When a girl or woman is alone, pregnant, and scared, she needs someone to help her. Those who support abortion say they care about these girls and will help them solve their problem (they will get rid of an unwanted baby, for a price, but will leave her with a host of other problems). Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider, is supported by government funds, including Medicaid payments, private insurance, and private payments, as well as earnings from selling body parts of aborted babies. Their staff are well paid. While they claim to provide women’s health care, they provide very little beyond contraceptive services and abortion. People in Right to Life pregnancy centers all over the U.S. provide a wide variety of women’s health services, yet they have very few paid staff and receive very little government funds to help them. Many supporters show they care about these girls by volunteering their time and donating their own money to help these girls in need with support and assistance, free of charge and by donating things such as maternity clothes, baby clothes, baby furniture, baby food, and diapers, to help them if they decide to keep the baby, and help putting the child up for adoption if they feel that is the best thing for the child. They also provide a listening ear and work with clients to help them work out their problems. Support the Right To Life crisis pregnancy center near you by donating time and baby clothes and furniture, as well as financial help as you are able.
First Sunday of Advent -December 1
Expectation-Angel-From the time of Adam, God had promised that He would send a deliverer. Before Judah fell to the Babylonians, the prophets reminded the Jews of the promise of a Messiah. When Judah fell to conquerors after the return from Babylon, the Jews again looked for the promised Messiah that would deliver them from their enemies. When the angel appeared to Mary, he told her that the time had come and she would conceive and bear a son. He would be the Messiah and His name would be Jesus (a form of Jeshua or Joshua)(meaning God is Salvation) He would be a leader like Joshua who would lead His people out of Egypt (the world) into the Promised land. Because of His name, the Jews did not realize that He must first come to be the Sacrificial Lamb before He would come as the conquering King. He could have been born in a palace but lowered Himself to come not only as a mere man, but as the lowest of men, born in a stable.
Thanksgiving-B
When I was a child, Thanksgiving was when my grandparents gathered their three daughters and their families and we shared Thanksgiving together as a family. Few do that anymore with families so scattered. During Thanksgiving, we celebrate all the blessings God has given us but there are many who will not have much to be thankful for. Some may have lost loved ones, been divorced, or separated, or suffered a financial crisis. They may not have relatives living nearby to share Thanksgiving with. Do you know someone who will not have someone to share Thanksgiving with or have anything to celebrate it with? Invite them to share your table and your family for Thanksgiving, or your church or community can hold a Thanksgiving feast and invite those who have no one to share Thanksgiving with. It is good to remind ourselves and our children why we celebrate the holiday. After we pray before the meal, the head of the family could add a comment such as “Today we celebrate the end of the harvest season when the last of the crops have been gathered in, to remind us of the First Thanksgiving when the pilgrims who survived the first year in America, gathered with the Indians to thank God for their harvest. It also reminds us that one day God will complete the harvest of souls and call His people home to Him in heaven. Then all who believe in Christ will be gathered in heaven, before the throne of God, for the marriage feast of the Lamb of God.”
Study course-Government
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Preparing For Christmas
Children are beginning to think about Christmas as stores are ramping up their Christmas advertising. Yet Christmas is more than getting presents. It is a celebration of when God gave us the greatest gift of all. Advent is a time when we begin to prepare our hearts for celebrating when Christ came to save us and begins on December 1st this year. I have an Advent booklet available to help parents teach their children about Christmas. It has a short Scripture for each day of Advent which helps to remind us of what Christmas is about and includes pictures that go with the daily Scriptures that the kids can color, cut out, and glue to construction paper. It provides a time the family can get together and learn from God’s Word which hopefully will become a regular family practice all year round. The pictures can be hung on the Christmas tree or on cords strung around the room. It is an electronic file that I would be glad to E-mail to you free and can be printed off. E-mail me at neighborhoodministriesnwoh@gmail.com and use heading “Advent booklet”.
Twelfth Sunday of Kingdomtide-Nov 17
Our Spiritual Journey-We are approaching Christ the King Sunday when we remember the God promised to restore the earth to its former glory, however, before we can enter that perfect world, we must be ready. We must learn what we will need there. God tried to teach the Jewish people through the law, but while they obeyed the law, they still experienced the hate and greed that led to violating the law because they did not understand the meaning of love. Therefore God sent Jesus to take on flesh and show us how to live, but we were still subject to the hate and greed by our sinful nature. Therefore Christ died and rose again to free us from the power of sin and death. When we accept Christ as our deliverer, we are born again, however we are just babies and must learn to walk with Christ. Many churches no longer teach their members to walk with Christ so they remain babies unable to discern right and wrong. The Holy Spirit can guide them but they must learn to listen to His voice and obey Him. That takes place as we hear Bible teaching and walk daily, guided by more mature believers who show us by their example, just as a child learns through their parents teaching and by watching their parents. The Christian calendar guides the church as it trains new believers to walk with Christ. It begins with Christmas by reminding us that God had to take on flesh and walk among us so we have to be the living example of Christ in the flesh to unbelievers and new believers. Lent reminds us that we need to learn God’s law and how to apply it to our everyday life. Easter reminds us of the new life we have in Christ and that Christ died to make that possible. Pentecost reminds us that we have the Holy Spirit to guide us and of all those who do not know Christ. It is a time when the church reaches out to those that don’t know Christ. Kingdomtide reminds us that we aren’t alone but have other brothers and sisters in Christ to guide and support us. It is a time when the more mature members help new believers learn to experience the fellowship of the church. Finally, Christ the King Sunday reminds us that one day Christ will return and lead us into the promised land where we will be with Him forever. By walking the path every year, we are remined of how far we have come and where we need to improve. If we do not have guidance in our walk year after year, we lose our way and wander off the path. Let us pledge to renew our walk with Christ this coming year.