Article on Pro-Life Speaking in Harrisburg, PA
I recently got the chance to inspire attendees at the Morning Star Pregnancy Services banquet in Harrisburg, PA. My family got to join me, and we had a blast in the nearby town of Hershey, PA, eating tons of chocolate. Instead of me telling about the banquet, check out this article written by one of the attendees:
“I’ve enjoyed the life I’ve been given,” Chet says.
Granted, he does face challenges. He cannot walk long distances, so he uses a wheelchair. He must use his feet to drive and to type—but for him, that’s normal.
He fully recognizes that, in this age of extensive prenatal testing and ultrasounds, someone like him could easily be aborted. But, as he told the hundreds of people gathered at the Pennsylvania pregnancy center banquet, “We cannot know what life will bring.”
Providing Hope for a Better Tomorrow
On March 24, 2010, my dad and I had the opportunity to speak to guests of the Hope Network Foundation in Grand Rapids, MI. The Hope Network Foundation provides a much needed service to those in the community with disabilities, providing everything from housing, employment, and most importantly, providing pastoral care. So often, our churches are either ill-equipped to provide for the needs of people with disabilities, or they have attitudes that give off a message to the community that suggests that people with special needs are not wanted in the kingdom of God.
I find the direct opposite to be true in Jesus’ ministry. In Jesus’ day, society had built walls around the diseased, handicapped, and around those who were easy targets of ridicule. Sound much different from today? Oh, maybe we don’t require certain people to live outside the city gates, but we do prefer that that they live in “another part of town.” Maybe we provide some services to those with disabilities, but so often it is because the US law says to do so rather than because we are following the example of our Savior. Jesus breaks through the man-made barriers time and time again, and when asked why, His reply is always some form of “because I know the will of my Father.” If we are truly following Jesus, we must have a heart for those whom society has already turned its back on. Jesus loves everyone, and so should we…
I absolutely love the work at Hope Network Foundation, and thank them for encouraging me through hearing about their mission. The question is, though, why must we have organizations like this? This organization specifically carries out the mission of Christ…but why has the church gone so far astray of this mission? If Christ’s church is to continue to be THE source of love in this world, we must find a way to get past the way we look, and we must learn to see Jesus in each and every person.
Dawson and Carroll Middle Schools – Smilin’ Yet?
I love 7th graders! I mean it! They are some of the best audiences I’ve ever had, and I love their zest for life. Yesterday, I spoke to the “Dragons” at Dawson Middle School and today, it was also the “Dragons” from Carroll Middle School. Not only are these the most well behaved students I’ve ever spoken to, but they are also full of smiles and laughter. Motivating them? That was certainly an easy task! These kids are great!
I challenged each school to participate in “Smile Day” on Monday. Each student in the two schools has been given the task of smiling all day long this coming Monday in an effort to act their way into feeling happy. I give them this challenge to experiment with on a Monday because that’s the hardest day to smile, and if you can be happy on a Monday, you can be happy all week long. Happiness is a choice that each and every one of us has to make every day, and these students will CHANGE the attitudes in their schools if they succeed in smiling all day on Monday.
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