Bekah’s posterous

by Bekah Ferguson

Are you perpetually worried and stressed-out, or anxious and fearful? Does paranoia consume and control you life? If you answered yes, you are not alone. I'm here to tell you that you can be freed from the bondage of worry and fear - today. You can learn how to let go.

If you're a born-again Christian, filled with the Holy Spirit, you already have within you the Strength to overcome, and the ability to live in ongoing freedom.

When Jesus lived here on earth, he healed thousands of people during his time of ministry. He healed people debilitated in body and in mind. The bondage of worry and fear is an emotional disease that will eventually affect your physical health as well. Some of the side-effects of a worry-havocked body include depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, chronic headaches, low immunity and recurring illnesses, digestive disorders, weight gain or weightloss, and insomnia.

Worry and fear are powerfully destructive forces.

The Bible says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). See, the devil has one thing on his agenda: to make you a useless Christian. He can't have your soul, but if he can render you fruitless as a Christian, you'll no longer be of any threat to him. A person who is consumed by their own fears will be self-absorbed and often incapable of sensitivity to the needs of others. It also becomes difficult to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit through the cloak of anxiety. If you are drowning in worry, who has your heart?

Ephesians 6:12 says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Who do you allow to control your mind? Contrary to popular belief - secular belief, that is - you cannot be entirely in control of your own self. The Bible makes it clear that you either serve God or Satan. There is no inbetween place where you simply serve yourself. (See Matthew 6:24.) If the Holy Spirit does not have the Leadership position over your mind and body, guess who takes his place? It's just like a computer: without a firewall, your computer may have open ports (like open doors). Hackers are easily able to enter into your computer system (walk right in) through these open and unprotected ports. Once they are inside your computer, they are capable of destroying or "devouring" your computer system (1 Peter 5:8). So, what's a firewall? A firewall is like a shield: any potentially "open doors" are covered up and protected by this shield. The hackers cannot get inside.

What does this have to do with who you allow to control your mind and body? Well, the "computer system" is your mind and body. Each person has certain weaknesses and areas in which they are more vulnerable than others. These areas are your "ports" (open doors). When the Holy Spirit is allowed the Leadership position over your mind and body, he is like a firewall and acts as a shield. The enemy (the devil and his angels) are the hackers. With the Holy Spirit protecting your ports (weak spots), the enemy can't enter in or take any footholds in your life. But if God is not in control of your heart, these ports are left exposed and inviting to the enemy. Without the protection of God's Spirit, you are helpless ot shield yourself from attacks.

As born-again Christian who are filled with God's Spirit, we cannot literally be possessed by demons, but we can certainly be oppressed by them! If you are trapped within the bondage of worry and fear, you have stopped allowing the Holy Spirit to be your firewall.

You can experience true freedom by giving the Lord back his rightful position of Leadership over your mind, body and spirit.

The Bible lays out a clear plan as to how you can live a life of peace, free from anxiety: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast" (1 Peter 5:7-10).

Stay alert: be always aware that the enemy could attack at any moemnt. Be prepared to fight these attacks with Truth. Here's what you need to do (and I encourage you to memorize this passage of Scripture from Ephesians chapter six):

1) "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. . . .

2) "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

3) "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

4) "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

5) "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

6) "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

There are many Scriptures in the Bible that clearly state that as Christians, worry and fear have no place in our lives. Here are just a few: "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline" (2 TImothy 1:7). "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life" (Matthew 6:27)? "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34-35). God has told us not to worry, therefore worry is a sin and must be repented of. "But," you say, "I can't helpt it if I worry. Rent is due tomorrow and I don't have the money." . . . Or, "I've been chronically ill, what if I have cancer?" . . . "My son is a reckless driver, what if he gets killed in a car crash?" . . . "My husband has high blood pressure, what if he has a heart attack?" . . . "What if this tragedy happens, or this disaster strikes?" . . . fill in the blanks with your own fears.

Any of these things could happen, and they do. We read about them in the paper all the time, likely fueling our own fears, but at the same time, any of these things are just as likely not to happen! Regardless of whether or not a tragedy or disaster takes place in your life, as a believer, you are not to worry about things in advance. God says, "Do not worry," therefore, do not worry. Besides, it's impossible to predict the future. Think of any hundreds of varieties of tragedy or disaster that can occur: what are the chances of you predicting the very one that will happen to you? It is impossible to predict the future. And there are countless people who live full lifetimes without ever personally experiencing a tradgedy either - remember that. To deliberately not worry is easier said than done, of course, and you certainly can't do it alone. You will need the Holy Spirit to help you. I speak from personal experience when I say that becoming free from and remaining free from the bondage of worry and fear is a daily battle. Like a pack of hyenas, any personal vice will hover. That's how the devil works. But, it's up to you to keep them at bay. You do that by keeping Jesus as the Lord of your life. Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

It is only natural to assume that to "not worry" is to be ignorant and foolish. Are you supposed to act oblivious and happy-go-lucky, as though nothing will ever go wrong in your life? It would seem as though to "not worry" is nothing shot of deliberate naivety. Not so. Think of it this way: If you worry about a certain disaster and it actually comes true, did your worry/fear stop it from happening? No. Has worry or fear ever prevented something bad from happening to you? The only power anxiety has is over you, not your circumstances (see Matthew 6). So, what's the point of worry and fear then when neither one can do anything to influence the future in a positive way? By abandoning these binding emotions, you will not be acting like a fool, you'll simply be acknowledging the fact that anxiety is incapable of preventing hardship. For all you know, it might be your paranoia itself that created the hardship!

Are you worried about finances? Work hard with integrity, avoid debt and leave the rest in God's hands. Worried about your health? Eat well and take care of yourself; that's all you can do. More people die from bee sting's than from shark attacks - so, when you think about the countless, random ways tragedy or disaster can occur, why zone in on one particular thing and obsess over it? You could spend your entire life worrying that you will die form cancer, because your grandparents did, and end up dying peacefully in your sleep at a ripe old age, not a cancer cell in your body. Think of all those wasted years of fear and anxiety when you could have been enjoying life more freely - and more peacefully.

Worry does not serve as a good luck charm.

It is not a clove of garlic about your neck that will ward off vampires. Worry and fear, rather, are two strong forces - two hands - that grip you about the neck. The more attention you give them, the tighter they squeeze. As you surely realize in your heart, to stop worrying about the future is not naivety at all. It is realizing that while it's possible you may experience tragedy in life, you just as well may not. And then again, if something does happen, you will deal with it when or if it every occurs, and you will not waste any of your life fearing it in advance. Remember: you can't predict the future. Still not convinced? There's more. If you allow anxiety to control and dictate your life and even your lifestyel, then you are not trusting God to protect you and look after you. He's your Creator, your Savior, your Heavenly Father, and yet you don't believe he knows what's best for you. The hard truth is that you will experience trials and tribulations in your lifetime - it's part and parcel with living in a cursed world. But because fearing hardship will never prevent hardship, it is better to be thankful for what you have and enjoy your life in the present. When/if bad things happen - great or small - rely on God for strength, for comfort and for courage. He will see you through.

The Bible says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Some of us will enjoy happy, uneventful ives. Others will experience devastating hardship. But one day, we will all be together in Heaven where Jesus will wipe away every tear, and everything will be in crystal-clear perspective. We'll see tragedy for what it really is, and we'll understand and accept what God's purpose in it was. We can trust that he is good and that he always has our best, long-term (eternity-driven) interests in mind.

Do you long to be close to God again and to enjoy the prayer life you once had? DO you long to be rid of the stress in your heart and the weight on your shoulders? Here is a Biblical commandment that comes with a promise: "Do not be anxious [do not worry] about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And [pay attention, here comes the promise] the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).

According to this Scripture passage, we as Christians are not to worry about anything. There are no exceptions. Instead, we are commanded to pray about everything. What freedom! Don't worry, just pray! And then trust God with the rest. We are also to pray with thanksgiving. Count our blessings. And what was the promise? Peace. Peace that will "guard our hearts and mind"!

So, what must you do, dear friend?

First, acknowledge that you have allowed worry and fear to control your life. Second, repent of this sin - it is a lack of faith. Surrender your heart, mind and body to the Lord. GIve him full control of yourself so that the devil will have no access - no foothold. Ask the Lord to give you the strength to resist the temptation to fret over this and over that. God can free you from this bondage, but it will always be a tempation in your life. Do not give in. This is a daily battle.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 says, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

There is freedom to be found when you can take each nagging worry or fear which threatens to cripple and lay it at the foot of the cross. Never again do you have to suffer at the strangling hands of anxiety. Give it all to the Lord. This is crucial: In order to remain in freedom, you must stay close to the Lord. This means daily quiet times spent in prayer and Bible reading. This is the key to keeping the "firewall" up and your ports closed. As long as Jesus is the Lord of your life, the devil will not have a foothold. But if you stray from the Lord, by not spending time with him, the firewall will lower and the ports will be exposed to the enemy once again. You know what that means.

Galatians 5:1 says, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). If an anxious thought fills your mind - rebuke it. Say: "I give no consent to that thought." Refuse to take the bait.

Freedom from worry and fear is achieved when you repent of this sin which you have allowed to control your life; when you give God back the Lordship position over your heart; when you bring every new (and old) fear to the foot of the cross; and when you trust God with your life. Only he knows the future. Always remember the key: a daily quiet time with the Lord in prayer and Bible reading. Follow these principles and you will find freedom, peace and healing.

 

(c) 2009 - Bekah Ferguson

Permissions: By all means, you are welcome to reproduce and distribute my articles in excerpts or complete format as long as you don't change any of the wording. If you do reproduce any part of my articles, please include the following information: by Bekah Ferguson, Ontario, Canada. www.bekahferguson.com

Licensed under Creative Commons.

 

RELATED:

Some Thoughts on Faith

In an attempt to refute my article "Cutting Through Prochoice Rhetoric ," a young woman nicknamed "Aizenald" from Alabama, has written an article called "Abortion and Right-to-Life." I would like to comment on some of her arguments here.

Aizenald said: “Something like 50% of all pregnancies result in spontaneous, natural abortion. These human beings have a DNA code all their own and are of a separate identity from their mother — yet they are not persons and will never become persons — they were 'potential persons.' ”

What about a full-term stillborn baby? The infant has all her own DNA code and separate identity, yet she will never be a toddler. She will never be a teenager. She will never be an adult. Was she a just a “potential person” then? I maintain that a natural miscarriage *is* the death of a human person, just like all other natural causes of death at any age and stage of developement.

Aizenald said: “Consider a very real possibility: a human being that has all the physical trappings of a human body (heart, lungs, circulatory system, etc) and a brain stem to control all these basic functions — but genetically engineered to have no brain — incapable of higher function. . . . It’s an empty shell.”

First of all, this is a strawman. There is no such thing as a genetically engineered human prototype devoid of a brain. Secondly, a fetus does not develop all his/her body parts prior to developing the brain. The brain is developing rapidly at the same time as all the other parts are forming.

Aizenald said: “There is something that makes us people, and working organs aren’t that something.”

Yet you wouldn’t exist at all without working organs. You can’t separate your personhood from your physical body without death. What is your brain if not an organ? Tell me – just what makes us persons? A soul? You can’t say intelligence or consciousness, because our cognitive abilities come from our brains, which are physical organs.

Aizenald said: "...the product of conception becomes a person when it gains the capacity for higher brain function (not complete brain maturity, but the capacity for some semblance of higher function). This happens some time after birth."

Aizenald does not provide any scientific proof to back up this claim. This is just an opinion. If her opinion is correct, then anyone who is born with a mental disability or anyone whose brain is damaged in an accident is not a "person" and has less value than a "actual" person. Dangerous territory here! This is the same mentality that fueled the Nazi gas chambers. Aizenald maintains that "This happens some time after birth. No, that does not make killing newborns okay." Well, why not? And this "some time," when is it exactly? What is the exact moment that a human being becomes a person?

Aizenald said: “I don’t suggest that consciousness is a requisite for personhood — merely the capacity for consciousness and higher brain function, not only in the future, but also in the past and present.”

And what do you base this opinion on? Do you have scientific proof for it? If this were true, then I must conclude (based on your belief) that a fetus becomes a person in the early 2nd trimester. In that case, abortion in the 2nd and 3rd trimester is clearly murder. Nevertheless, you don’t have proof for your claim – it is just an opinion. I would rather stick to science – that is, that a preborn child, from the moment of conception, is a human being/person worthy of equal human rights.

Aizenald said: “I do not contend that intelligence is a requisite for personhood because intelligence is subjective. Children are not subhuman because we’re not worried about levels of consciousness — merely the capacity for consciousness itself.”

The “capacity for consciousness itself” as a requisite for personhood is your own religious belief. It is just as subjective as intelligence. You have no way of proving this claim. What if you are wrong; have you considered the implications?

And what about anachephalic infants? They don’t have much more than a brainstem and yet they can see, they can smile, and they can hear and enjoy music and voices and laughter; they can love. Often they don’t live long after birth but some anachephalic children have lived for several years, some ten years even. I know of a sixteen-year-old who is anachephalic. There is newfound scientific evidence that suggests that consciousness doesn’t necessarily originate in the cerebral cortex as many believe.

Aizenald said: “…to say that one is responsible for the consequences of his or her actions is to leave questions up to debate. What is a responsible reaction to the consequences? Depending on one’s situation, mentally, physically, financially, what-have-you, a termination of a pregnancy is often the most responsible choice a woman can make.”

The same argument could be used for a child of any age. It could be used to justify the murder of a newborn or a toddler. If a woman is unable mentally, physically, and/or financially to care for a child, then she can place her child with a loving adoptive family, or with child services.

Aizenald said: "A zygote/embryo/fetus is not the same as a toddler;  it is not physically living within the mother and she can send it to an adoption center or a safehouse at any time."

Here your argument is based on environment. i.e. a fetus is within the uterus, the amniotic fluid, and cannot survive outside the womb until "viable."

Let us make a comparison. An astronaut in space cannot survive without a protective suit and oxygen tank. Yet no one would argue whether or not the astronaut is a person while in space. The same can be said of the scuba diver. Human beings cannot breathe under water as fish can. We need an oxygen tank. Yet no one would contend that a scuba diver ceases to be a human being/person while under water. Now, here you will digress to the concept of "consciousness" again, however, in this argument you are suggesting that the reason a mother can kill her unborn child is because the child is currently reliant on her womb for survival. But this has nothing to do with consciousness! On one hand, you say that a 1st trimester fetus is not a person, but a 3rd trimester fetus is a person. On what grounds do you justify taking the life of a fetus who has consciousness?

Aizenald said: "The trick is preventing unwanted pregnancy in the first place through sex education and contraception."

I agree. However, that being said, hormonal forms of birth control can cause miscarriage should breakthrough ovulation and accidental pregnancy occur. If the zygote/embryo truly is a unique human being and person, than an early chemical abortion is just as immoral as a late-term abortion.

 

Related Article:

Why I Stopped Taking the Pill

 

(c) 2008  - Bekah Ferguson

Permissions: By all means, you are welcome to reproduce and distribute my articles in excerpts or complete format as long as you don't change any of the wording. If you do reproduce any part of my articles, please include the following information: by Bekah Ferguson, Ontario, Canada. www.bekahferguson.com

Licensed under Creative Commons.

by Bekah Ferguson
www.bekahferguson.com

I've learned from experience that it can be difficult to get straight answers from prochoice adherents. There is so much rhetoric, douplespeak and catch phrases, that it can be like trudging through a swamp to get to the heart of the matter.

When talking with a prochoicer, remember this: scientifically and biologically it is a fact that a new and unique human life comes into existence at conception. Therefore, in any debate, the burden of proof is on the prochoicer.

So, to help you understand their perspective better and to recognize common strawmen, here are some of the prochoice arguments I hear the most and what they really mean:

 

What they say: It's not a human being yet, it's just a potential human being.

What they mean: I can't bear the thought that this a real human being. If I were to admit that to myself, I'd be overcome with guilt and grief. Better to console myself with the belief that it's only a potential life, not a real one. That way abortion appears no different than throwing a used condom in the trash.

The truth is that a unique human being is created/comes into existence at the very moment of conception. At fertilization - when sperm and egg join together - there is a complete set of DNA in place which is distinct from the mother. Eye color, hair color, gender, and intelligence are all determined at conception. This isn't a religious belief, it's a scientific fact.

According to the Center for Disease Control, the majority of abortions take place between 7-13 weeks gestation, by which time the fetus already has visibly developed arms, legs, fingers and toes, a face, and a beating heart. If this is only a potential human being, then what is it really? A lifeless puppet waiting to be magically transformed into a real boy like Pinocchio?

Tip: Ask the prochoicer why there is a heartbeat if this isn't a real human being. (What do you call it when there is a heartbeat? Life. What do you call it when there's no longer a heartbeat? Death.)

 

What they say: It's my body, my decision.

What they mean: Until this baby is born, it's only a product of conception contained within my uterus (just a mass of cells or a clump of tissue). In the same way that I can choose to have a defective gallbladder removed, I can chose to end a pregnancy before it develops into an actual baby. (See above)

If the fetus is only a part of the mother's body, then she must have twenty fingers and twenty toes, four legs, four arms, four eyes, two noses, two blood types, two circulatory systems; and half the time, male genitalia as well. The last time I checked, a gallbladder never developed into anything else. It will always be a gallbladder. A fetus, however, is a unique individual who will continue to grow and develop (if uninterrupted) from infancy to old-age. This is the natural cycle of life. At no point in time is an embryo or a fetus just another part of a woman's body. Not even for one day. An ovum is, yes, but an ovum will never be anything other than an ovum unless it is first fertilized by a sperm. That is the crucial difference. An embryo is not a mass of cells akin to cancer - it is a unique human being. A fetus is to an infant what an infant is to a toddler, what a toddler is to a child, and so on and so forth. A gallbladder or an appendix or a tooth is just a gallbladder, an appendix and a tooth.

Tip: Ask a prochoicer at which point in time does your body magically morph into a second human body? (When does "the product of conception" become a real baby?)

 

What they say: A fetus does not become a real baby - a human being - until it is viable.

What they mean: Until a fetus can survive on its own outside of the woman's body (the womb), it is not a real human being.

This is a prime example of a strawman argument. You see, "viable" is an arbitrary term. It can not be adequately defined or set in stone because you see, viability is based solely on medical technology. Fifty years ago, any infant born prior to 30 weeks gestation was not likely to survive. Today, infants as young as 20 weeks gestation have survived outside of the womb. Why? Because medical technology has advanced greatly in fifty years. Overseas, however, a 30-week-old preemie is still unlikely to survive, because they simply don't have the same access to medical technology there as we have here.

Let's jump ahead fifty years from now. Perhaps premature infants will be able to survive outside the womb at only 15 weeks gestation. Perhaps in time, we'll have created artificial wombs in which an embryo can develop/grow into a full-term infant without ever being inside a woman's uterus. How can we logically argue that an embryo is not a real human being when fifty years from now it very well could be? (Based on viablity of course.) Even today, while preborn children are currently viable around 20 weeks gestation (and are thus considered to be human beings), across the ocean a fetus of the exact same age is not viable, and is therefore, not a human being! This makes no sense. It merely proves that viability is based on technology, not biology.

Tip: Ask a prochoicer why abortion is still legal after a fetus has surpassed viability. If they say it shouldn't be, ask them when the exact cut-off point should be, and have them defend that position with scientific fact. But, if they insist abortion should be legal all nine months of pregnancy regardless, have them explain why that isn't infanticide.

 

What they say: A fetus isn't a person until it has consciousness.

What they mean: A fetus develops the cerbral cortex at some point in the early second trimester. Until there is a brain, there is no person involved here. I can have a first trimester abortion without feeling guilty, because it wasn't a person yet. (Again, see responses above)

First of all, have them clarify what they mean by "person." Do they mean human? If so, have them explain what species the fetus was prior to developing the cerbral cortex. Was it a turtle? Do we begin as one species and then develop into another? Of course not. We must be human beings fromt start to finish, just as a turtle begins as a turtle and then dies a turtle. Well, they may say, a fetus might be of the human species, but it is not a person yet. (Boy, the waters get muddy quickly.)

Here's the thing: As soon as you suggest that consciousness and intelligence are required for personhood, you're also suggesting that people in comas are no longer persons, that those with mental disabilities aren't human, and that children are subhuman compared to adults because their brains are still developing. If I fall down a hill and get knocked unconscious, do I cease to be a person during that brief time period before I regain consciousness? When a person dies on the operating table and is pronounced braindead, do they suddenly cease to be a person?

Secondly, since the full development of the brain is gradual (remember, the prochoicers have referred to the "early second trimester" loosely rather than giving an exact gestation), then who is to say that a fetus did or didn't yet have a developed cerbral cortex when it was aborted? Is there an exact moment in gestation, at the strike of midnight, in which a fetus suddenly has consciousness? And if so, what is it? Please give me that exact date.

Tip: Ask the prochoicer if being a member of the homo sapien species is based solely on personhood, then does a friendly dog, gorilla or dolphin magically transform into a human being as soon as we believe them to be persons?

 

What they say: Even if a fetus is a person, no woman should be forced against her will to carry to term.

What they mean: No one can be forced to donate a kidney to someone else against their will, therefore; no woman should be forced to donate her uterus to a fetus.

There are some crucial differences here. If someone is in need of a new kidney, it's because their current kidney is damaged; the reason being a disease/infection, a birth defect, or perhaps an injury. If no one offers to donate their kidney and this person dies, what will be the root cause of their death? It will be the disease or injury that initially damaged their kidney; the person who refused to donate their kidney is not the cause of death. Now, let's compare this to pregnancy. If the mother goes to an abortion clinic and ends the pregnancy, what will be the root cause of death for the preborn child? A disease or an infection? No - the abortion. The hands that held the currette and scalpel, the hands that turned on the aspiration vacuum. See, whereas the person with a damaged kidney dies because of their disease or injury, the fetus will not die unless it is deliberately killed. One death is natural, the other is unnatural. (I should note that the same applies to a fetus with a fatal defect. Yes, they will eventually die. But if aborted, the cause of death will be the abortion, not the defect.)

Let's take this one step further because the prochoicer is probably standing there right now saying, "Look, you just don't get it. The fetus needs my uterus like the patient needs my kidney. He can't legally have it without my consent!" Not the same thing. In the case of the patient needing a new kidney, you aren't responsible for the disease or injury damaging their kidney. But, if you are pregnant because you consented to sex (pregnancy is the natural result of procreation), then you are responsible for the child growing within you. So, in the first case, you aren't responsible, but in the latter you are. That's the difference. You consented to the risk of pregnancy when you consented to sex. To this the prochoicer says, "That's ridiculous. That's like saying that if I catch an STD while using contraceptives, that I consented to having an STD." No, not quite. You engaged in the behavior knowing the risk, and that makes you responsible for the consequence.

Tip: Ask the prochoicer if a mother should have the right to allow her newborn infant to die of starvation if she doesn't consent to breastfeeding (the infant needs milk from the mother just as the fetus needs nutrience from the uterus). To this they will likely reply, "She is responsible because she consented to the pregnancy and birth. If she doesn't want to care for the child, she can place it with child services or up for adoption." To that you can reply, the same goes for a preborn child: The mother consented to the risk of pregnancy when she consented to sex - so, as soon as the infant is born, they can be placed with an adoptive family.

 

What they say: Abortion should be legal in cases of rape and incest.

What they mean: When a woman is raped, she has not consented to sex, and thus has not consented to the risk of pregnancy either. Therefore, she is not responsible for the child growing within her, and she should have the right to terminate the pregnancy.

Since when do we punish children for the crimes of their father? Is a man subject to capitol punishment when he is convicted of rape? No. Then why should a preborn child be put to death when he/she is completely innocent? We must also remember that the child is biologically half the mother's; it is her child, too. Abortion in the case of rape or incest is not an act of kindness or mercy. It is a second act of violence. It doesn't undue the rape and trauma that the woman endured - all it does is end the life of an innocent human being.

If you were abducted and knocked unconscious, only to awake hours later missing one of your kidneys, should you have the legal right to hunt down the person it was donated to (think black market), take a knife, and tear it out of them, killing them? After all, you didn't consent to donating your kidney to them. Compare this to pregnancy by rape. Yes, you are pregnant without consent, but the deed has been done. The only way to get your uterus back is to kill the child that is now growing within you. The analogy stops there because unlike the kidney donation that is permanent, a woman is only pregnant for nine months. Then she gets her uterus back and the child remains alive. A woman is not obligated to raise a child conceived in rape. She is free to place her baby with a loving, adoptive family.

Keep in mind that the rape/incest argument is often used as a smokescreen; a diversion. Statistically, less than 1% of all abortions take place for reasons of rape, incest and the mother's health combined.

Tip: Ask the prochoicer why abortion should be legal for any reason other than rape or incest. Then have them explain why a woman should be allowed to take the life of another human being for her own convenience (which is the case in 99% of abortions).

 

What they say: Abortion needs to be legal for all nine months of pregnancy in case the mother's health/life becomes at risk.

What they mean: If a woman feels even the slightest emotional distress over her pregnancy, she should be allowed to end it at any time. A woman's emotional well-being is more important than the life of the preborn child.

Should a woman be allowed to kill her toddler if the stress of parenting affects her emotionally/mentally? Obviously not. So why should she be allowed to kill her preborn child for the same reason? Remember, less than 1% of all abortions are done for reasons or rape, inceast and the mother's health combined. It is a rare case when a woman's life is at risk because of her pregnancy. In which case, she can deliver early by induction or ceaserean section, giving the child a chance to survive. If it is too early in pregnancy, and the woman needs immediate treatment (say, in the case of a fast-growing cancer), then the loss of the fetus is a tragedy. It is not the same as abortion. Many women opt to hold off on chemotherapy until the baby is born, but if waiting is not an option, then we must save whoever can be saved. To use Randy Alcorn's analogy, if two people are drowning and you can only rescue one of them, do you let them both drown or do you rescue the one you can get to? If a mother's life is truly at stake, then we must save her, even if that means the fetus will die.

Here's where the Partial Birth Abortion (PBA) comes into play. PBA is one of the most barbaric forms of abortion. A second or third trimester fetus is delivered live feet first to the head, at which time the abortionist punctures the base of the skull with scissors and then sucks out the brains with an aspirator. Now, if a woman had a rare condition in which her baby must be removed right away or else she will die, then why PBA? Why not early induction or cesarean section? If a doctor is going to take all that time to deliver the baby all the way to his/her head, why not just pull the baby the rest of the way out? What is the point in taking the extra time to brutally murder the child? There is no point, and that's the point. PBA for "a woman's health" is doublespeak for justifying infanticide should a woman decide late in pregnancy that she no longer wants her baby.

Tip: Ask a prochoicer to give you a legitimate medical condition in which PBA would be necessary. If they can come up with a life-threatening medical condition that involves the pregnancy, then have them explain why PBA should be performed rather than a c-section.

 

What they say: Abortion should be safe, legal and rare.

What they mean: Abortion should be safe and legal.

Self-explanatory.

Tip: Ask a prochoicer why abortion should be rare. If there's nothing wrong with it, then why should it be rare?

 

In Conclusion:

This article is by no means exhaustive. Whole books have been written on the subject. This is just a collection of the arguments that I am faced with most often. If you have suggestions, please contact me and I'd be happy to expand this article.

 

(c) 2009 - Bekah Ferguson

Permissions: By all means, you are welcome to reproduce and distribute my articles in excerpts or complete format as long as you don't change any of the wording. If you do reproduce any part of my articles, please include the following information: by Bekah Ferguson, Ontario, Canada. http://www.bekahferguson.com/

by Bekah Ferguson
www.bekahferguson.com

Going to Africa this summer was an eye-opener in more ways than one. Things that I saw and heard that impacted my life will always be with me. Some were lessons that will bless me throughout my life, others will haunt me always. There is a lot of pain and suffering in this world and we all know this. Seeing some of this suffering first hand is a very sobering experience, to say the least.

Throughout the Missions trip I was able to be a part of this summer, my team was able to do some door-to-door evangelism. One day stands out more in mind then any of the others. On that day, my team had travelled to a primitive town in Zambia called Kitwe. Though English is the National language in Zambia, we often found that in the more remote and primitive areas where there was less education, many of the people could not speak any English. So, we each gathered a handful of Gospel tracts in their native language (Bemba) and, splitting into groups, we began our door-to-door crusade.

This was a poor neighbourhood and even though these people didn’t live in huts as many others did, their homes were barely more than a step up. Here the homes were situated very close to one another, each family owning a tiny dirt yard. The homes were one level, standing about 8-10 feet high. They were made of cement and usually consisted of two small rooms. The windows were small, square openings in the cement walls and only a pinch of light could enter in. The floors were cement or dirt. Most of the roofs were made of tin. These homes contained little or no furniture and what furniture they did contain were often the extreme in ruggedness. At the same time, most of the homes were providing for a husband, wife and several small children each! We also found a lot of widows and single women trying to support themselves and their children. Outside of each home, in the dirt yard, children played or sat while their mother sat busily scrubbing dirty clothes by hand or trying to prepare some kind of petty meal.

In these homes, silverware and fine china is unheard of. A lot of food is consumed by hand. Some of these women, if they are lucky, own one or two beat up cooking pots. Obviously, without any luxuries of the home appliances most of us enjoy–such as an oven–meals are cooked over a small fire in the dirt of their “front yard.” For many of these Africans, even the most battered pair of shoes is considered a luxury. Many go without shoes. It was not uncommon to see individuals wearing shoes full of gaping holes. The clothes they wore were mixed and matched items, some threadbare or torn. For these people, life is very hard and simply providing for the daily needs we take for granted, is painstaking work.

As we visited these homes and tried to minister to these people, I felt completely inadequate. I would look down at my jean skirt, thick cotton T-shjrt, my clean hands, and my sturdy boots; I would think of my luxurious home in Canada; and a lump began to form in my throat. I realized at that moment,exactly how much I really did have back home. I realized how easy life was for me. Worrying about clothes or where my next meal was going to come from was something I had never had to deal with, but was for these people an everyday reality.

At this point, I asked the Lord, “What Scripture should I give these people?” I suddenly knew exactly what God wanted me to share. I opened my Bible to Matthew and with the aide of an African translator, I began reading this passage:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” (Matthew 6:25-34)

I felt so horrible as I read that passage, for there I stood in my glamorous apparel, looking as though worry was something I knew nothing of. But, I knew that this particular Scripture would be a blessing to these people and that these comforting words of Jesus would mean far more to them then they ever would to me.

I don’t know why we are so blessed here in North America and why they are so poverty-stricken in South Africa, but I do know, that wherever in the world you might go, God’s promises are always the same. I realized that summer just how much I really do have, and the things that I used to take for granted are things that I now thank God for every day! We have so much and yet, many of us seem to be so oblivious to our blessings. We are always wanting more luxury and more toys; feeling like we can’t be happy until we have more. Yet, in Africa and even in Canada, there are many people who wake up each day longing for simply the basic necessities of life and they do not have them. So many of us are too greedy and discontent! We allow our riches to stand between us and our Savior. Why? Because with so much prosperity, there seems to be less need for God. Maybe that’s why Jesus said, “I tell you the thruth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:23) We need to open our eyes and realize that what we have, He has given to us!

Where is your focus? Is it on what you have or is it on what you can give? If you find yourself worrying more about what you don’t have and thanking God less for what you do have, remember this passage:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven . . . No one can serve two masters. . . . You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:19-20, 24)

(c) 2000-2009 - Bekah Ferguson


Permissions: By all means, you are welcome to reproduce and distribute my articles in excerpts or complete format as long as you don't change any of the wording. If you do reproduce any part of my articles, please include the following information: by Bekah Ferguson, Ontario, Canada. http://www.bekahferguson.com/

by Bekah Ferguson
www.bekahferguson.com

I debated whether or not to post this article, because, well, I do find this embarrassing: I’m sorta putting my pride on the line here by writing these things, BUT . . . here goes.

I used to be fat.

And I remember those days all too well.

I used to envy thin people day in and day out. It's just so easy for them, right? They can eat whatever they want and still stay thin and beautiful. Yeah. SURE. But, that's how it seemed at the time. I was fifteen. I was 50 lbs overweight. I hated myself.

Why was it that my skinny friend could eat a big slice of cake right there beside me – in fact, a bigger slice than I was eating – and yet somehow, she would remain thin and I would remain overweight. It was so unfair! I decided there were two kinds of thin people: Those who could gorge on whatever they wanted and never gain weight (because their metabolism was mysteriously sky high), and those who lived on rabbit food and exercized for two hours a day. Well, I knew I wasn’t in the sky high metabolism group, and I certainly knew I would never make it into the rabbit group either. I was doomed to be fat for the rest of my life.

I tried everything.

I was anorexic for . . . three days – three days that felt like an eternity in which I was ravenous for food and had a frenzied look in my eye. I was bulimic for . . . no wait . . . I *tried* to make myself throw up but chickened out. I tried that only twice, That is, if you can call touching your tongue lightly with your finger “trying to make yourself gag.” It was more of a phsychological attempt. I *imagined* myself doing it. Just like I imagined myself losing weight and becoming thin and pretty. Wishful thinking.

Then I tried exercize. Tony Little every day . . . that lasted one week. Then I tried power walking. 3 km a day for one year would make me thin – I wrote it all down on paper! I was set. . . . But that lasted about two weeks, and I think I only actually walked half a km a day, if even that. Wow.

I remember how much of a god food was to me. It was a paradox too. I was suffering from depression because of low self-esteem. And because I was depressed, I was turning to food for comfort. Turning to food for comfort caused me to keep gaining weight, which therefore increased my depression, perpetuating my "need" for comfort foods. At age ten, I weighed 125 lbs. By the time I was fifteen, I weighed 170 lbs. But yet, I wasn’t any taller. Go figure. How much would I weigh by the time I was eighteen? It was a terrifying thought. I remember fantasizing that I was actually just wearing a fat suit: My dream guy thinks I’m obese, but then I take off the fat suit and appear as a thin, beautiful woman with gorgeous long legs and he’d fall head over heels in love with me . . . If only that were reality. But I wasn’t wearing a fat suit. No ma'am.

Anyone out there who knows what it’s like to be obsessed with food, will probably identify with what I’m about to say next. But if you’ve never known the “lust for food,” you’ll probably just think I’m cookoo . . . and a pig. But, I’m gonna take a risk and say it anyway: I had no self-control when it came to food. Not even an ounce. That’s how empty my life was. Depressed? Bored? Sad? Tired? Bring on the food. I remember daily stuffing unbuttered toast down my throat just so I could be eating constantly without consuming too many “calories.” Or endless unsalted crackers. Porridge with raisins was another favorite since it was apparantly low in fat. Now, of course I was still guzzling pop and wolfing down cookies, chips and cake, but in between . . . in between I was eating plain toast and unsweetened porridge.

I knew the food was making me fat. But I loved the food. I couldn’t stop eating the food. I JUST DON’T LIKE SALAD, OKAY?! Do I really have to eat trail mix and spinach for the rest of my life in order to be thin?

Thank God for dropping the “Weighdown Diet” book by Gwen Shamblin on my lap. It was an answer to prayer. I discovered that I was eating food as a means of filling an emptiness inside, rather than turning to God to fill my spirit. I discovered that it wasn’t the food itself that was making me fat, but rather, the quantity of food I was eating. You mean, I can have bacon and eggs for breakfast and lose weight at the same time? I can have chocolate cake for dessert and lose weight at the same time? IMPOSSIBLE.

But it turned out to be true.

What amazing bodies God has designed for us. Does this sound unhealthy to you? Try eating chocolate for breakfast, lunch and supper. Chances are, you’re going to be sick of chocolate by the end of the day and craving something much more healthy, like chicken and potatoes, or tomato sauce and mushrooms. You can trust your body! But you have to learn to listen to it first.

I learned how to differentiate between physiological hunger and physchological hunger: Real hunger verses head hunger. I learned to only eat enough to feel satisfied, rather than stuffing my stomach until I’d have to loosen my belt. I realized how greedy I was. I’d eat the whole donut rather than half of it, for fear that someone else would eat the other half. Well, why not wrap up the other half and eat it later when I’m truly hungry again? It turns out that the reason my skinny friend, the “thin eater” could eat cake without gaining weight, was because later on that day, when she wasn’t hungry, she didn’t eat anything - Meanwhile, I wolfed down a bag a chips just for the heck of it.

Now, I don’t want to rewrite Gwen Shamblin’s book. If you’re interested in learning more about how to listen to your body and learn the difference between real hunger and head hunger, please visit the Weighdown Workshop website - www.wdworkshop.com.

It’s been nine years and one pregnancy later, and I’ve maintained a weight of 120 lbs.* I lost 40 lbs the very first year – by the time I was sixteen – without eating any rabbit food. However, I did learn to eat healthier. I cut down my daily consumption by more than half of what I used to be consuming: That’s half the calories, half the carbohydrates, half the sugar, and half the fat. Wow. So, you really can loose weight while still enjoying all your favorite foods. The only “catch" is that you've got to wait until you’re actually hungry before you eat anything. No point in putting fuel in a car when the gas tank is full, know what I mean?

All that to say that I still struggled for years afterward not to turn to food for reasons other than true hunger. Like anything, it’s a daily process of turning to God for help and for strength. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16)

Sometimes, I’m hungry and I’m onto that third piece of juicy, cheesy pizza and I realize, yep, ma belly is full, it’s time to stop . . . but I don’t want to stop. Then I must remind myself that if I chose to overeat, I’m going to get an upset stomach for one (who likes the feeling of being bloated?), AND, I’m going to risk gaining weight. Not worth it. Instead, I wrap up my leftovers and enjoy them again later when I’m hungry again. There’s so much freedom in this! And I praise and thank the Lord continually for leading me away from a life of bondage to food addiction.

*Since writing this article, I've been through another pregnancy, and continue to maintain a weight of 120 lbs. :)

(c) 2006 - Bekah Ferguson


Permissions: By all means, you are welcome to reproduce and distribute my articles in excerpts or complete format as long as you don't change any of the wording. If you do reproduce any part of my articles, please include the following information: by Bekah Ferguson, Ontario, Canada. http://www.bekahferguson.com/

by Bekah Ferguson
www.bekahferguson.com

I’ve been reading through the Old Testament and it seems so shocking the way the Israelites were constantly forgetting the Lord and going back to worshipping idols made of gold. I’ve always found that hard to comprehend: If you saw God part the Red Sea with your own eyes, how could you later “forget” about him and bow down to a hand-crafted, golden calf, of all things? Yet every generation seemed to breed a new generation that had no interest in God. And of course, the children hadn’t seen the miracles of God firsthand, as their parents had, so to them, it really had no more effect on their lives than any “fairytale” might.

Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Judges . . . God performs one amazing miracle after another, the Israelites enjoy decades of peace, their children grow up and then . . . again the Israelites did evil in the sight of God. The children grow up to worship the heathen gods of their neighbors and the Israelites thus endure a couple decades of hardship until finally they beg God for mercy and promise that this time they will worship Him, rather than idols.

But now I’m starting to see this in a different light. As the famous Teacher penned in Ecclesiastes 1:9, What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

See, I always wondered how anyone in their right mind could bow down and worship something material, such as a golden calf. How could you worship a thing that was so obviously made by the hands of man when there is a real God out there who created this entire world and every living thing in it? But then I realized that nothing has changed at all, and I’m not talking about Buddhism or Hinduism.

There’s a reason why the children of Israel grew up to worship the fake idol gods of their neighbors; and it had nothing to do with the idols themselves and everything to do with what those idols represented. Those children didn’t want to obey the Laws of God - they wanted to indulge in all the sensual pleasures their neighbor friends were indulging in! In one hand, for example, they had: bow down to this gold statue and you can fornicate to your heart’s desire. Or, in the other hand: worship the God of your forefathers and you’ll be expected to live a holy and pure lifestyle. To them, the latter seemed boring and restrictive. They wanted the freedom to do whatever they felt like doing. So, they chose the golden idols over the God of Israel.

I wonder: did the parents not teach their children about the miracles they had seen God perform with their own eyes? Did they not share with their children about the mercies and love of God that they had experienced in their own lives? Why didn’t their children desire to know this God too? Why was He so unappealing to them? And why did these parents allow their children to befriend their heathen neighbors and take heathen husbands and wives? These parents who knew God, allowed their children to defile their homes and their lands! Why?

Yesterday, as I was reading yet another account of the Israelite children growing up and turning their backs on God, I had a sudden vision of today’s church in Canada and the United States, and I realized with striking clarity that nothing has changed at all. There is nothing new under the sun. We are still turning our backs on the living true God so that we can bow down to false, man-made idols instead. And who is this golden calf of the modern-day era? Who is this god of the West?

His name is Materialism and he represents everything to do with sensual indulgence, vanity and a me-me-me mentality.

We’ve even built shrines in our homes for this idol - yes, seriously - we've built shrines in our homes! The elaborate entertainment cabinet complete with widescreen TV, state of the art sound system and DVD player. We watch blasphemous movies until our eyes are bloodshot and we’re too tired to get up in the morning to go to church.

How about that shrine that is our walk-in closet with track-lighting and rows and rows of designer clothing color-coordinated with top of the line footwear. Or how about that shrine that is our dresser; precious stones, gold and silver jewelery, rows of colorful makeup trays and brushes and lipsticks, all laid out on decorative cloths made of silk beneath a giant, gilded mirror.

Then there is the shrine that is our kitchen refridgerator with its shiny stainless-steel shell and its inner rooms laded with the most glorious, delectable foods of all different shapes, sizes and textures.

And what about the shrine that is our bedroom with its canopied bed, silk sheets mottled with rose petals and spicy with perfume, complete with Playboy magazines, condoms and glittery baskets of “toys.”

Now this is not to say it’s wrong to have a nice closet or a nice entertainment system or a nice fridge. It has to do with your heart. Can you live without your cable TV and movie network? Do you lust after designer clothing and the latest fashions (would you rather die than wear a second-hand shirt?). Are you a slave to food: do you snack on goodies all day long when you don’t need to be eating? Are you a slave to promiscuity or pornography? Do you put long hours into your career because you want the money and success, all the while neglecting time with your children?

Who or what is the number one priority in your life?

Whatever it is - that is your god, your false idol.

Go to church this Sunday and see if you spot a thirteen-year-old girl bearing cleavage and wearing seductive makeup and jewelry. Her parents are strong Christians respected in the church. Go to your teenager’s highschool to pick him up and notice his bestfriend (who happens to be the son of your church’s Youth Pastor) making out with his girlfriend in a corner, his hands in places they have no business being. Look at yourself in the mirror as you toss aside the third outfit you’ve tried on this morning, and try on yet another. You just aren’t satisfied with your appearance. If you don’t find something “good” to wear today, you’re going to feel miserable for the rest of the day: You’ve just got to look good to feel happy.

How does the rest of this pattern go if there is nothing new under the sun?

Well, after many years of worshiping false idols, you'll find yourself in a position where your life feels hollow and meaningless. You’re full of regret and shame. So, you cry out to the real God in desperation, begging Him to forgive you and to help you. He does. Then, later, as your children are growing up and you see the worldliness in their little hearts, you do nothing to warn them. You put little effort into protecting them from the world and you let them do their own thing. They eventually grow up and marry a heathen neighbor, and bow down to idols. Then, after many many more years, perhaps when you’re old and gray or even passed away, your children come to a place in their lives where they feel completely lost and empty and cry out to God . . . And the cycle repeats itself.

There is nothing new under the sun.

Neverthless, despite this phenomenon, this fatal flaw that is the human condition, God never turns His back on us. He is always willing to forgive us and cleanse and take us back into His arms. He loves us with an unconditional love!

Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul. . . . You shall teach them to your children. - Deuteronomy 11:18-19 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren. - 4:9

Perhaps we are unable to see God for who He really is until we have first learned how to see beyond ourselves. We have to first learn that the god we worship - that is, ourselves - is not a god at all, but a broken, wounded child in need of a Savior.

Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. - Philippians 3:20

Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. - 2 Timothy 2:11-13

(c) 2006 -Bekah Ferguson


Permissions: By all means, you are welcome to reproduce and distribute my articles in excerpts or complete format as long as you don't change any of the wording. If you do reproduce any part of my articles, please include the following information: by Bekah Ferguson, Ontario, Canada. http://www.bekahferguson.com/

by Bekah Ferguson www.bekahferguson.com Whoever it was who came up with the concept of “100 Calorie Packs” is a marketing genius. I mean seriously, this person (or persons) has hit the jack pot. With the countless diet merchandise and foods already out there, it’s impressive that someone came up with something so deceptively simple; it has already permeated every grocery and convenience store shelf out there with immediate success. Psychologically, the advertising possibilities are endless. People are falling for this hook, line and sinker. Made by Nabisco, these 100 Calorie Packs offer any one of your favorite, forbidden snack foods in a mini little package. Doritos, Oreo Cookies, Ritz Crackers, Teddy Grahams . . . whatever it is you’re craving, chances are you can find it wrapped up all pretty in a “100 Calorie” bow. At first sight, it seems like a great idea. Hey, I can have some oreo cookies without blowing my diet! Yes, yes you can: Tiny paper thin oreo cookies that really taste nothing like the real thing (nor do they have a creamy center). And take the Doritos for example: I’d feel like a rabbit eating them. They’re these itty-bitty orange-colored triangles that you’ve got to nibble with your front teeth and hope to get a bit of flavor on your tongue as you swallow them. Really, I would have to eat at least four packages before I’d feel remotely satisfied. So, here’s my question: why not eat a handful of real Doritos instead? The argument, of course, is that having your favorite snack isolated into little "100 calorie" packages will prevent you from over-indulging and will therefore help you lose weight without having to give up your favorite snacks entirely. But do you really need to spend all that extra money on a stripped down, flattened version of the real thing in order to maintain self-control? If you have the self-control to only eat one package of 100 calorie oreos in a day instead of four packs, then you should have enough self-control to only eat one or two real oreo cookies in a day rather than a whole box. So, why not do that instead? For one thing, it’s a lot cheaper, and for another thing, it’s a heck of a lot tastier! Wouldn’t you rather bite into a thick oreo cookie with a creamy center, than an almost tasteless, dry mini-me version of the same thing? And besides, like any other “diet version” of the real thing, it’s not going to satisfy your craving and eventually, you will give in and gorge on the real thing. So, that’s my beef with these 100 Calorie Snack Packs: These marketers are profiting off overweight people who just want to be thin and still enjoy tasty snacks at the same time. These clever marketers are tricking you into spending twice as much money on something that isn’t the same as the original; nor are they even necessary. Like I said, if you can limit yourself to only one package of mini Ritz Crackers a day, then you already have the self-control to limit yourself to one handful of the real, normal-sized Ritz Crackers a day! It’s basically the same amount of calories consumed without having to cut half the taste and texture. And besides, when you’re visiting friends and family, they aren’t going to put out a bowl filled with ten packages of 100 Calorie Doritos. They’re gonna put out a bowl of regular, thick, tasty Doritos. So, if you’ve already learned to limit yourself at home, you won’t go ballistic and wolf down the whole bowl when you’re visiting someone else’s home. So, what is my point anyway? Once again, the snack food industry is trying to get more of your money. They don’t care about your health or your diet. Only you can change your eating habits. If you want more self-control, set some limits and goals for yourself. One thing I do personally is limit myself to only two cookies a day. It keeps me from going overboard, which I would if I hadn’t previously set boundaries for myself. It works! I don’t need to buy special packages of “two cookies” rather than a box of fifty cookies to achieve this measure of self-control. And neither do you. Consider Colossians 2:20-23, which says: "Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence." (c) 2007 - Bekah Ferguson   Permissions: By all means, you are welcome to reproduce and distribute my articles in excerpts or complete format as long as you don't change any of the wording. If you do reproduce any part of my articles, please include the following information: by Bekah Ferguson, Ontario, Canada. http://www.bekahferguson.com/

by Bekah Ferguson www.bekahferguson.com Some people have sex because they're in love. Others have sex because everyone else is; or for fear they'll lose their partner if they don't. Still others have sex to try and boost their self-esteem; to feel wanted. And some say they have sex just for fun. Whatever the reasons might be, any sex outside of marriage is defined as "free love" . . . Webster's dictionary defines free love as 1: the practice of living openly with one of the opposite sex without marriage; and 2: sexual relations without any commitments by either partner. 1 Many people consider their choice to have sex to be an act of freedom—Freedom to make their own decisions, freedom to express their love to another, freedom to enjoy physical pleasure without commitment, or the freedom to feel independent and in control of their own body. Webster's dictionary defines freedom as 1: the quality or state of being free: as a : the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action b : liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another : INDEPENDENCE. 2 3 common reasons why people start having sex: 1) “We're in love.” There's nothing like the euphoria of falling in love. When he kisses you, the world around you disappears. You can't imagine life without him. Expressing your love through sex seems only natural, so why wouldn't you take that next step? 2) “I'm afraid he'll leave me for someone else.”Are you sleeping with your boyfriend out of obligation? Do you worry that he'll be bored with you if you don't? Does he pressure you to sleep with him to prove your love? 3) “I need to have sex to feel confident.” Does having sex make you feel more attractive? Does it make you feel wanted and accepted? Do you question your self-worth when you're not having sex? Are these 3 reasons acts of freedom by definition? 1) “We're in love.” If he doesn't intend to marry you, then he isn't fully committed to you. When you give yourself fully to someone and they reject you, the feelings of heartbreak, insecurity and regret can imprison you for many years to come. Freedom is 1: the quality or state of being free. 2) “I'm afraid he'll leave me for someone else.”True love does not demand sex when you aren't ready to give it. True love does not use sex to control or threaten. If you fear he'll leave you if you don't sleep with him, then he's only using you. Freedom is a : the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action. 3) “I need to have sex to feel confident.” Sex without love can leave you feeling empty and used. You may find it difficult to maintain a lasting relationship; and multiple partners put you at greater risk of STD's. Freedom is b : liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another : INDEPENDENCE. The definition of Free Love conflicts with the definition of Freedom. Why? Because there is no freedom in a broken heart, low self-esteem, accidental pregnancy, or an STD. But why should one wait for marriage when the divorce rates are so high? It seems there is no more guarantee of commitment in marriage than there is outside of marriage. The truth is, there are no guarantees in life. We can't see the future, and people we love and trust sometimes let us down. Simply being married doesn't guarantee your partner won't one day leave you or betray you. SO, WHY WAIT? It's about self-respect. It's about doing the best you can to protect your body and your heart from devastation and enslavement. True sexual freedom is the freedom from coercion, guilt, rejection, accidental pregnancies, and STD'S. Save yourself for a man who is worthy of your love. Allow yourself to find fulfillment in self-respect and dignity. It can be scary to be single—there's the fear you might never find someone. But don't settle for second-rate! Be realistic, but set your scopes high. Many marriages end in divorce, but many marriages do last a lifetime—A lifetime in which two people, fully committed to each other, enjoy each other's companionship and lovemaking with security, confidence and satisfaction. This kind of love is worth waiting for! If you're willing to search for it, you can find it. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7t always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) 1© 2006-2007 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated 2© 2006-2007 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated (c) 2008 - Bekah Ferguson - Abstinence Brochure Permissions: By all means, you are welcome to reproduce and distribute my articles in excerpts or complete format as long as you don't change any of the wording. If you do reproduce any part of my articles, please include the following information: by Bekah Ferguson, Ontario, Canada. www.bekahferguson.com

by Bekah Ferguson
www.bekahferguson.com

For the first two years of my marriage, I used the Birth Control Pill (BCP). I really thought nothing of it. When the walk-in-clinic doctor first perscribed it to me, he said only that there was a risk of blood clots; a risk that was supposedly greater if actually pregnant. My only complaint in those two years was the evening nausea I often experienced as a side-effect of the hormones . . .

I first stopped taking the Pill when we decided to try for a baby. It took 8 months to finally conceive and after our daughter was born, my doctor perscribed me a lower-dose version of the Pill meant for women who are breastfeeding. Again, she laid out no side effects to be concerned about saying that because I wasn't a smoker or promiscuous, I was considered very low risk for side effects.

When my daughter was about four months old, I was working on the manuscript of The Starfish and my research at that time lead me unexpectedly to a website concerning the abortifacient nature of BCPs. I was shocked! No one had ever warned me that breakthrough ovulation is possible while taking the Pill and that pregnancy *can* occur, regardless of how careful you might be in taking your Pill each day. Here's the thing: the hormones in the Pill create a "hostile envirnoment" which make an embryo (a fertilized egg) unable to attach to the lining of the uterus. The conceived baby will starve to death and miscarry as a direct result (though an even smaller number of pregnancies will still thrive). A stronger menstrual period might be the only indication that an early abortion has occured; but being on the Pill, who would even assume such a thing had happened? I have no way of knowing if this ever happened to me, but as a Christian, I felt I could not morally continue to take the Pill knowing that if a pregnancy did occur, it would most likely miscarry.

Neither of the two doctors who'd prescribed me the Pill over the years had even mentioned that breakthrough ovulation was possible. Still uncertain, I asked my doctor if this information I'd come across was true. She said, "No, it's not," but didn't expand on her statement. She assured me the Pill was safe. So, I went to a new doctor and asked him the same question. He said, "There are differing beliefs over when life actually begins. Some believe at conception, others when a fetus is viable. But yes, breakthrough ovulation and pregnancy can definitely occur despite the Pill, and miscarriage will result." Now the exact beginning of human life may be argued with crafty semantics, but scientifically, who can deny that a unique life begins at the very moment of fertilization? Well, I'd done my homework and I'd found a doctor who'd admitted it was true. So, I decided that even though the likehood of pregnancy and miscarriage while on the Pill was rare, I could not take that risk in good conscience. And when you consider "rarity" in light of the population of the United States alone, the numbers do add up to a startling amount (see quote below).

I quit taking the Pill that very day and will never take it again!

Consider the following information (If the math doesn't make your eyes cross) from William F. Colliton, Jr., M.D., a Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at George Washington Univesity Medical Center:

Women on BCPs have 28-day cycles and thus have 13 cycles per year (365/28 = 13.3).  According to Facts in Brief from the Alan Guttmacher Institute (faxed 3/13/98), 10,410,000 U.S. women are current pill users, 26.9% of all methods.  This is second only to sterilization used by 27.7% of contraceptors. . . . Dr. Don Gambrell has informed us that there is a 14% breakthrough ovulation rate in females taking the 50 microgram pills (10,410,000 x 0.14 = 1,457,400 ovulations each cycle).  1,457,000 x 13 cycles per year = 18,946,200 possible exposures to pregnancy each year.  The accepted rate for "pill pregnancies" is 3-5 per 100 women years.  Noting the fact that there is a 60+% rate of spontaneous tubal abortions with an unfavorable implantation site in ectopic pregnancies, it is reasonable for us to calculate a rate of conceptions lost to early physician (BCP) induced abortion of intrauterine pregnancies in pill users as twice that of term "pill pregnancies", given once again, an endometrium that is "less vascular, less glandular, thinner" than normal.  Thus the possible abortion rate induced by BCPs is 18,946,200 « 0.06 = 1,136,772 or 18,946,200 « 0.1 = 1,894,620 per year.  We are convinced that the reasoning with regard to the math on this issue is sound.

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>From the "Physicians' Desk Reference" (Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics, 1998:

Combination oral contraceptives act by suppression of gonadotropins. Although the primary mechanism of this action is inhibition of ovulation, other alterations include changes in the cervical mucus, which increase the difficulty of sperm entry into the uterus, and changes the endometrium which reduce the likelihood of implantation [emphasis mine].

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And Dr. Kristine Severyn, of "Abortifacient Drugs and Devices: Medical and Moral Dilemmas" Linacre Quaterly, August 1990, pg. 55, wrote:

The third effect of combined oral contraceptives is to alter the endometrium in such a way that implantation of the fertilized egg (new life) is made more difficult, if not impossible. In effect, the endometrium becomes atrophic and unable to support implantation of the fertilized egg. . . . The alteration of the endometrium, making it hostile to implantation by the fertilized egg, provides a backup abortifacient method to prevent pregnancy.

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If you're a Christian woman using a hormonal birth control contraceptive, I urge you to research this subject. There will always be those who argue for or against any one thing and it can be confusing to read two "scientific" articles which directly contradict each other. Nevertheless, I urge you to research this issue prayerfully and with an open mind. The following is an excellent article to get you started:

"Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Abortions? " by Randy Alcorn, Eternal Perspectives Ministries.

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(c) 2008  - Bekah Ferguson

Permissions: By all means, you are welcome to reproduce and distribute my articles in excerpts or complete format as long as you don't change any of the wording. If you do reproduce any part of my articles, please include the following information: by Bekah Ferguson, Ontario, Canada. http://www.bekahferguson.com/