Recumbency and helping a chronically ill friend

Our daughter Camille posts almost daily regarding this season in her life of chronic fatigue. Two recent posts you may find insightful include the following:

“How to Bless A Chronically Ill Friend“ which begins: About two months ago a friend asked me, “What are some ways people can help you as you deal with this illness?” At the moment, I honestly don’t remember what I said. I think I mumbled something about be willing to listen, to really listen. A few weeks later while I was chatting online with the same friend, he called me and let me talk his ear off and cry about something that was really important to me. He asked how he could help, and then he put it into action. That was a huge blessing to me. Here are ten (much more thought-out) answers to the question, “How can you bless or encourage your chronically ill friend?” Thank you for all of you who have done these things for me.

“Recumbency” describes one of her frequent symptoms and a spiritual truth it has reminded her of.

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What Todd Akins should have said about abortion and rape

Trevin Wax weighs in on the tough subject of abortion in the case of rape–which has entered the national discussion after Todd Akins highly inappropriate answer about this issue over the weekend. Part of Trevin’s article reads:

Rape is a horrific crime with countless emotional and psychological repercussions. No one should ever speak of such an atrocity without having their heart gripped with sympathy for the victim. Any time we speak about such an unspeakable act of violation, we ought to consider the weight of our words.

Even so, as disturbing as Akin’s remarks are, I am concerned about the conflation of issues that suddenly appeared in the aftermath. Once the comment went viral, Republicans all over the country began distancing themselves from the remarks (rightly so) while also claiming to be pro-life except in the case of rape. (Romney is an example.)

The media circus moved quickly from discussion of Akin’s remarks to a wider discussion about the legitimacy of abortion in a tough case. And some “pro-life” politicians took the bait, not only condemning Akin’s unfortunate remarks but also declaring their support for abortion in this particular case.

He then goes on to share how he think the interview should have gone from a biblical perspective.  You may not agree with everything he has but he does a pretty good job tackling a very hard issue so read more here.

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Is persecution coming to our country?

I talked about a coming persecution upon the church in the USA a couple of weeks ago in my preaching through 1 Peter.  Found this after that sermon was complete. Paul Washer on persecution is coming. Are you ready?

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