LET LOVE BE SINCERE

LET LOVE BE SINCERE

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Here's the thing...

Here's the thing.
I am a REALLY selfish person (most of you know that).  Wanna know how bad it is? The ol' husband is home sick today.  AND, the kids have had the flu/low fevers the past couple of days.  So, I know it's just a matter of time before I get sick.  But you know what drives me crazy? When I'm sick...no one's there to take care of me, and I have to still take care of the three boys. WWWAAAAAAAAA.  Here's why I'm selfish though, it actually effects the way I care for my husband, because I do it with a twinge of resentment.  AND, I recognize that as a really bad thing.  But YOU GUYS, I just find it so very difficult to not be selfish.
Work in progress.

Here's the thing.
I really like expectations and consequences for not fulfilling them.  A LOT.  I think a great many things in today's culture could be handled if people were raised with expectations and consequences.  But man, it's so much easier with my kids to give expectations, but not consequences.
Work in progress

Here's the thing.
I get REAL upset over certain things. A young adult from my old youth program was just intentionally given Margaret Sanger for a project in her woman's studies class.  The professor said the following...
You are playing Margaret Higgins Sanger, a nurse and supporter of progressive causes who was a tireless activist for women’s control of their own fertility and eventually founded an organization that became Planned Parenthood. I’m attaching your role sheet and some of the primary documents that are important for your character. Read through it carefully and start thinking about how to make this person a part of you."
The professor assigned this role-playing character to the young adult because the student is pro-life, which clearly makes her anti-woman.  I got so worked up, that I couldn't sleep.  I typically fly off the handle with things like this, and immediately started thinking about how this student could refuse the assignment and contact the St. Thomas Moore Law Group and get them involved. I tend to get a wee passionate about things like this.
Work in Progress.

Here's the thing.
THIS ARTICLE by Matt Walsh regarding the dishonest narrative told by Gay Rights Activists has been on my mind all week. I'd like to hear your thoughts (respectfully, of course). Particularly those that might not share my world view of sexuality.  Because, although I don't like Mr. Walsh's tone, I was blown away by the article.  Particularly the Matthew Shepard part.  Blown away.  And I have a hard time discerning truth in the 'cultural wars' because, I am...you guessed it!
A work in progress

And finally, here's thing thing.
My sister, Theresa, said she wants to write a book titled, 'How to Get People to Heaven Without Being an A## hole'. I would buy that book and I would benefit from reading it. BUT, I can point out a LOT of people who should buy that book that I KNOW would benefit from reading it ;)  That is all.
Work in progress

7 comments:

  1. Hi!
    So, this is a comment on point numero dos. I.e.: Margaret Sanger.

    I took my fair share of Women's Studies classes in college because I thought they were just fantastic and I'm undoubtedly a weirder person today because of them. ANYWAY. In one (really good, actually) class we were required to read one of Margaret Sanger's writings.

    And I was like, "Ewwww, noooooooooooo!"

    But, I read it anyway because I'm a good student. And, you know, it was really intense. Margaret Sanger started out as a home-visit nurse to the immigrant populations. That's super stunning and caring, really. Lots of people could and did just turn their backs on the immigrant populations. And, as she was meeting these women she was confronted with their hopeless, helpless plight. She delivered these women's children...but also saw them in crammed, unhealthy quarters. And she saw them start killing themselves (literally. Heads-in-oven, throwing-themselves-down-stairs killing themselves) out of hopelessness because of their situations (poverty, etc.)

    So, Sanger was like, "I need to help these women."

    And she traveled the globe trying to find the best, most affordable, most modern-medicine friendly methods of family care.

    And, as we know today, she failed. She failed because the solutions she found were abortion and etc. etc. etc.

    I remember calling my older (cooler/ wiser) brother after reading about her and I still remember what he said to me. He pointed out that people have incredible potential to mold the world. He pointed out, though, that our best intentions can be harmful if we're not well formed.

    Margaret Sanger tried to help the poor, but ended up hurting generations of people because her intentions were directed inappropriately.

    SO. Because I love drama and creativity, maybe your friend can take it from this angle: a pre-Planned Parenthood Sanger, just a nurse serving the immigrant populations and concerned for their well-being. Maybe she can end with a question posed to her classmates: do we want to help or do we want to hurt? And maybe she can present some facts about Sanger, like, "Because of her, xx amount of African-American populations are targeted on a daily basis" and present that other not-so-women-friendly side.

    It's merely an option. And it's likely I still have that original article if your friend needs another resource. :)

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  2. Wow. Longest comment ever. Succinct is not my gift, clearly.

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    1. Funny, after first suggesting she not do the assignment and take it to the dean, I reached the same conclusion as you. Also, she was raised in a large family and saw suffering because of that, she started at a place of wanting to heal suffering...I suggested she blend some of that in the presentation. I told her, if I was her, this would be the assignment I spent the most amount of time on, and I would leave the class speechless after I was finished :)

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  3. Matt Walsh is an amazing blogger. I'm SO glad to see him tackling this issue. I just hate the way so much of our "news" is propaganda. It's never okay to make something up or perpetuate a lie. It's not necessary! There are plenty of real examples of discrimination and hate crimes to use.

    I feel there are two temptations after reading something like Matt's article, and we need to pray and seek to avoid both. The first is to rationalize and legitimize the fake stories because, as Matt said, these crimes DO happen and sometimes there isn't proof, so that's why the more obvious versions make the media rounds. But we need to stand firmly on the side of truth, even when it's messy. We need to fact check (ALWAYS FACT CHECK!) before spreading our own stories no matter how interesting they might be. And we need to call out falsehoods whenever we see them, charitably, of course.

    The other temptation is to disbelieve the narrative because the story that supports it has been proven false. Matthew Shepard may not have been killed for being gay. That doesn't' change the fact that discrimination against gay people does exist. The "pro-gay movement" is in direct response to the discrimination gay people experience, and the reason why they so strongly fight for legitimacy. It's tempting to brush aside the problem and think to ourselves "Yeah, yeah, another made up story to make us Christians look bad." The truth is much more complex and painful.

    I share your difficulties with discernment. There are members of my family who believe very very differently than I do in many ways. I struggle to treat all our differences with the same attitude, but it's really hard, and I'm often unsuccessful in communicating love to them. I, too, am a work in progress. :)

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  4. Couple of things my friend; I agree with the people stating your friend should go into what made MS who she was. The tragedy writes itself. Especially with her racist eugenics push.

    Second, you and I are wired very much alike. Recently I've been praying to my guardian angel and to those of my children because of there has been some stirring of the irrational emotions. Winter in FL, while much preferable to your lot, is insanity here as well. One day it's 30, two days later its 75. We can never turn over closets and the coats hanging on the hooks for days bugs me, but can't be put away until Real Spring. What the angels have inspired in me is to celebrate any and all progress made, no matter how small. I am well acquainted with my failures, but progress begets progress, so that shall be the focus. Even if I'm unappreciated for it, which is really impossible because I'm annoying and ask Scott if he thinks my temper is getting better.

    Point-the-third. Lies are bad. Even the Live Action entrapment videos are bad. Because lying is evil. It bothers me when people say, "Down syndrome is just a genetic anomaly like dark people having a pale baby." Uh, no, Ds causes the person to be disabled and I don't equate needing SPF 75 with the challenges of Ds. We shouldn't do that. Truth matters and attracts the right kind of people...those in search of it.

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  5. I would be pumped if I got the assignment. To read her EXACT words of hatred, propaganda of the culture of death. Like exact quotes! Oooooooo I would get her!

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