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I’ve got a bunch of “anti-abortion” content coming your way, so if you find such rhetoric offensive, I guess you better scroll on.
It’s a great time to celebrate the Sanctity of Life in America. Yes, I prefer to use “Sanctity of Life” over “anti-abortion” (though I’m definitely against abortion), “anti-choice,” “anti-women” (puh-leese!) and even “pro-life,” even though I am pro-life and have used the description in catchy situations.
By acknowledging Sanctity in Life, we place ourselves in humility, knowing that all life does not exist without a Creator of life. There is a biological process, but only God is Who makes life possible. All life is sacred, and we should be understanding of that and live our lives accordingly.
With this in mind, here are six timely topics that relate to popular pro-life proclivities (see how catchy that sounds!).
Trump’s take
Be encouraged dedicated DHDers! I am giving much applause to President Trump. Though I was skeptical about Candidate Trump, President Trump is making positive pronouncements in regards to the Sanctity of Life. And he’s only been on the job for a week!
Reinstating the Mexico City Policy was a favorable first act. This has become a “ping-pong play” whenever a new president comes into office, as one of President Obama’s first actions of his presidency was banning the Mexico City Policy. Regardless, no longer funding international abortions is a good move by Trump.
And I loved Trump’s promotion of March for Life, which is happening today. In his first interview as president, Trump was asked by ABC’s David Muir about the recent Women’s March on whether or not Trump could hear the march from the White House. Trump said he could not but then told Muir about a “large crowd on Friday too, which is mostly pro-life people.”
Muir tried to avoid addressing March for Life, but Trump pointed out how the media does not cover the event. Zing!
Trump’s next big move for supporting Sanctity of Life would be nominating a conservative judge to replace the late Justice Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court. Reports have said the president should announce his selection next week and has narrowed his choice down to three. Of the three mentioned, I favor Judge William Pryor, who described Roe v. Wade “the worst abomination in the history of constitutional law,” but I will be happy with any of the three on the short list.
Pumped for Pence
I just watched Vice President Mike Pence speak at March for Life. That was a powerful 10-minute speech. I hope you get to watch it as well. If you can take time to watch Bad Lip Reading at Trump’s Inauguration, you can make a wise investment of your time and watch Pence be the first-ever vice president to speak at the 44th annual March for Life in Washington D.C.
Some highlights include Pence repeating the phrase “Life is winning again in America.” I think he said it or a variation of the phrase about seven times.
He talked about having compassion for women and children in America. He said our society should be judged by how we take care of the most vulnerable – the aged, the infirmed, the disabled and the unborn.
Pence commended families who have adopted children in need, compassionate caregivers of aging family members and volunteers of crisis pregnancy centers. He addressed the great concern happening all over the country of women experiencing unwanted pregnancies, how mothers and grandmothers are consoling daughters and granddaughters, friends are supporting friends on college campuses.
Then, he said something that stirred my heart, “Compassion is overcoming convenience, and hope is defeating despair.”
Pence challenged March for Life participants to demonstrate gentleness, to show love and not anger, compassion not confrontation, to be generous and not judgmental.
I hope what Vice President Pence said today will resonate and encourage many across this country to be active in demonstrating how valuable the Sanctity of Life is.
Another powerful pro-life presentation
A friend of mine shared a video on Facebook of Oklahoma Senator James Lankford speaking about the Sanctity of Life from the U.S. Senate floor. A friend of hers inquired about my friend’s view on abortion, specifically in circumstances of rape and incest, and she was respectful in asking my friend. I got permission to share my friend’s response:
“Of course! I am all about healthy communication. ☺️ All I know, (name withheld), is that I am not God and I would never presume to think that I could ever make a decision on whether someone lives or dies, especially a helpless little baby. Who is to say that a child born of rape couldn’t grow up and be a normal human being with a career and a family or even grow up to discover the cure for cancer? I know I don’t know the answer to that, only God does. Just because a pregnancy is inconvenient or undesired doesn’t mean that he or she couldn’t bless someone’s life, even if it isn’t the mother that birthed the baby. I know several people personally who have been actively trying to adopt for quite some time. I just believe with my whole heart that all life is precious. Psalms 139:13 says, “For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” If life is precious to God from the womb, should it not also be precious to us?”
I am thankful for friends who share my value of life and are willing to share how God is the Creator of life.
Pro-life legislation
President Trump is not the only one to be commended for taking action on behalf of Sanctity of Life. The U.S. House of Representatives voted this week to make the Hyde Amendment permanent law. By a 283-138 vote, Congress passed a proposal to permanently make it illegal for abortions to be funded by tax-payers.
All Republicans voted in favor, and three Democrats were also in support.
No prenatal care at Planned Parenthood
A video by Live Action was recently released exposing Planned Parenthood, the world’s largest abortion provider, and the organization’s claim of offering prenatal care. Live Action is known for doing undercover investigations of Planned Parenthood, and some may question the organization’s tactics. However, if Planned Parenthood had nothing to hide, then such tactics would not be applied.
Watch the video for yourself and see if you believe Planned Parenthood operates with integrity.
Rose Day Feb. 8
I conclude this pro-life potpourri with promoting Rose Day, Feb. 8, the largest annual Pro-Life gathering in the state of Oklahoma. The event begins at 9:30 a.m., as participants bring roses to the State Capitol to offer to their respective state senators and representatives, as well as the Governor and Lt. Governor.
A rally in the State House Chambers follows at 11:45 with Ronnie Floyd, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, being the keynote speaker. More information on Rose Day can be found here.
If you have never been to Rose Day, you should come. See how many people of all ages walk the halls of the Capitol to offer roses to our state government leaders. If you want to know why Oklahoma has been considered the leading state in promoting Sanctity of Life, this annual appearance at the Capitol is a strong influence for maintaining such a title.
Short intro so I can get into the topics. Here we go!
Inauguration takeaway
I had an exterminator come to the house and a doctor’s appointment this morning (both unrelated). Because of the busy morning, I did not see the entirety of the Presidential Inauguration. From what I did get to see, I was rather impressed, and that includes last night’s festivities.
The two things that stood out to me were 1) how much an emphasis was made on God and 2) how much patriotism was demonstrated, especially in the music presented.
Multiple prayers were offered. I don’t believe there’s ever been more communication with God at a previous Inauguration. Three prayers, so I am told, were offered at the beginning, and three were voiced at the end. I did hear the three concluding prayers with one offered by Franklin Graham.
Also, I appreciate President Trump emphasizing in his address that security and protection in our country not only comes from military and law enforcement but “most importantly, we are protected by God.”
I appreciate patriotism displayed. Listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing “America the Beautiful” and Jackie Evancho perform the National Anthem were fabulous. Jackie had some shaky parts, but in today’s world of lip syncing, I admire her genuineness all the more.
And Lee Greenwood sang his usual “God Bless the U.S.A.” during the Thursday night event. Though I wish he would thank his Heavenly Father instead of his lucky stars – he’s asking for God’s blessing after all – it’s always heart-stirring to hear this song.
I’m not going to address the protests or the unreasonable critics. I will just leave it to the things that can be admired from this Inauguration – love of God and country.
Trump’s not Hillary’s Presidency
I’ve mentioned in multiple DHDs I did not vote for Donald Trump because I did not believe he clearly represented my views and beliefs, so on Election Day, I left the presidential section of my ballot blank (joining more than 15,000 other Oklahomans).
As Trevin Wax pointed out this week, many were expecting Hillary Clinton to win the election, both supporters and detractors alike. I join these ranks of flawed prognosticators. This does not mean I am majorly fretting nor am I overjoyed.
Wax said Christians, both for and against Trump, were preparing for a Clinton presidency which meant continued threats against religious liberty, more hardened stances supporting abortion and “the possibility of the Sexual Revolution ideology being enshrined into law.”
Prepping for such unbiblical standards, many Christians now believe they can let out a big “WHEW!” and be relieved for dodging a major political bullet.
My friend James Hunt shared with me this morning John Piper’s latest article “How to Live Under an Unqualified President.” I want to believe Piper would have written a similar piece had Hillary been elected, and he does point out she also is morally unfit to lead our country “because she approves of killing unborn children.”
After addressing the moral failures of our newly-elected president, Piper offers a valuable list of considerations, challenging Christians how we should proceed under Trump’s presidency.
“Do not think of the molehill of moral and social disadvantages of a Trump presidency. Think of the Himalayan mountain range of blessings we have in Christ. Let this put fire in our bones for what matters most: the salvation of the world.”
Abortion debate heating up
A lot of talk is stirring up about defunding Planned Parenthood, the world’s largest abortion provider. This Sunday, Jan. 22, many churches will be observing Sanctity of Human Life Day. Many are hopeful (myself included) President Trump will appoint a conservative nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court who will strengthen the stance against Roe v. Wade and support laws that promote a culture of life.
One may think a Pro-Life movement is rising. Maybe it is, but I can assure you there are powerful people who support abortion laws, and their figurative fangs are about to be shown. If you don’t think abortion people aren’t to be feared, find out what happened when the Susan G. Komen Foundation caved after initially deciding to stop funding Planned Parenthood.
Check out Pastor Daryl Cornett’s analysis about the abortion debate heating up. One aspect Cornett addresses that may be in the Pro-Life camp’s favor is how today’s technology helps current legislators and justices have a greater understanding of the life of the unborn.
The Malaise of Manning
President Obama made a lot of noise in his final days of office. One of the most deafening decisions he made was commuting the prison sentence of Chelsea Manning.
Born Bradley Manning from Crescent, Okla., Chelsea Manning is a transgender female who went through hormone replacement therapy while serving a 35-year sentence after being found guilty of espionage when Manning disclosed to Wikileaks classified military documents.
One may think Obama’s intention was to bring further attention to the unpopular issue of Obama’s radical social agenda in the military. The commutation also can cause some confusion with Obama’s vocalizing his disapproval of how Wikileaks apparently played a part in the presidential election.
It can be understood how some can be displeased with the Trump presidency beginning, but how one could also approve with the conclusion of the Obama presidency baffles me.
Bible reading is ‘stable’
I read an interesting piece put out by the Barna research group. They discovered that regular reading of the Bible is fairly stable in American, as 66 percent of those surveyed said their Scripture reading stayed the same, which was the same result of last year’s survey.
“We have consistently seen in our research that, even with skepticism on the rise, Americans still hold the Bible in high regard,” said Roxanne Stone, editor in chief of the Barna Group. “After all, two-thirds of Americans (66%) agree that the Bible contains everything you need to know to live a meaningful life—why wouldn’t you want to read such a book more often?”
Wild week for Westbrook
The Oklahoma City Thunder had an adventurous week on the road, starting with a win at Sacramento, a loss to the L.A. Clippers and another loss at Golden State. Much drama occurred with losing Stephen Adam to concussion protocol after the big man hit his head hard in the game against the Kings.
Russell Westbrook had a lot of media attention picking up two more triple-double performances and increasing his season total to 21, an amazing feat midway through the season.
The week is concluding with the announcement of Westbrook not making the starting lineup for this year’s All-Star Game. I’ll be brief and say it’s disappointing but I like how Westbrook responded.
“It is what it is. It’s the nature of the business, the game,” Westbrook said. “Just play. I don’t play for All-Star nods or All-Star bids. I play to win championships, and every night I compete at a high level, and you know, it’ll work out. Just continue doing what I’m doing, and you know, play the game the right way, and everything else will work out.”
As a Thunder fan, I couldn’t ask for a better response.
Oh the snarky thoughts running through my head about this major ice storm that was supposed to come in at midnight… I mean 1 a.m. … er I mean 3 a.m.
I’ve been out twice this morning. I drove the speed limit on what could be considered “damp” conditions. I did have to run my wipers though, for a few minutes, but I did shorten the delay per wipe one whole notch.
Stay warm and safe, everybody, and enjoy that extra milk and bread you got last night while battling the masses.
Let’s get to this week’s DHD!
Obama outgoing
President Obama has one more week in office. I have done my best to be respectful of our 44th President of the United States.
The Bible instructs us to respect those in authority (Rom. 13, 1 Pet. 2), and the basis of this instruction is God is the one who permits rulers to reign. I try to avoid trashing public figures who may disagree with my views and values, mostly because of something my pastor has said in the past, “What I say about you says more about me than it does about you.” Treat people with respect and kindness, not because of who they are but because of who you are.
Though I respect President Obama, I am pretty much polar opposite when it comes to the political issues in our country. We may share desired outcomes on issues such as observing human equality, supporting the unemployed, caring for refugees and reaching world peace, but the ways and means to reach these desired outcomes would contradict.
Two comments from President Obama have stuck with me since his campaign days of running in 2008. The first was a response during a forum where Pastor Rick Warren asked him when do the human rights of a baby began. Obama responded with saying the answer to the question was “above my pay grade.”
I found a great article pointing out “Six Times” when the president demonstrated that he DID know when such human rights began. I remember the first event on the list when Obama activated the “Mexico City Policy” soon after he became president and made known that supporting abortion practices in other countries was not above his pay grade.
The second comment I kept in my memory came from his victory speech in the 2008 election:
“And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I many not have won your vote, but I hear your voices. I need your help, and I will be your president too.”
Yes, he was speaking to me that night, and I was rather impressed. I thought maybe he will be reasonable and understanding to conservatives who hold firm to their beliefs and values because of biblical instruction and convictions.
Unfortunately, President Obama was the opposite, and not only was he unreasonable and unwilling to understand, he often discredited Conservative Christian values while misquoting Scripture.
I do wish President Obama and his family well, as he proceeds to his next chapter of life.
Trump’s transition
And the presidency of Donald Trump is about to begin. I am neither exhilarated nor devastated. I have shared my concerns about President-elect Trump in past DHDs, and though there is some promise of greater observance to honor sanctity of life, I am still watching and waiting to see how everything unfolds.
Just with President Obama, I will respect President Trump and for the same reasons. I do have my list of disagreements though. His past business dealings, marital issues and degrading remarks are not favorable.
However, I have similar displeasure for how the media and Hollywood personalities treat Trump. This isn’t to say Trump is undeserving, and some of his responses, though not surprising, make me roll my eyes and let out a big sigh.
There’s a lot of confused people, a lot of mean-spirited journalists and politicians. But there’s also a lot of work to be done. President Trump already has a rocky start, but I pray God will intervene and make Himself known throughout the next four or eight years.
“(God) controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings…” (Dan. 2:21).
Waxing reality for Christians of ‘Our Time’
Trevin Wax announced he has a new book coming out titled This is Our Time. He set up his book announcement with a prelude blog that was a great read for Christians, helping them understand what exactly is our mission, in relation to the recent presidential election results.
“Many Trump supporters and ‘#NeverTrump’ folks were preparing to be prophetic toward a Clinton administration. But now, all Christians will have to wrestle with what our witness should look like in the Trump era.
“We weren’t expecting this, say people from both groups. No. We weren’t, but Election Night didn’t surprise King Jesus.”
Wax said his book offers a view at different “myths and worldviews that animate our society these days.” He also offers a charge to Christians to be involved in what’s happening and make a difference by sharing the Gospel.
“Ten years ago, older millennials were all singing John Mayer’s ‘Waiting on the World to Change.’ Well, it did. Now, we’re up. It’s our turn.”
Berry and Brian debate on Dabo
Earlier this week, the Clemson Tigers defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide in the College Football National Championship. It was a great game, and I enjoyed watching it, or at least the second half because the Thunder was busy defeating the Chicago Bulls earlier that night (priorities you know!).
Postgame remarks by Clemson coach Dabo Swinney sparked debate. Oklahoman columnist Berry Tramel questioned Swinney’s explanation for his Tigers winning the game because of love. Brian Hobbs responded to Tramel, stating he went to an extreme in reading between the lines.
I think both Berry and Brian present great points. Brian did a great job expounding on Swinney’s humility and gratefulness to God for what he has been able to accomplish. Berry’s point of “Clemson love” being irrelevant to the outcome of the game can’t be disregarded, though.
I like Coach Swinney, and I applaud him for being vocal about his Christian faith and for offering worship services and prayer meetings for his players.
But Swinney needs to be aware of how his remarks can easily be misinterpreted. He can be rather vague in his postgame remarks. Vagueness breeds confusion and misunderstandings.
Later that night, in the postgame press conference, he went off on how he insisted his team beating Alabama is not an upset, and he was rather passionate about it. Of course, he did not intend to discredit the Crimson Tide, especially since he is a Bama product, and he gave much props to Coach Nick Saban and the Alabama squad.
However, everybody knows Alabama was the top seed, undefeated prior to the game and the previous national champion, so Sweeney’s insistence on beating the Tide not an upset is illogical and could be insulting.
My advice to Coach Swinney is keep sharing your faith but avoid confusion (1 Cor. 14:33).
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” is quoted often and referenced many times in athletics. This is a great piece about the context of the verse and how Paul emphasizes contentment instead of “ability enhancement.”
Winter watch
As I finish this week’s DHD, the weather is still being closely watched. I look outside and don’t see much happening, but I do know that isn’t the case everywhere else. Be in prayer for those who may be affected by these conditions, especially in the northwest area of Oklahoma.
I have been in touch with Sam Porter who leads the Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief ministry, and they are preparing for the worst this weekend.
We’re in the middle of a snow day. This, of course, has no direct bearings on my usual Friday schedule. I know many are enjoying the snow, while Olive and I are snuggled in my chair, as I type out my thoughts on six timely topics for this week’s Doyle’s Half Dozen.
Let’s get to it!
Joe goes pro
OU running back Joe Mixon announced he has declared to enter the NFL Draft and forego his remaining college years. I think this is the best move for everybody involved.
This young man had a clouded career with the Sooners, and those clouds would have lingered next season. He did a horrible thing soon after his 18th birthday, and the aftermath over the last two years has been an ongoing sentencing by the court of public opinion, which only heightened last month after the release of the video showing Mixon punching Amelia Molitor.
I addressed Mixon’s crime in Sept. 2014 in a blog, offering two takeaways to observing Christians: 1. Everybody is vulnerable; 2. Pray don’t pounce.
I also offered the example of another OU player, Ryan Broyles who overcame a lesser offense and cleared his reputation. Dusty Dvoracek is another example, as the former OU defensive lineman assaulted a friend who had to be hospitalized. Dvoracek also was suspended, returned to the team and then played for the Chicago Bears. He is now a local sports radio personality and an ESPN college football analyst.
We will see what the future reveals for Mixon. Hopefully he follows a similar path of redemption.
Planned Parenthood update
As promised, I intend to keep up with how the Trump presidency and U.S. Congress handle pro-life issues. Congress is looking favorable from the get-go. House Speaker Paul Ryan announced this week that defunding Planned Parenthood, the world’s largest abortion provider, is in the works.
I’m predicting this to be a messy process because, as the linked story stated, the mainstream media is basically a “PR agency” for Planned Parenthood. And Planned Parenthood is a powerful, influential organization.
I am also keeping tabs on soon-to-be President Trump. He offered mixed signals about Planned Parenthood during the campaign, saying he is Pro-Life but also was complimentary to the abortion organization saying PP “helped millions of women.”
Passion Conference populated by 50,000 Christian Millennials
Passion Conference is in its 20th year, as one of the largest gatherings for Christian college students and young adults. Meeting in Atlanta this week, Passion Conference features well-known Christian artists and speakers and has drawn more than 50,000 Christian Millennials from all 50 states and 90 countries, according to reports.
As Faithwire.com states, whenever political events such as Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter draws large number of Millennials it is blasted all over the media. However, Passion Conference fills up the Georgia Dome and not a peep.
“The media has been quick to report and highlight the number of those leaving faith, but don’t seem as enthusiastic when the reverse is happening,” the report from Faithwire.com said.
Shout-out to my BGCO Communications peeps
The first week of the year is known as “At Home Week” for those who work at the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. All the different teams gather to hear reports from BGCO executive team leaders and to pray for the many things that will happen over the course of 2017. There also is a time of recognition of the many who have observed milestone years (5, 10, 20, 30 years) of service at the BGCO. This time also is when the “Second Mile Award” is presented. It’s the BGCO’s version of “Employee of the Year,” but with the intention of recognizing someone who will go above and beyond what would be expected of them and their position.
There are quarterly “Second Mile Award” winners, as well as a yearly award announced. I was thrilled to see two of my Communications Group co-workers receive these awards. Hannah Hanzel who serves as art director for the Baptist Messenger received the Second Mile Award for the fourth quarter, and Grant Bivens who is the website manager was the winner of the Second Mile Award for 2016.
Both Grant and Hannah are awesome and deserve such recognition, and I am thrilled they received these honors among the many great people who work at the BGCO.
Already failed my New Year’s Resolution
Last week, I announced that my New Year’s Resolution was to share the Gospel every week. Unfortunately, though the week is not over, I have failed to do that in the first week of the year. I still have the remainder of Friday and Saturday left, so maybe it can still happen that I discuss the Gospel with someone.
The reason I placed this standard on myself is I want the Gospel to be a part of my regular conversation. I don’t intend to be legalistic about it and shame myself if I don’t meet a weekly quota. God is in control of those He brings into my life. Through the Holy Spirit, God is the one who can change someone’s life, but He also commissioned us as followers of Christ to share the Gospel to all nations. May I be sensitive to those who need to hear His powerful life-changing message.
Bragging on my bride
Tonight is a major event in the life of my wife Karen. For the past five years, she has been pursuing her dream to become a police officer. She went through multiple avenues for training and preparing. She also experienced road blocks, bumps and detours.
Recently, she completed all her requirements to become a reserve Oklahoma County deputy sheriff, and tonight is her first time to be on duty. I’m so happy for her because going through all the rigors she experienced over these past years, she finally achieved her goal.
I need to get out of the holiday hermitage that I’ve experienced this week. I spent some time with family and friends, worked a few basketball games and attended two awesome Christmas services at my church last weekend (Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, participating in a large sanctuary filled with people singing Christmas carols and worship songs [emphasis on singing. Loudly.] – I literally had tears, it was so awesome!).
The majority of the week, however, was time spent at home, just Olive and me. Even now, she’s here with me napping as I present this week’s edition of Doyle’s Half Dozen. Let’s get to it!
The wonderment and woes of Russell Westbrook
Christmas evening was highlighted by a fantastic Oklahoma City Thunder victory over Minnesota with NBA MVP candidate Russell Westbrook having another incredible performance. I’m a big Russ fan. He amazes me often, but in this game, he made a sensational fast break pass of which I’ve never before seen:
Westbrook then followed up that performance by leading the Thunder over Miami Tuesday night and collecting his 15th triple double on the season. The Heat are having a down year, and they also were without some key contributors, but there’s no shame in claiming an NBA win, and Thunder were on a four-game winning streak.
All this exuberance was halted Thursday night, as the Thunder had one of their worst performances of the season, losing at Memphis, 114-80. There’s no “ho-hum”-ness with the Thunder. Emotions are at a premium for Thunder fans in all 82 regular season games. The reason I say this also involves Westbrook because the biggest news resulting in this loss is Russ getting ejected after picking up two technical fouls simultaneously in the middle of the third quarter.
I’m not surprised the Thunder lost. The Grizzlies are big rivals for OKC, mostly because of the many playoff battles over the past seasons. Memphis also is the toughest defensive squad in the NBA and just not a good matchup for the Thunder.
I am disappointed with the Westbrook ejection. He got his first technical while arguing over a play that video replay proved him wrong, but he kept at it. After the official told him to leave the free throw lane, Russ used profanity, which is legitimate grounds for a technical, as he walked away.
In my opinion, many officials would not have assessed the second technical against Westbrook in that situation. They would have let Russ go with his parting remark.
Brian Forte, however, felt he gave Westbrook enough of a warning. Though he was correct on the grounds for calling the second technical, I believe he should have considered the ramifications of ejecting Westbrook at this point in the game. Now he is as much of the focal point as Russ is, and it’s never a good thing when an official becomes a focal point.
Nevertheless, what’s done is done, and the Thunder can learn from this. Russ needs to choose his battles more wisely. His ultra-competitiveness can be a two-edged sword, but what he and Thunder should take from this is they can’t afford him to be out of the game, especially with the scheduling gauntlet they are about to experience in January.
Two encouraging write-ups about the Thunder came out this week. Chris Mannix gave some positive points on why Westbook should remain with the Thunder. I loved how Mannix pointed out the Thunder are in far better shape after Kevin Durant left than other previous squads who lost major franchise players. He also explains how the Thunder could be conference contenders in future seasons.
The other article talks about how the Thunder could be better off not making a major trade before the deadline this season:
“There is no hurry for the Thunder at the moment. They have the opportunity to be patient, as other GMs try to make moves to save their jobs or to reach unrealistic goals set before the season. Do not mistake this patience for complacency.
For now, the best move is waiting to see what you have in all of these young players and how they fit together. So sit back and enjoy this young team figuring it out on the fly and marvel at what Russell Westbrook is able to do night in and night out.”
Six Pro-Life priorities
Since my first DHD topic took up the equivalent word content of a usual blog, I’ll do my best to be brief the rest of the way.
I’m going to get political now. As a new presidential administration is about to begin, I reiterate what I have said will be a key focal point when President-Elect Donald Trump takes office. Will we see a greater emphasis on sanctity of life as promised during his campaign?
I applaud the six recommendations that were offered to the president-elect by the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. They include making the Hyde Amendment permanent, selecting a pro-life Supreme Court justice, eliminating government funding for Planned Parenthood and supporting two important pro-life policies.
Disappointed with Jerry Jr.
I was not happy after reading about remarks made by Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. Saying that views on social issues are “irrelevant” for a Secretary of State, especially on valuing the sanctity of life, does not reflect Falwell very well.
As the linked piece points out, abortion is a very common issue when negotiating with other countries. I also believe how a person views sanctity of life affects how they view all other issues. How can a person not value the unborn, as well as all other stages of human life, yet be someone we would want to represent our country among the other nations?
This doesn’t speak well for the leader of my alma mater, and I firmly believe his father also would be disappointed.
Support a Pro-Life Democrat in 2020?
Talk has already begun on early projections of who will run in 2020 as a Democratic presidential candidate. Right now, the possible list, which includes Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, doesn’t appear to be a threat to President Trump in the next election.
If the Democrats really want to shake things up and possibly take notice of the Evangelical voting base, I have a suggestion. Nominate a pro-life Democrat. Two I would propose as interesting candidates would be West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.
It’s a ridiculous pipe dream, but considering my skepticism on Trump’s pro-life-views, a pro-life Democrat in the 2020 election may be somebody I would support.
However, the Democratic Party has a long way to go before it would appear they desire to appeal to those who value the Sanctity of Life
Millennial memorandum
Have you checked out Emily Howsden’s weekly blog “Millennial Monday”? I’ll let you figure out when it appears on WordSlingers.
Emily’s recent piece on “Tattoo Takes” is a good one. One of my favorite lines was, “Tattoos aren’t all skulls and crossbones anymore.”
Speaking of Millennials, have you seen a “Ted talk” video that’s been shared recently on Facebook? It would take 15 minutes to watch, but it is quite educational, thought-provoking and challenging for more than just Millennials.
Simon Sinek is a popular “think-tanker” who shares in the video how working with Millennials can be a challenge. He expands on four reasons for Millennial hardships which are parenting, technology, impatience and environment.
My immediate thought was “I need to share this with Emily. It would be a great future ‘Millennial Monday’ topic” (no pressure Emily!). And maybe she will blog about the video; maybe she won’t (teaser for future ‘Millennial Monday’ viewers).
I’ve watched the video twice now. I can’t say for sure Sinek is a born-again Christian, but he gives a lot of great advice, especially when it comes to how to handle cellphones and other mobile devices. It is interesting how he compares social media to be as addicting as alcohol and gambling. Sinek said it is a common understanding to shelter minors from alcohol and gambling, but allowing young people to run free with cell phones is comparable to free access to a full liquor cabinet.
I encourage you to watch the video and evaluate your own social skills and your involvement with your cell phone.
My New Year’s Resolution
If you’re still reading, thank you! I apologize for being so long this week.
Since it is common to make a New Year’s Resolution, I would like to share with you mine. For 2017, I plan to share the Gospel with someone each week. Even if it is with a Christian believer, I want to share the Gospel, so I can be in regular practice and more equipped to share with unbelievers.
In other words, my New Year’s Resolution is to make the Gospel message a regular topic of conversation. For tangible purposes, I set the goal to do it weekly. Hopefully the occurrence will increase.
What New Year’s Resolution have you set for yourself? I’d love to hear from you!
