party animals in honoring mom and dad, but it has a different tone now.  Sometimes we still get homemade cards for Mother's and Father's Days but mostly we just have a nice dinner together.  It was a very nice Father's Day overall despite a very busy day.  I think the best gift my husband appreciates is a nap!

Sometimes  those days are very difficult for some who didn't have a father present physically  in their lives or maybe the father was abusive in some way.  I would encourage those who fit this description that they do have a Father in Heaven and He is perfect in every way.  Where even good fathers have to be away for a little while to support their families, God is with us every second of the day.  God supplies everything we need at the perfect time and He will never leave us nor forsake us.  He owns everything and He never lies and He always keeps His promise every time.   He is a King!  He made everything and everyone.  He cares for us, He loves us and He gave sacrificially for us.  So whatever your earthly father is or was, we are still called to honor and submit to their authority as we should for our Father in Heaven.  Abba Father! He is GOOD!

1 John 3:1-3
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

UPDATE: Abortionist James Pendergraft

Prayer request!  Pray for the eventual shutdown of all FIVE abortion mills of James Pendergraft's!   Yesterday, there was a seizure of Pendergraft's assets at his flagship mill in Orlando.  John Barros, 24/7 sidewalk counselor (I call him 24/7 because that would be his mentality whether he is in front of an abortion mill or not!) :D  was present to witness the seizure of the contents of the mill.  The sheriff even allowed John to help him affix crime tape to the scene. That is awesome!  

Pendergraft was there and watched the process, calling it "illegal".  He had not paid the $36+ million judgment to the woman who had a botched abortion in 2004.  The woman's baby survived but had many health issues that would take lifelong care which she could not afford.  This could have been solved with adoption in the first place but this abortion took place and God used it for His purpose.   Pendergraft, not surprisingly, as an abortionist, does not care about laws or anything but the "Almighty dollar" and his greed has caught up with him.  The state of Florida keeps him in business (but so does the church, amen?) given that he has had 5 licenses stripped and his criminal activity never receives nothing but a light tap on the wrist. 

Pro-lifers found out that Pendergraft's people were telling clients that the mill was shut down for maintenance.  Several moms showed up for appointments and the pro-life group was able to intercept them.  They ministered to them, sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and directed them to pregnancy resource centers nearby.   One woman showed up who was NINE months pregnant.  They were able to talk to her and help her with real solutions.  She decided to go to the crisis pregnancy center instead of killing her baby.   I was once told that late-term abortions were very rare (by a pro-abort).  John Barros can tell you that from his own experience at these mills that it's anything but rare!  He has seen many women walking around the parking lot there with very big pregnant bellies.  They are made to walk around to hasten the abortion process. 

By the way, what IS rare?  One late-term abortion every 50 years?  Ten years?   Any abortion is one abortion too many no matter the gestation.  So if you have 30+ of these every day.....I really do not call that rare. One Jew or one black slave exterminated murdered still makes it wrong. 

Recently, pro-abortion Nancy Pelosi was asked about the Fetal Pain legislation.  The clip is above. 

From a Lifesite News article: Pelosi says late-term abortion "sacred ground"
  "The reporter continued to push Pelosi, asking her what the difference was between a 26 week abortion, and killing the baby after birth.
Pelosi responded that "this is not the issue" and suggested that the proposed bill would say that "there's no abortion in our country."
When the reporter tried once again to get Pelosi to answer the question, she shot back, "I'm not going to have this conversation with you, because you obviously have an agenda. You're not interested in having an answer."
That was when she also made the remark about the issue being "sacred ground."
The Weekly Standard reporter complained: "It was a simple question. You didn't answer."

She has no answer because like the pro-abort people who I know as my loved ones as well.....they know deep down that there is no defending killing babies.   They canot do it so they avoid the issue altogether.  There is no difference between the baby at 26 weeks and the baby at 2 weeks' gestation.  Rather than face the issue, it's better to call the pro-lifer a lot of names and write her off as "judgmental" and a "right-wing religious nut" and have little contact  with her as possible.  By the way, I wear the badge with honor!! If I am judged by judgmental people to be judgmental because I have convictions that all humans were created by God in His image and therefore have the God-given freedom to possess life, so be it.  I do not identify with the slave proponents who said that the person who had darker skin was "property".  I do not relate to the Nazi who saw the Jew as a "useless eater" or a "weed". 

I once had a hardened heart, a stiff-neck, scaled eyes, and a very yellow spine.  Jesus dealt with me!  While I AM a work-in-progress, He has cleansed me of my sins!  We can only pray for the Holy Spirit to grab hold of those who are like Pendergraft and Pelosi (and those who say it's okay to kill a baby OUTSIDE of the womb as well). 

Numbers of surgical and pill mills and abortionists 

I am not giving up hope as long as there is breath in their bodies! 

What is Human?

You Now Have a DAUGHTER!

Twenty-five years ago today, we were blessed by God with a daughter!  Our sweet baby girl, Lauren, has been a lot of fun and it has been a joy to watch her grow up and mature.  She has kept us on our toes in a different way than her older brother but we have been (and are) deeply grateful for all the experiences we have had as her parents.  Memories are pouring forth today of the hours before she came into the world.  She kept us guessing whether she would actually show up at all. But by the end of the day, she quickly rushed into the world, barely giving  the midwife enough time to don her gloves!

Most parents think their children are smart, talented and good-looking.  I am no different from those parents.  My earnest prayer is not for more smarts, more talents and more looks to be heaped on but for her to grow in the Lord and know Him more and more.  That is my prayer for both my son and daughter.  It has taken me so very long to come to this level of maturity and I still have so very long  a way to go even still.  There are no shortcuts but I sure don't want them to be as thickheaded and stubborn as I have been in this walk in the Lord!

These children are not our own. They are God's and He gifted us with them to teach them His Word and to foster that love for Him and to personally know Him.  We didn't know this at the beginning of our parenting years, but we are thankful He has been patient with us and has given us many opportunities to restore those years in the wilderness.  Oh, how we wandered!  God is so good.  He is the Great Economist as He doesn't waste anything.  He uses everything in our lives for His purpose.  So we look forward to how God is going to work in the lives of our children.  Thank You, God, for the blessings of our children but most of all, thank You, Lord for Your Son, Jesus Christ, His sacrifice for us....the greatest gift of all. 

"Surviving Sin City: The Power Lies in a People United" Documentary

Will You Stand Up for ME?

I can't tell you how many people who are pro-abortion post anti-bullying photos, memes and comments on different social media networks. 

Falling Plates

We showed this the youth in church recently and then discussed the finer points afterwards.  I will probably share this with my clients at the cpc as well. 

Karpen Diem!

The guys had all been in prison together for a long time and a new inmate arrived.

When it was night and lights out, someone said, "16" and everyone cracked up. Someone else said "23" and people cracked up again. Someone else said "45" and everyone was rolling.

The new guy asked his cellmate what was going on and was told that they'd all been together so long, and knew all the jokes that instead of reciting the whole joke they'd numbered them.

Then someone yelled out "29" and nothing happened, no response. Again, "29" and no reaction. So the new guy asked his cellmate what was up and he said, "Well, you know, some people just can't tell a joke."
********************************************************************************
It has been awhile since I last posted and  my reasons could be numbered much like the jokes mentioned above.  So I'll just tell you that #15, #8,  #32 and #55 apply for the past few weeks' absence and we'll leave it at that!

Many of you followed the Gosnell trial and witnessed the day the verdict was handed down to him. 

He has been sentenced to 3 life terms and will face other penalties for the illegal prescription charges as well.  His wife was sentenced to 7 to 32 months of prison time but I recently read that she could be out as early as four months.  Others who were charged will see lesser sentences for racketeering and performing the abortions done past the state's gestational limits.  

On the simplistic side, Gosnell will never be allowed to perform an abortion ever again.  Women and babies will be safe from Gosnell's practice.  Not safe from other Philadelphia abortionists but Gosnell's abortion practice is gone.  I am not sure what the status of his business is or of any of Gosnell's assets, but maybe his millionaire title is obliterated as well.  Gosnell and his family won't be living large any more.

As for justice served.....many babies who had their spinal cords snipped did not get their day in court.  Babies who were killed  in the "traditional" abortion methods did not get their day in court.  Gosnell's thousands of  victims (including another woman who died at his hands) are unnamed, buried  and lost forever much like Hitler's, Lenin's, and Pol Pot's victims.   I envision a mass grave and Gosnell's address of 3801 Lancaster as that mass grave.  I pray for that piece of property to be bulldozed and reclaimed by Christians.  There have been some abortion mills  that have been purchased and turned into memorials or even pro-life services.  One shuttered abortion mill was bought by a pro-life neighbor.  It is now legally protected from letting any other abortion facilities rent at that property ever again. 

We need to be praying about many things.  We need to be praying that many hearts and minds were changed and pray for continued changing.  We need to pray for people to be in the right place and time to talk to those who are questioning abortion for the first time.  May these dialogues lead to people being saved!  My own conversion was what I characterize "through the back door".  It was a long journey with many people watering the seeds.  God used my husband to accelerate that final push by using the news issues of the day.  I won't go into the particulars here but in a sense, my stance on abortion changed which led me to search out God and realize I wasn't saved. 

We need to pray salvation for those abortionists and abortion workers.  I have touched on this before.  On the surface, it seems highly unlikely that Gosnell would ever be saved but it's the supernatural that I recognize that he is still reachable. He still doesn't think he really did anything wrong.  Many of his workers have expressed some sorrow and regret....they need the Good News!!!

We need to be praying for this news of Gosnell's ghoulish events to be further transmitted nationally and globally.  Even now, there are other Gosnellian (yes, it's my new word) situations going on in other parts of the country.  People are asking if Gosnell is the only one or is he an outlier?  Bill O' Reilly said on his show one night that he believed that Gosnell was an extreme aberration.  Why didn't I jump out of my seat and email him then and there?  This is a common practice in the abortion industry!!!  Many babies are born alive and then killed afterwards.  We need to be praying that that this information gets spread far and wide despite the mainstream media's continued silence on abortionists like Douglas Karpen Texas Gosnell, Shelly Sella, LeRoy Carhart, and many others.  It's almost as if the media says, "Well, we'll begrudgingly give you some attention to Gosnell and act all horrified about the late-term stuff, but we sure as heck aren't going to report on the horrors of abortion itself or any other abortionists doing what Gosnell did."   

Since the Gosnell case,  4 nurses have come forward to witness equally heinous acts at Karpen's facility in Houston, Texas.  One nurse remains anonymous but the other three have bravely stepped forward to whistleblow.  Whatever their motivation, the news is out.  Two other nurses from the Planned Parenthood of Wilmington, Delaware have also come forward with their reports of unsanitary and dangerous practicses.  Maryland has suspended the licenses of two abortionists where a woman died. Strangely, they have not suspended Carhart's license over Jennifer Morbelli's death.  Can we ever really guess why certain abortionists have protection to continue their jobs as paid assassins?   It boggles me.  Many other cases are surfacing and I bring this all up here to make the point that it seems God is allowing for a whole lot of evil to be revealed.  What does this mean?  These abortionists are getting sloppy and they are having a hard time keeping their evils out of public spectrum. They are self-destructing.  There are more people aware of their practices and willing to report them.  The abortionists' methods aren't working anymore.  So what do we do with this information? 

Okay, so let's run with it.  God seems to be opening these doors for us to use whatever means necessary.  There's Facebook, Google +, Twitter, word-of-mouth, bumper stickers, publications, fliers, shirts, rallies, initiatives, email to congressmen, and myriad ways to get this out even without the lamestream press.  They can ignore us but the information is going to get out anyway.   I made my own homemade bumper sticker with the www.TexasGosnell.com website on it (sadly we could make a website with all 50 states with some Gosnells in each one).  I live in a big city and park at many places.   Anyone who has a modicum of curiosity to look up Texas Gosnell will find themselves facing that story..  I have had people ask me about it, by the way.  It IS homemade but that's what kind of grabs the attention.  I made a bumper sticker with #Gosnell a while back.  I will have no idea how many people looked that up.   It could be 1 or could be 50 or it could be 0.  It was still worth it to me to make the bumper sticker even it it is just one person who actually learns about it.  It doesn't take too much to make a bumper sticker and slap it on the back of a car.  I also bought 100 of the Human Life Alliance publications called "The Truth About Planned Parenthood".  I  am passing them out to youths, congregation members, church leadership, police, moms and dads, and sometimes I get to share them with total strangers (believe me when I say God DOES give me opportunities to do this....it is SO cool!). 

Would you believe that I am actually quite shy?




 John 3:18-21
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”