Why Do We Celebrate Labor Day? The original intent of Labor Day was to provide a holiday that would honor the social and economic achievements of American workers. Essentially, it was intended to be, and in many ways remains, an annual national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. Men and women have built our country into one of the greatest nations literally by the sweat of their brow since its beginning. However, there has been a great shift in attitudes and beliefs the last couple of decades regarding work ethics and entitlements that have changed the views of a growing segment of our citizens about who is responsible to support them and how they are to contribute to their own support. Working in Human Resources, I hear more and more people say, I should have the freedom to work when I want, take off when it suits me, quit when the job gets hard, and if I can’t find a job that meets my requirements, then the government should support me. I recently read a book titled “The five Laws of Liberty: Defending a Biblical View of Freedom” by Scott Hyland. The following except is from a preface of this book titled “Remember the Past”. Quit honestly, freedom I not something that can be demanded, especially financial freedom. In the past, most parents taught their children that benefits such as healthcare and a decent wage were earned through thrift and hard work. The more diligently a person worked, the more opportunities he would create. A good work ethic would also encourage an employer to commit to the employee by providing benefits that were earned. This concept is not new. In fact, this kind of arrangement is what most Americans used to mean when they made statements about the American Dream. Our history is full of individuals who took advantage of a free economic system and made something of themselves. Indeed, Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest Presidents to occupy the Oval Office, believed in this work ethic. He did not believe the government owed any man anything except an environment that allowed him to freely pursue financial ventures at his own expense. David Donald in his book “Lincoln”, states the following: he firmly adhered to the labor theory of value; “labor is the source from which human w ants are mainly supplied.” Labor was thus “prior to, and independent of, capital”; indeed “capital is the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed.” But capital, through derivative, performed a valuable service in a free society, because those who had it could offer employment to “the prudent, penniless beginner in the world” who owned “nothing save two strong hands that God has given him, and a heart willing to labor.” If this novice worked industriously and behaved soberly, he could in a year or two save enough to buy land for himself, to settle, marry and beget sons and daughters, and presently he, too, would begin employing other laborers. So, this Labor Day, let us celebrate our freedom to earn our own way, support our families and live the American Dream our forefathers forged out, it is our constitutional right. “The five Laws of Liberty: Defending a Biblical View of Freedom” by Scott Hyland can be purchased on Amazon.com, I highly recommend this book.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Why Evil, Pt 7, the Eternal Evil (Hell)
Unbelievers generally question both hell’s existence and justice; they also have called hell cruel and barbarous. Bertrand Russell said anyone who threatens people with eternal punishment, as Jesus did, is inhumane (“Why I am not a Christian” in The Writings of Bertrand Russell, 593-594). Orthodox Christians, both Catholic and Protestant, have defended both hell‘s reality and equity. if God is all loving, then why punish people at all why not just rehabilitate them? Even if punishment is justified, why punish them forever- isn’t this gigantic overkill? Why have a hell at all – why not just annihilate them? Or why not just save everyone? The evidence for hell is biblical, rational, and moral. Jesus Christ, whom orthodox Christians believe is God, affirmed hell’s existence. The Bible affirms there is a hell, read Revelation 20:11-15, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9. The writer of Hebrews added a note of finality when he wrote: “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment (9:27). Not all evil is punished in this life. Many observers have noted that the wicked sometimes prosper Psalm 73:3. Thus a place of punishment for the wicked after this life is necessary to maintain God’s justice. The Bible asserts that “God is Love” 1 John 4:16, and again, love cannot act coercively, only persuasively. A God of love cannot force people to love Him. Those who do not wish to love God must be allowed not to love Him. Those who do not will to be with Him must be allowed to be separated. Hell is eternal separation from God. Just like in society, where punishment for evil is necessary that good might prevail, even so in eternity good must triumph over evil. At the center of creation is the cross (1 Corinthians 1:17-18, 15:3), without there is no salvation (Romans 4:25; Hebrews 10:10-14) It is the very purpose for which Christ came into the word (Luke 19:10; Mark 10:45) for without the cross no one can be saved (Acts 412; John 10:1,9-10). But why the cross and all this suffering unless there is a hell? If there is no hell to shun, then the cross is a sham. Sigmund Freud would say, it is an illusion to reject something simply because we wish not to believe in it. Nowhere does the Bible describe hell as a “torture chamber”, but this does not mean hell isn’t a place of torment; Jesus said that it is (Luke 16:24) But unlike torture inflicted from without, against one’s will, this torment is self-inflicted by one’s will. As has been noted even by atheists (see Sartre, No Exit and Three Other Plays), the door of hell is locked on the inside, its inhabitants condemned to their own freedom. To punish a person eternally for what he did on earth may seem like tremendous overkill. However, on closer examination it turns out to be not only just but necessary. For one thing, only eternal punishment will suffice for sins against an eternal God. “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” Hebrews 11:6 What to know “What about those who have Never Heard?” Then you must buy the book. I hope this series has answered some questions about God and Evil. In encourage you to buy your own copy of . If God, why Evil? By Norman L. Geisler, this article is excepts from chapter 9.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Why Evil pt 6, Physical Evil, Miracles and Evil
When it comes to pain, most of us are chickens. We do anything to avoid it, even a little needle prick at the doctor. We go to great pains to avoid pain including pain pills, sleeping pills and sedatives. The problem of evil is real for human beings, and the problem of physical evil is acutely real. The reason is that while moral evil can be explained by free choice, it is not apparent how all physical evil can be explained this way. No one wills a lightning strike or a tsunami on themselves. Much physical suffering results directly from misuse of our own bodies, smoking, alcohol, drug use, overeating, lack of proper exercise all cause physical problems. We can hardly blame God for things we inflict on ourselves. Some physical evil is the direct result of the free choices of others. The truth is that in a free world the result of one person’s freedom impinges on another person’s life. Drunk drivers often kill other people. Some physical evil is necessary for the greater physical good. The early bird gets the worm, but the worm gets eaten. Higher forms of life feed off of lower forms. Some physical evil is needed for a greater moral good. The truth is that we learn more enduring lessons in life through pain than through pleasure. Some physical evil may be inflicted by God’s justice in punishing evil actions such as plagues, famines, sickness and death. Some insist God could miraculously intervene and prevent these evil results, but without the regularity of nature, moral decisions are impossible and moral improvement cannot occur; both of these are necessary to producing the best of all worlds. God cannot perform any miracle that involves a logical or actual impossibility; He cannot make 2+2=5. Nor can be make two mountains together without a valley. God cannot make it rain and not rain at the same time to answer opposing prayers. Obviously there are some miracles God could do that He does not do. Sometimes the most loving thing God can do is not to supernaturally intervene to prevent all physical evil in our lives. Parents know that giving their children everything they want is not the most loving thing to do, sometimes tough love is necessary. Surely God has the power to stop all atheist, skeptics, and agnostics from expressing themselves but then they would not really be free to express themselves. Constant miraculous interruption of the natural order would destroy the very order necessary for making moral decisions. Few enduring moral lessons are learned through pleasure; most are learned through pain. This being the case, miraculous intervention to eliminate all painful consequences of actions would eliminate lessons on moral improvement to be learned through them. The truth is that higher virtues can only be attained by free beings that have struggled with evil and been victorious over it. Of course, not all persons will achieve the higher virtues and the greater good possible. Some will sufferers get better, some get bitter. Next week we will take our final look at “If God, Why Evil”, we will discuss Eternal Evil (Hell) and what about those who have never heard. Excerpts from chapter 7&8, If God, why Evil? By Norman L. Geisler, I encourage you get this book and read all of Dr. Geisler’s research and 50 years of knowledge in theology, philosophy, and apologetics on the college or graduate level.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Why Evil pt 5, Purpose and Avoidability of Evil
What is the significance of suffering? The meaning of misery? The cause of calamity? Or the purpose of pain? Just because we don’t know a good purpose for some evil does not mean there is no good purpose for it. There are many things we don’t know. And there are many things we once did not know but now do know. So it should be expected that in the future we will discover good purposed for things which we do not now know a good purpose. Take an illustration from science. Evolutionists once claimed there were some 180 vestigial organs (with no known function) left over from our animal ancestry. Over the last century or so, this list has shrunk to six! Study has shown that the unexplained is not necessarily the unexplainable. Likewise, just because we don’t know a good purpose from some suffering does not mean there is none. God informs us that “The secret things belong to the Lord our God” Deuteronomy 29:29 Scientists cannot currently explain everything in the natural world, but they have good reason to believe that there are explanations for the things they can’t explain. Unexplained evils are not unexplainable, and many evils we once could not explain we can now explain. Certainly Joseph did not know why he was sold as a slave into Egypt by is brothers, later however he was able to say “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” Genesis 50:20 Pain is designed to keep us from self-destruction such as chest pain to avoid heart attack, pain in lower side to prevent death by a burst appendix. We have all suffered loss of loved ones for no explained reason, however if for no other reason, God sometimes allows us to suffer pain so we can comfort others suffering in a like situation. The truth is that we learn more enduring lessons through pain than we do pleasure. God is more interested in our character than our comfort; more concerned about our holiness than our happiness. If we knew in advance that we would have a son who would become Adolf Hitler or Osama bin Laden, wouldn’t it be better not to conceive him to begin with? God had to create free creature who could sin before He could produce free creature who can’t sin. So the best possible world would be one where people were truly free to sin, did sin, but despite their sin God brought about a greater good by allowing it and then providing satisfaction and forgiveness for it. In short, even if a free but sinless world is actually achievable, it may be morally less desirable, since the greatest good would not be achieved in it. Forcing people to “freely” believe is a contradiction in terms. God is love (1John 4:16) and love cannot work coercively, only persuasively. The problem is that all do not want to be saved. God is willing to save all, but all are not willing to be saved. One day God will say “Have it as you will”. The nature of an all-good God assures us that this world which He did create is the best one achievable without violating anyone’s free will. A good parent permits a possible accident every time he permits his teenager to drive the family car; however, he is not promoting it. God allows evil to produce the greater good. So now that we have discussed the persistence and purpose of evil, next week we will look at the problem of physical evil then miracles and evil to give you some more food for thought. Excerpts from chapter 5&6, If God, why Evil? By Norman L. Geisler, I encourage you get this book and read all of Dr. Geisler’s research and 50 years of knowledge in theology, philosophy, and apologetics on the college or graduate level.
Why Evil pt 4, The Origin and Persistence of Evil
As we said two weeks ago God did not create any evil thing. He created only good things, and evil is a privation or corruption of a good thing. So the difficult question is where, then, did evil come from? That is, how did the privations or corruptions get there? The answer is free will. Evil cannot come directly from the hand of the Creator any more than polluted water can come directly from a pure mountain spring. Freedom means the power to choose otherwise, so one is free to do good and also free to do evil. We must be given the freedom of choice or we would be robots, puppets, or automatons. God made evil possible by creating free creatures; they are responsible for making it actual. Thus, sin was born in the breast of an archangel in the presence of God. God created only good things. One good thing He made was free will. A good being, with the good power of free will, chose to put his will over God’s. Who caused Lucifer to sin? No one did- he was the cause of his own sin. So why doesn’t God stop it all? Why doesn’t He call a halt to all suffering? The only way God could literally destroy all evil is to destroy all freedom. No one can be praised or blamed for an act in which they had no free choice. Now, evil is still on the rampage, both morally and physically. Hatred, crime, war, tornados, earthquakes, poverty and starvation. The fact that God has not yet defeated it does not mean He never will, in fact that is exactly what the Bible says He will do. But we humans want to know the reasons for everything, if we can’t or don’t understand, we look for someone to blame. We cannot just accept God’s Sovereignty and that there is a purpose and reason for everything. So next week we will look at the purpose and avoidability of Evil. Excerpts from chapter 3 &4, If God, why Evil? By Norman L. Geisler, I encourage you get this book and read all of Dr. Geisler’s research and 50 years of knowledge in theology, philosophy, and apologetics on the college or graduate level.
Why Evil pt 3, The Nature of Evil
The statement of the problem of the nature of evil could be 1. God created all things 2. Evil is something 3. Therefore, God created evil. So what is evil? Many people believe God made evil because He made all “things”. But, God said, “looking back on all His creation, It was very good” Genesis 1:31 So, if everything God made was good, then how can evil be real? The answer, evil is not a “thing” or substance. How then can evil be real but not a thing? Augustine found a satisfying, enduring answer: Evil is a real lack, privation, or corruption of a good thing. That is, evil does not exist in itself. To illustrate, Evil is like a wound in an arm. The wound does not exist in itself, a totally wounded body is not a body at all. Evil is like rust to a car, a totally rusted car does not exist, it would just be a brown spot in the road. Evil is like rot to a tree, a totally rotten tree is not a tree at all, it’s topsoil! So, like a wound, rust, or rot, Evil is a real lack, privation, or corruption of a good thing. So, you can say 1. God created all things. 2. Evil is not thing. 3. Hence God did not create evil. But don’t misunderstand, evil is not a mere absence of good. For example, the power of sight is absent in a rock and a blind person. By nature a stone is not supposed to see, so there is no privation of sight. However, a human by nature is supposed to see, to be blind is a real privation. So to say evil is a privation, or a lack of some good that ought to be there, does not mean evil is unreal. Isn’t Satan totally evil? He is completely evil in a moral sense, but not in a metaphysical sense. Insofar as he is a creature of God, he has intelligence, power and free will as remnants of good that God gave to him as a created angel. But he uses all his God-given good powers to do evil; he is ever, always, irretrievably bent on evil. God is the author of everything, including evil, in the sense that He permits it, but not in the sense that He produces it. Just like parents give children limited freedom to learn from their mistakes, even so God does with His children, but in no way does God “author” evil in the sense of producing, promoting, or performing it. Just as Joseph told his brothers who left him for dead, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” Genesis 50:20, even so God overrules the evil intent of humans to accomplish His ultimate good. Of course, explaining evil as a lack in good things does not explain where the lack comes from. All it explains is the nature of evil as a real privation in good things. Where the corruption came from is another question. So we will look at the origin of evil to provide you some more food for thought. Excerpts from chapter 2, If God, why Evil? By Norman L. Geisler, I encourage you get this book and read all of Dr. Geisler’s research and 50 years of knowledge in theology, philosophy, and apologetics on the college or graduate level.
Why Evil- Views on Evil
There is no human on earth that does not have some brush with evil in their lifetime. Many things can be classified as evil; illness and disease, natural disaster such as hurricanes or earthquakes, pain both physical and mental, evil created by man such as rape or murder, world evil such as starvation or poverty. Three basic answers to the overall problem of evil have been offered: Pantheism affirms God and denies evil. Atheism affirms evil and denies God. Theism affirms both God and evil. In general pantheists believe God exists but deny the existence of evil. [i] The atheist’s solution to evil is just the opposite, they admit evil is real, but do not believe God is. Sigmund Freud claimed that God is an illusion because belief in God is based on wish fulfillment. However, we can only know something is evil (not good) if we know what is good.[1] C.S. Lewis said “(when I was an atheist) my argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line”.[2] This leaves us with the remaining alternative that both God and evil are real. But this nonetheless is a real problem- as least for the Christian view of God. The God of the Bible is all-knowing, and He foresaw that evil would occur in His world. He also is all-good and He desires to do away with evil. In addition, He is all-powerful and could accomplish this. Why then does evil exist?[3] The Christian (theist) claims that only an infinitely good and infinitely powerful God can solve the problem of evil. But how? Again, are not absolute good and evil incompatible? And could not an all-good and all-powerful God eliminate evil? Next week we will explore more about the nature of evil. We will look at this problem: 1. God created all things 2. Evil is something 3. Therefore, God created evil. We will discuss and respond to this problem, we will learn that evil does not exist in itself.[4] If you want read more details about “ If God, Why Evil?” Be sure and pick up your own copy of the book by this title by Dr. Norman L. Geisler. He will give you some real sound food for thought.
[1] Pg 13 If God, Why Evil? Norman L. Geisler
[2] Mere Christianity, 45
[3] Pg 14 If God, Why Evil? Norman L. Geisler
[4] Pg 19 If God, Why Evil? Norman L. Geisler
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Democratic Socialism
I am posting a story recently published in Talk About Town. If you have already read the article and want to see the additional comments drop down below the dotted line.
Florida passed a new state law that requires drug testing for welfare recipients. "While there are certainly legitimate needs for public assistance, it is unfair for Florida taxpayers to subsidize drug addiction," Governor Rick Scott said in a news release. "This new law will encourage personal accountability and will help to prevent the misuse of tax dollars.” says Scott who pushed for the law. In Florida alone over 113 thousand people are currently receiving temporary cash assistance. While state law makers feel this will root out welfare recipients who are using public dollars to buy drugs, Democrats and advocates for the poor say the requirement could violate individuals' constitutional rights to privacy, and the American Civil Liberties Union is likely to challenge the law in court. Currently seven other states are considering this same legislation. Pastor George Scott from Orlando said, "At times I feel like there are so many hurdles that they keep genuine people with real needs from getting help… Kids could end up paying the price for parents' irresponsibility," he said." I wouldn't want that to happen. I wouldn't want them to pay the price for mistakes the parents are making." Well, I don’t either, but should these kids be in the hands of parents if they are drug users? Now I am the last person to kick someone when they are already down, and I know many people who are on assistance that really need it. However, I spent over 25 years in Human Resources, and over the last 10 years I’ve had a lot of interaction with people who were benefiting from welfare that walked into our company “looking for work”. Unfortunately, I also saw an increased trend of those same people failing drug tests. I found my staff spent as many as 10 hours a week per staff member completing food stamp, housing, childcare and other welfare benefit paperwork. What was sad, when we would call many of these same people for work, they would turn us down for various reasons. I have actually been told “no, Oprah has a show I wanted to see on today, can I start tomorrow?” I don’t know if drugs are the only problem we are battling in this day and time. There is under-education, lack of work ethics, inflated cost of living expectations, just to name a few. I think we all have a responsibility as citizens to help solve the welfare problems, not just turn and act like we don’t see what is happening. I write often about the Center of Hope, with two locations in Parker County, they offer people “a hand up, not just a hand out”. I don’t want to just complain, I have some suggestions on how to address these issues, do you? Together we can unite to solve the problem of poverty in our country.
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Not all people who are receiving welfare benefits are on drugs, however, many drug users and dealers do draw benefits while earning money illegally by manufacturing and selling drugs. Since they obviously don’t report that income, on paper it looks like they have no means of income. I agree that there should be some accountability from welfare recipients that they are not wasting our tax dollars. Florida is handling the issue well, if they pass the drug test, there is no charge. Only those who fail pay for their test. This law is no worse than the “no pass, no play” rule our kids are guided by in school.
However, I also don’t think that this law alone will solve our unemployment and poverty issue in America. While there is no perfect plan, I have a few thoughts on how to start to work on these problems.
Now many of you may say my ideas sound like they belong in a socialism society not a democracy, but don’t we already have a hybrid of both? We are supporting millions under a socialism model who are being supported by those who believe in the system of democracy.
I belief if people can’t or don’t want to support themselves, then they need to have some accountability and control over them. If they want the freedom to do what they want, the democratic system is available for them to break away from government support.
First, I see trade schools and training programs popping up on television and the internet, promising a great career after training. However, they mislead students about income levels and job opportunities. I had a daughter who went to medical assistant school. After $10K in education, she started at $8/hr in 2000, she could have been earning that same amount in most general skilled positions without the $10k student loan. She left that field after 8 years to go into a clerical field for $4/hr more and just her computer skills, no trade school required. I know from personal experience as a professional in helping people find gainful employment that most employers require some experience. They will hire someone with experience before someone fresh out of school. One suggestion is allow employers to gain some kind of tax break for hiring trade school graduates for their first year of employment; this would help people gain the important on-the-job experience they need to survive in the trade they studied for. They could pay a lesser training wage since the productivity may not be as great as the experienced worker. To help those trainees survive, defer the loan repayment for the first year so they can afford to start at a lower wage without the pressure of repaying the high student loans.
There is also an aging workforce that finds problem getting employment after 40 years of age. I worked with many employers who often selected less qualified candidates for positions. While they didn’t say it directly, I know they passed on more experienced candidate due to the age, and past income record. As a person over 50, I know that the more mature workforce still has a lot to offer and they need to continue to support themselves. Companies could benefit from hiring these individual to train the newer generations, they could learn better work ethics and commitment just to name a few things that are lacking in today’s generation.
Now I want to talk about welfare. Our answer today is to pay out money for food, housing, and general expenses. But we have no real accountability to the recipients for working to better their situation. In fact the system keeps most of them in poverty. I used to give jobs to people who really wanted to work, but then in their first month they would have to take time off work to make a food stamp or childcare assistance appointment. They knew that if they took time off their job in the first 90 days they were subject to losing their job, but they couldn’t afford to lose their benefits yet either. Why can’t the welfare offices open from 10am-7pm, and make appointments so those who have found gainful employment can make their appointments and keep their jobs? It seems like such a simple compromise doesn’t it?
I know individuals who are on disability benefits who would love to work, but have some health issues that prevent them from working in the field of their experience. Instead of using the skills they have, we just start giving them a check. They no longer feel useful and we the taxpayers foot the bill. Many employers don’t want to take on a disabled worker fearful of some liability issues. Why not adapt jobs to their disability and supplement their disability income to allow them to work some and feel like they are still contributing to society? Instead in our current system, we cap what they can earn, and threaten to take their disability benefits away. Why not just reduce their benefits after they earn a certain amount, but keep the disability status so they can fall back on it when necessary due to their illness and retain their Medicare/Medicaid health coverage. Most people with disabilities can and want to work, at least part time but are afraid they will lose their benefits so they sit at home. . I know of one company called Expanco, in Ft Worth, TX. They employee severely handicapped and disabled people. Each job is specifically designed for the individual. For example, one person who is wheelchair bound and severely handicapped cannot count, read, or stand. They created a template for this person to build picnic kits for large national retailer. They drew 4 circles for plates, four outlines for forks, spoons, knifes, and cups. She could match the items on the template and complete one kit. They had a blind man with a severe brain injury who did quality assurance. These people earned minimum wages with a supplement, but they were productive and earned their own money, not totally dependent on the state. We could keep many jobs here in the states and spend less to produce product, by supplementing their income over and above the cost of building product here in the United States instead of sending jobs out of this country.
Now, regarding welfare in general, I have met some people who remain on benefits for extended periods because we don’t penalize them. Instead of paying them $800-1,000 month directly for housing, why don’t we have many housing units like high-rise buildings, apartment complexes etc . The cost to build and maintain these complexes would be half what we must pay so welfare individuals can pick and choose where they want to live. We could make sure these complexes have mass transit available. When I was growing up, we had an area outside of downtown called the “projects” that worked similar to this. However, over time, these areas have been torn down to make way for more freeways and commercial growth.
Next, while someone is on welfare they should be required to produce some kind of product or service a minimum of 20-30 hours per week while they are seeking outside employment. Give the welfare money to Companies to build their factory at or near the living sight and agree to employee welfare recipients. They would perform this work of 20-30 hrs per week and in exchange the company pays them welfare benefits as wages for their time. This is a great deal for those who really need welfare, they get to gain some work experience. For those who could be gainfully employed, they would go find a better job because they would not want to work just for welfare money. The company would benefit because they could produce product at a lower wage.
My grandfather ran the Ft Worth rehabilitation Farm for over 20 years in Ft Worth, TX. He would take individuals who were arrested for public intoxication or were homeless to “the wino farm”. They would get a bed, food, and clean clothes. In exchange, the people living at the farm would work for the city parks and maintenance department during the day to clean up the parks and city gardens to work off their fines. They also did all the cooking for the jail facilities. It was a good arrangement for the city and the individual. So what went wrong? When my grandfather got old and had to retire, no one had his passion to continue to carry the torch. The residents around the farm expressed concerns about the farm residents breaking into their high dollar homes (although, during the farms existence, no such incidences were recorded), so the funding to help run the farm was lost. What happened you ask? The farm was shut down due to lack of funding, the residence returned to the street as homeless living under the bridges in the downtown Ft Worth area, the city had to pay more money to keep the parks and general area clean, and the jail outsourced it’s food suppliers (they have had several new stories of the bad food and health conditions of the food vendors since the close of the farm). These programs work, but we must help support them, and I believe it would cost less per individual than paying the benefits directly to individuals through the welfare program.
I saw two women who ran a food kitchen and they feed 2,000 people per week for pennies on the dollar, why do we need to give so much money to people who just end up selling their food stamps so they can buy things other than food. Let’s give the food stamp money to these community facilities who can feed hundreds more with less money than our food stamp program does currently.
I have also met many people who truly are unable to care for themselves. Those individuals seem to be grateful for whatever support they get. They don’t complain about where they live, the graciously accept whatever food they are offered. These unfortunate individuals usually get by with less, and don’t abuse the system. I don’t mind my tax dollars supporting the TRULY needy.
Yes, many of my suggestions do sound a lot like socialism. However, the basic difference is people have choices. They can choose to live off the government system and in exchange the government will dictate where they live and work, or they can make the effort to gain skills, desire, and get out there and work and live wherever they choose to. I think we are all given a choice. While not all, but many find the welfare way an easy life. They spend most of their time in front of the TV wasting their lives away. Our system was built on the harder you work, the more you earn the more you have. Somewhere along the way be felt we should give hand-outs to the less fortunate but never built in a system to give them a “hand up” back on their feet, that’s where our system fails them. I say we stop the “hand-outs”. What is your opinion?
Friday, March 4, 2011
Your Kids and Sex Education
Have you talked to your kids about sex education and other risky behaviors? Teens who talk to their parents about sex education are more likely to delay any sexual encounter, and despite their look of dread, kids really want to learn about sex from their parents not their peers. Do you know the statistics? They may surprise you: In 2009, 46% of high school students had sexual intercourse and 13.8% had four or more sex partners during their life. Prior to the sexual activity, 21.6% drank alcohol or used drugs. Only 38.9% used a condom. 34% of currently sexually active high school students did not use a condom during their last sexual intercourse. In 2006, an estimated 5,259 young people (ages 13-24) were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Each year, approximately 19 million new STD infections occur, and almost half of them are among youth ages 15-24. (www.sadd.org , Students Against Destructive Decisions). Sadly, most parents avoid the conversation because they don’t know how to go about having this type of discussion.
Having “the discussion” is not easy, everyone involved is uncomfortable, so much so that often the talk comes after it’s too late. Researchers found that more than 40% of adolescents had intercourse before talking to their parents about abstinence, safe sex, birth control or sexually transmitted diseases. The sad fact about this statistic is that kids who’s parents have regular discussions and educate their children are less likely to delay having any sexual encounter, or if they do decide, the will take every precaution to have safe sex.
While kids pretend not to listen to their parents, they do hear what we have to say. Parents can be the best sex educators, but you need to prepare when, what, and how you are going to handle the discussion. If you are embarrassed, your kids are likely to be embarrassed to ask questions. If you speak honestly and frankly, your kids are more likely to come to you when they have questions or are faced with the decision of a sexual encounter.
One of the best sources I have found is the Bible. In fact, the bible has a lot to say about sex. God created sex, so a man and wife have a beautiful way to express their pledged love to one another. Sex is also for procreation, so man and woman can have children and continue the family. But the bible is also filled with stories of consequences of sexual promiscuity. Samson and Delilah, Amnon and Tamar, David and Bathsheba all paid a price for having sexual relations. Many topics such as sexual immorality, homosexuality, premarital sex, fornication, sex in marriage are all covered. If you are not familiar with the bible and how to use it as a tool for a discussion with your kids there is still a lot of information available to parents. Here are 10 Tips for Talking to Your Children About Sex (Adapted in part from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Washington, D.C.)
1.Use teachable moments to discuss sex.
2.Talk honestly about love, sex and relationships.
3.Give young people solid information about adolescent sex and the consequences.
4.Let children know there is no such thing as "safe sex."
5.Encourage children to remain connected with family, school and community.
6.Emphasize with kids that sexual abuse is wrong and should be reported.
7.Encourage young people to avoid alcohol, drugs and other risky behaviors.
8.Reinforce that kids do not need to give in to peer pressure.
9.Help your children set goals.
10.Work with your children to create a personal plan.
Be open to have the discussion frequently, this should not be a single discussion. Talk about life experiences, for example when you are watching television or movies and a sexual scene comes on, talk about the situation and consequences. Be sure you know what your kids are being taught at their school, don’t leave it up to the system to teach your child. Peer pressure is a big issue. Kids are either trying to “fit in”, become more popular, or just understand their own sexuality. You need to be a good listener and a good observer. Your kids will communicate with you, not always with words, about the pressures they may be experiencing.
Grace House Ministries in Weatherford, TX educate teens using a program developed by Scott & White. Worth the Wait® helps parents and empower teens to make healthy decisions. You owe it to your children to educate them. Visit http://www.worththewait.org/ to learn more, or if you live in Parker County, TX contact Grace House Ministries at 817-599-9080, they teach this program in our community.
Let’s change the statistics about teenage sex, it begins with you.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
What Principles do you live by?
How would you say your life is going? Are you living the life you think you deserve? Are you financially stable? Are your children behaving the way you think they should? Are you achieving your written goals in life, or do you even have any? According to a survey conducted by the Barna Research Group
(BRG) a large percentage of Americans think their lives should be better, are facing financial challenges, have children out of control, and have no written directions for their life decisions, they just wake up every day drifting through the sea of life. So what principles guide your life? Our principles are the rudder that steers our ship and keep us on course. So you may ask, how can I improve my quality of life? And for some of us, how can we change our view of what a quality life looks like?
Thousands of years ago a man lived who was acclaimed by the world to be the richest, wisest, and most powerful man. He wrote down a collection of words, practical insights for every area of your life. They are called Proverbs and can be found right in the middle of the bible. Some people don’t understand the proverbs because they require some thoughtful interpretation. These wise words, if followed, will give you the quality of life you desire.
As Christians, we should be very familiar with the proverbs and they should be guiding us in our daily lives. What surprised me most is that in terms of life values, lifestyles, and attitudes, Christians and non-Christians were essentially the same in response to this survey. Here are some of the results from the survey of how the American lifestyles coincide with the Seven Proverb Principles.
Perceived and desired quality of life- the question “For as hard as you work you deserve a better quality of life”, 33% or one out of 3 feel they have been shortchanged when it comes to quality of life.
Financial Wisdom- the question “Assuming your family received no income for the next six months, your family has enough money saved to maintain its current standard of living”, fewer than three out of ten families have enough money set aside to continue their current standard of living for the next six months.
Setting Clearly defined Goals- the questions “You have written down clearly defined goals for your life, and these goals guide your day-to-day decisions and activities”, only 31% of Americans have written goals they use to guide their day to day decisions and activities.
Sexual Purity- the question “You have had a sexual experience of any kind with someone other than the person you are married to”, one-third of respondents said admitted they had
Wisdom in Child-Rearing-the question “Your parents taught you the skills necessary to succeed in life”, nearly two-thirds of Americans contend that their parents equipped them with the skills necessary to succeed in life,
Taming the Tongue- the question “You often say things to people that you later regret”, according to self-report, a minority of Americans only 18% admit they often say things they later regret.
Controlling Anger- the question “There have been times when your anger has had a negative effect on a relationship, your job, or something else important to you” 30% of Americans have admitted their anger has had an adverse impact on something that they value such as a job or a relationship.
So whether you are a self-proclaimed Christian or not, you may need to return to the Wisdom of Solomon and etch these words of wisdom on your heart and in your mind. I challenge you, for the next 6 months, read one chapter of proverbs every day. I like to use the calendar date; for example, if it is the third of the month, I read chapter three. I pray the more you read and study the proverbs, the more insight you will gain to direct and improve the quality of your life.
If you want to fast track some of the most important secrets to extraordinary success, I might suggest you read, The Solomon Secrets by Robert Jeffress. He looks at some of the key principles to help get you started.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Do you know the signs of a stroke?
During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) ....she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Jane passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with us today. Each year 700,000 people suffer a stroke. Five hundred thousand of these strokes are first occurrences, while the rest are repeat strokes. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough. You just need to remember the first three letter of the work stroke… S.T.R Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions: S *Ask the individual to SMILE. T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today.) R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. New Sign of a Stroke --- Stick out Your Tongue If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.
Exactly what is a stroke? What is a Stroke? A stroke, or "brain attack," occurs when blood circulation to the brain fails. Brain cells can die from decreased blood flow and the resulting lack of oxygen. There are two broad categories of stroke: those caused by a blockage of blood flow and those caused by bleeding. While not usually fatal, a blockage of a blood vessel in the brain or neck, called an ischemic stroke, is the most frequent cause of stroke and is responsible for about 80 percent of strokes. These blockages stem from three conditions: the formation of a clot within a blood vessel of the brain or neck, called thrombosis; the movement of a clot from another part of the body such as the heart to the neck or brain, called embolism; or a severe narrowing of an artery in or leading to the brain, called stenosis. Bleeding into the brain or the spaces surrounding the brain causes the second type of stroke, called hemorrhagic stroke.
So what can cause a stroke? The three top risk factors are high blood pressure, smoking, and diabetes. These top three risk factors are also treatable. Talk to your physician about medications, diets, and appropriate exercise to reduce your chances of stroke. Statistics show that lifestyle changes can cut your changes of death by stroke in half.
According to American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee
•The risk for stroke in blacks is almost twice that of whites.
•Over 43% of people over 85 have suffered a silent stroke.
•The estimated total cost of stroke for 2007 is $62.7 billion.
•Up to 40% of people in a recent study could not identify a single symptom of stroke.
If you think you are at risk, talk with your doctor. Learn what you can do to reduce your chance of death or disability from stroke.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Scams BEWARE
Seems like the scammers are really busy these days, I have been hearing about all types deals too good to be true. One person I know heard from a company saying they had won $150 in groceries and $100 in gas. The coupons were good at any store; all they had to do was pay $5 shipping of to get the winner packet mailed to them. This person did fall for it, and they did get a packet (without the coupons). The complicated book required forms to be completed (with lots of personal information), mail back and forth; the process would have taken months. I’m not sure if they would have gotten anything, they decided to lose the $5. The elderly are even more susceptible to scams. One couple was told they had a buyer for their timeshare condo who had already given $5,000 earnest money. All they had to do was pay $2,000 for title search. Had they fallen for this, they would not have gotten their money back since they would have authorized the expense of the bogus title search. I was also told about a couple who were called by the Federal Trade Commission; they were trying to award outstanding winnings, it only required they pay the tax of $3,500 to get their check for $350,000. They even gave a phone number from Washington DC. Of course, when the real FTC was contacted they said this is a common scam. If it sounds too good to be true, IT IS! Thoroughly investigate before you give any information or money. Verify thoroughly with sources other than the phone numbers they give you.
I visited a service called scambusters.org and here is the top 10 scams for 2010 which is based on the feedback we get from many thousands of subscribers and readers, plus our own in-depth research and monitoring of crime reports.
10. Travel and vacations (Predicted as #9). As forecast, the Soccer World Cup in South Africa drew in thousands of ticket scam victims, while an increasing flow of travelers to China found themselves at the center of numerous tourist con tricks. However, the economic recovery we expected to see wasn't as strong as everyone hoped and many Americans decided to vacation more safely at home.
9. Investment scams (Predicted as #10). In the wake of the Madoff scandal, more incredible Ponzi schemes were exposed and crashed, while art investment frauds targeted celebrities. Rock bottom interest rates lured more people into phony real estate and "green" investment projects (including the BP Gulf disaster clean-up) and foreign exchange funds promising unrealistically high returns.
8. Work from home schemes (Predicted as #7). Still a major source of crime, bogus home-working schemes received a lot of publicity throughout the year, so, although there were just as many crooks pushing these scams, slightly fewer victims may have fallen for them than we expected. One bit of good news!
7. Auctions and classified ad scams (Predicted as #8) move up one more place in our Top 10 scams list, as they did in the prior year. As much as anything, this reflects the growing use of the Internet for buying stuff, so we included bogus retail websites in our research this year, which, as you'll see below, is likely to push the crime even higher up the charts in 2011.
6. Doorstep scams (Predicted as #6). We forecast that the 2010 Census back in April would attract scammers, mainly "phishing" (see #1 below) for information they could use for identity theft. And we were right. The annual crop of disasters, including floods and, this year, the San Francisco gas explosion, also brought out the bogus contractors in force.
5. Lottery scams (Predicted as #5). Sadly, as we reported a year ago, this crime targets the elderly. There's apparently still no shortage of victims willing to pay up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in bogus fees to collect non-existent winnings.
4. Nigerian scams (Predicted as #4). The continuing efforts by the Nigerian government to clamp down on this scam seem to be having little effect. A TV documentary broadcast a few months ago showed how whole towns in that country have become dependent on the proceeds of scams.
3. Economy-related scams (Predicted as #3). Foreclosure and loan modification scams, together with bogus job offers -- usually a prelude to identify theft or simply a means for charging an upfront fee -- were the most common crimes in this category. The BP Gulf disaster added significantly to the number of phony job schemes.
2. Malware (Predicted as #2). This is the broad term for harmful software that installs on home and business computers to steal information, wreck hard drives, disrupt business activities and recruit computers into "zombie botnets" for sending out spam. Internet security specialists McAfee say they've identified 14 million unique malware programs, up by 1 million over the year as a whole.
1. Phishing and identify theft (Predicted as #1). The invasion by scammers of social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, together with malware downloads (see above) kept this crime firmly in the top slot.
Again, I caution…. IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IS! Thieves make their living on our greed and desire to get something for little or nothing. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived told us….
A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live. . Proverbs 15:27
Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it.
Proverbs 1:19
The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.
Proverbs 10:16
Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.
Proverbs 13:11
Visit http://www.scambusters.org to learn more about scams, how to avoid them and how to report potential scams.
http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org
How to Report a Fraud or Scam
If you have observed a scam or been the victim of a scam, spam or fraud and want to report it for enforcement, here is a list of where to report different types of scams in the US, UK, Canada and many other countries. In some cases there is more than one agency to contact. Some scams fit into more than one category, also.
Of course, in all cases, you can start by reporting it to us, using this form. We will use the information to warn other consumers and help you to direct it to law enforcement agencies.
A catch-all for bringing internet scams to the attention of the FBI and FTC is the U.S. government's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at Internet Fraud Complaints Center.
Your local FBI office:
Your local field office is:
Dallas
FBI Dallas
One Justice Way
Dallas, Texas 75220
(972) 559-5000
dallas.fbi.gov
But to protect your finances, identity and in some cases, identity, you will generally also want to report the scam directly to another specific agency - see further down this page for specific directions.
Be sure to contact your bank or credit card company if you have given out credit card numbers, bank account information, etc.
There are so many agencies who manage specific scams, they are too numerous to list in this story. Visit http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org and click on the link to report the following types of scams to the appropriate agencies:
Reporting Advance Fee Frauds (also called Lottery scams, Money Transfer Frauds, Lawyers with deceased clients, widows and orphans with money to transfer, AFF Scams, Nigerian scams, etc.
Reporting abusive use of email accounts (to send scams or spams or receive responses)
Filing complaints against a business
Reporting crimes
Reporting identity theft
Reporting medical frauds
Reporting fake websites (called Phishing and Spoofing)
Reporting Postal / Mail scams
Reporting scams on the internet
Reporting Securities and stock frauds
Reporting Spam (unsolicited business emails)
Reporting stolen checks
To report miscellaneous scams contact:
Texas Regional Offices
Austin Regional Office
PO Box 12548
Austin, TX 78711-2548
512-463-2100
Toll free: 1-800-621-0508
Fax: 512-473-8301
E-mail: cac@oag.state.tx.us
www.oag.state.tx.us
Dallas Regional Office
Office of the Attorney General
1412 Main Street, Suite 810
Dallas, TX 75202
214-969-5310
Fax: 214-969-7615
E-mail: cac@oag.state.tx.us
www.oag.state.tx.us
E-mail: cac@oag.state.tx.us
www.oag.state.tx.us
City Offices
Department of Environmental and Health Services
City Hall - Room 7A-North
1500 Marilla
Dallas, TX 75201
214-670-3696
Fax: 214-670-3863
E-mail: kbradford@ci.dallas.tx.us
www.dallascityhall.com
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Pro LIFE
This is the complete version of the story submitted to me for Talk About Town written by Lissa Gobel. Following her story, I wrote some additional thoughts, I pray your read this entire story. God Bless.
Did you also know that there is something you can do to change this statistic?!... Lets not just be disgusted by this, lets DO something about it! There are many ways to get involved: There are clinics called "Crisis Pregnancy Centers." These are Pro Life centers that are completely "non-profit." They are not to be mistaken for Planned Parenthood centers!! Planned Parenthood centers are government funded and these are Pro CHOICE and they promote abortions!! You can volunteer your time and your money to a Crisis Pregnancy Center in your area. They always need money and volunteers. They also need donations such as diapers, formula, baby clothes, etc.
I have been a volunteer at a center in Ft. Worth, Tx, for the past several years. I used to do limited ultrasounds on abortion-minded young girls and show them the little life growing inside them and let them hear the baby’s heartbeat. It was amazing to see their faces and the change in them. Currently, I am on the Board of Directors at this center. My background is: I am an RN working in Labor and Delivery and I am going back to school for my PhD in nursing so I can be a Midwife. The center that I am talking about is the Women's Choice Resource Center in Ft. Worth, Tx. These Crisis Pregnancy centers are sooooo important to fight against abortion. When these young girls are shopping around for an abortion, they come into one of these centers and they get loving Christian counseling on adoption and keeping her baby. They also educate these young girls on the physical and mental risks of abortions. When these girls get a sonogram and see their babies growing inside of them, 80% of them change their mind and choose LIFE!! These centers can't stay open though, without financial support from Christian pro-life believers!!
So,.... here's my challenge to all of you on this site... find out where there's a Crisis Pregnancy Center in your area. Make sure they are pro-life (non-profit), Christian organizations that do not refer for abortions!!! Find out how you can help them. Get your church involved. Have a fund-raiser for them, volunteer your time. What ever you can do. Let's not just say that we're disgusted by the thought of 50 million abortions, let's DO something to prevent them.
GET INVOLVED. ALL for Him, Lissa Goble
Comments from Cindy
You hear about the subject of abortion frequently, but do what do you really know about it? Have you researched this topic yourself or do you just go along with what you hear from your friends and peers? I did some research for those of you who don’t want to take the time. First I asked the question, what is abortion? About.com gave me the answer: Answer: Abortion is the intentional termination of a pregnancy after conception. It allows women to put an end to their pregnancies, but involves killing the undeveloped embryo or fetus. For this reason, it is a very controversial subject in American politics.
So who does abortion affect? I found these abortion statistics in the United States as reported by the Guttmacher Institute in May 2006:
1. Unintended pregnancies account for almost half of all pregnancies.
2. Four out of ten unintended pregnancies end in abortion.
3. Out of the total number of pregnancies, 24% end in abortion.
4. For women ages 15-44, two out of every hundred have an abortion.
Of these, 48% have had one or more abortions previously.
5. For women choosing abortion, 52% are under 25.
Teenagers account for 19%, and women 20-24 account for 33%.
6. Black women are almost four times as likely to have an abortion as white women.
For Latino women, the number is 2.5 times.
7. Women who have never been married account for 2/3rds of all abortions.
8. The majority of women who choose abortions have already given birth.
Mothers who have had one or more children comprise over 60% of all abortions.
9. Women who have never used any birth control method account for 8% of abortions.
10. For women having abortions, 43% are Protestant and 27% identify as Catholic.
What do these statistics say to me? That abortion affects everyone! The young, the old, families, people of all color, people of all religions. I was born in 1959, during that time abortion was not legal, lucky for me. Things changed dramatically during my teenage years when the landmark case of Roe v Wade legalized abortion January 22, 1973. Since then, more than 50 million abortions have been performed. Norma McCorvey, aka as the famous Jane Roe from this landmark case has changed her position on abortion. An excerpt from her book she said:
I was sitting in O.R.’s offices when I noticed a fetal development poster. The progression was so obvious, the eyes were so sweet. It hurt my heart, just looking at them. I ran outside and finally, it dawned on me. ’Norma’, I said to myself, ‘They’re right. I had worked with pregnant women for years. I had been through three pregnancies and deliveries myself. I should have known. Yet something in that poster made me lose my breath. I kept seeing the picture of that tiny, 10-week-old embryo, and I said to myself, that’s a baby! I felt crushed under the truth of this realization. I had to face up to the awful reality. Abortion wasn’t about ‘products of conception’. It wasn’t about “missed periods”. It was about children being killed in their mother’s wombs. All those years I was wrong. Signing that affidavit, I was wrong. Working in an abortion clinic, I was wrong. No more f this first trimester, second trimester, third trimester stuff. Abortion- at any point is wrong. It was so clear. Painfully clear
I listen to a higher authority, so I asked, what does the Bible say about abortion. While many pro-life supporters’ states that abortion is not mentioned in the Bible, I think the Lord makes his position very clear.
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…
Jeremiah 1:5
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Psalm 139:13-16
If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she give birth prematurely but there is no serious injury the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury you are to take life for life.
Exodus 21:22-23
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he create him; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27
Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.
Genesis 9:16
"Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."
Psalm 51:5
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:41
God considers an unborn baby to be alive. He also considers the loss of that life by another’s hands to be murder. His word tells us that life begins at conception; He uses the term ‘baby’ for the born and unborn. Read more about God’s view on abortion in His word. The bible specifically condemns partial birth abortion as against God’s will (Exodus 1:15-20). God also tells us to choose His ways, instead of our own ways; shameful acts done secretly do not please Him (Proverbs 1:29-31; Ephesians 5:10-12). Only a society that hates God, loves death (Proverbs 8:35-36).
Lissa challenged us to learn more about our local Christian, non-profit Crisis Pregnancy centers. Locally, we have Grace House Ministries. They provide a number of services that support life. Visit their website to learn about their ministry and services to the community at http://gracehouseministries.net/
Grace House Pregnancy Center 112 W Russell St, Weatherford
The Options Clinic- The Options Clinic for Women is a medical clinic with a medical director and nursing staff trained in limited obstetrical ultrasound to determine gestational age and viable intrauterine pregnancy. Studies have shown that when abortion-minded women see the baby in the womb – 90% will choose life, 9 out of every 10 women!
Pure Truth - Abstinence Education Program
The Pure Truth abstinence education program utilizes the “Worth The Wait” curriculum developed by Scott and White Hospital in Temple, Texas.
Through Scott and White Hospital’s education program, we seek to engage, educate, and empower students to make healthy sexual, life affirming choices. Grace House Ministries began offering Worth the Wait in 2004. This free service to the community is conducted through public and private schools where we teach the ten-day program through school health classes. Issues addressed to help teens in the class are:
•Emotional needs
•Communication skills
•Peer pressure
•Legal issues
•Sexual Transmitted Diseases/Infections
•Pregnancy issues
•High risk behaviors – alcohol, drugs, smoking, etc.
•Healthy futures – goal setting, dating and marriage relationships all encouraging kids that “sex is awesome but it is meant for marriage.”
This interactive, educational experience gives teens the opportunity to make healthier choices for a better future. Grace House teaches the program in several schools:
•Aledo
•Brock
•Graford
•Peaster
•Perrin-Whitt
•Weatherford College
Grace House also helped to implement the program in both Weatherford and Mineral Wells Independent School Districts. In addition a modified version of the program is currently being taught at Weatherford College.
Here is their contact information:
Grace House Ministries
P. O. Box 1416
Weatherford, TX 76086
817-599-9080
info@gracehouseministries.net
Grace House Pregnancy Care Center
112 W. Russell Street
Weatherford, TX 76086
817-599-4700
Janelle Miller - Director GHPCC
janellemiller@gracehouseministries.net
Hours: Monday thru Thursday 9 am – 4 pm
The Options Clinic
1712 Bethel Road
Weatherford, TX 76086
817-599-6700
info@theoptionsclinic.org
www.theoptionsclinic.org
Hours: Monday thru Thursday 9 am – 4 pm
My prayer for you is love life, save life, cherish life.
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