Christianity

God’s Children are Not for Sale

/ a samaritan woman

God’s children are not for sale.

This is the message of the movie Sound of Freedom, which was released on July 4. Although I rarely go to the movie theater, I went yesterday afternoon with a group of friends to see it.

Sound of Freedom is based on a true story and on real people. The main character, Tim Ballard, is a Homeland Security agent who winds up rescuing a group of children who have been trafficked – no, let’s just say what it is: Sold into slavery. “Trafficked,” while certainly accurate (and useful as a broad term), is a bit too vague for what really happens. Slavery is more accurate; the selling of the body and soul of a human being, whether for labor or sex.

I’m not writing a movie review here, but I will say that the film was extremely moving and incredibly well done. The difficult parts (what am I saying? The whole movie is difficult) are handled in a sensitive manner – no children were exploited in the filming. The casting is amazing. Having a decent bit of acting under my belt, I can say that I stand grateful to and deeply impressed by the actors who were cast as the most vile and heinous of villains. They were horribly, dreadfully believable , and brought home the fact that yes, scum like this exists.

And that’s why it’s important to see the movie. It becomes impossible to ignore the fact that there are millions of people (and many of them children) being bought and sold throughout the world.

Shockingly, the movie has met with some controversy. I’m astonished at the online articles that approach the movie with a “yes – but” attitude. There is the token requisite “of course, child sex slavery is bad” followed by the “BUT….” It isn’t entirely accurate! Gasp! It didn’t happen exactly that way! And someone associated with the movie has read “QAnon!” Conspiracy theorists! Misinformation!! In real life, Tim Ballard’s daring mission was funded by Glenn Beck. Right wing extremist!! “Dangerous conspiracy theory!” “Cultural war battleground!”

Ah. OK, so if a movie takes some creative license and doesn’t stick exactly to all the facts, it’s bad. And if I don’t like something that one of the filmmakers or actors believes, the movie should be condemned. Right. (Darn, I was really looking forward to another Tom Cruise action flick….)

Really, Satan, is that the best you can do to attempt to discredit this?

And why in the world is this even becoming politicized? Do you really mean that we can’t all agree that exploiting and selling children as sex slaves is EVIL? Seriously?? Critics point out that “most children trafficked aren’t taken this way.” Does it matter how they wind up being bought, sold and used? (Perhaps one of the reasons for the politicization is that open borders do carry an increased likelihood of trafficking of all kinds. Hmmmmm, maybe we should look at that?) The tragic fact is that there are more enslaved humans today than ever before.

Sound of Freedom has made $125 million (so far) at the box office. This indie movie – with a measly budget of $14.5 million and a limited number of theaters – has used the power and artistry of the big screen to move and inform audiences in a deep and profound way. Yes, it’s a hard subject. Yes, it will hit you in the gut. Yes, you might cry.

And yes, you absolutely should go see it.

#soundoffreedommovie

Nice sounding fluff.

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A friend made the observation yesterday that we all want the same thing: To live as we wish, and to be secure in our homes and to rear our children as we see fit. The only disagreement is “how do we get there?”

There was a time (not that long ago) that I would have agreed with him. Now, I’m not so sure.

I’m constantly hearing that someone else knows what’s best. “Trust the science.”

“It takes a village.” “Think globally, act locally.” “We’re all in this together.”

Heck, I’ve said all of that (and more) at one time or another. But now I’m starting  to see these catchphrases as…feel-good fluff.

I don’t think that we “all want” to be able to live our lives, worship God, and rear our children in peace, according to our values. Sure, many of us do, and I would hope that it’s the majority. But if you can see what’s going on in the world, consider this: There are those who want to destroy this vision entirely, and they hide behind nice-sounding phrases.

These phrases include “gender affirming care at all ages.” (Nice speak for irreversible, destructive hormone therapy, puberty blockers and gender reassignment surgery – i. e. mutilation.)

How about “minor attracted person?”  (That one’s simple: Pedophile.)

Then, there’s “body autonomy.” (Note: refers only to abortion, but not to making other health decisions.)

“We want to do the right thing.”

Yes, we do. The question is: Who’s your authority for the right thing?

Jesus answered, “You are all hypocrites. Isaiah was right when he wrote these words from God about you: These people honor me with their words, but I am not really important to them.Their worship of me is worthless. The things they teach are only human rules.’ You have stopped following God’s commands, preferring instead the man-made rules you got from others.”  Mark 7:6-8

Watch out for those nice sounding phrases, and give them some deep thought before using them.

Let it begin with me

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I was listening to early morning talk radio when a caller made me say “yes. Thank you for reminding us all.” The topic was the Great Question of Why is the World and the Country Going the Way it Is and What Can We Do? His response was something I’ve written about before.

We can be kind. Really, truly kind. We can be Christlike. We can show love.

Sadly, an oft-repeated response to this attitude is “thoughts and prayers are useless! It’s not that simple. Pollyanna! We need ACTION! We need new laws! We need a revolution! We need…” something.

We need God.

Really, truly, that’s all we need.

We need God because we are humans, and are broken, imperfect beings. Our society used to recognize this. The problem is that we no longer do. Everywhere we look, we are being told that the world is filled with victims, and “it’s not their fault.” We are told that we deserve XYZ. We’re told that entry level and part time positions deserve a “living wage.” We’re told it’s OK for some to do all the work and others to do none. For some, nothing is their fault; for others, it seems like everything is their fault! We’re told we can be “part of the problem, or part of the solution.”

And then we’re told – by someone or a multitude of someones – how we should fix it. We need to support X, agree with Y, take a class, put a sticker on our car and stand in solidarity with the Thing Of The Week!

Frankly, it’s exhausting.

Whatever happened to simple kindness? Whatever happened to treating people as you’d like to be treated?

Whatever happened to loving our Creator with whole heart, soul and being, and loving our neighbors as ourselves? Sounds overly simple? Are you thinking of “well, I do that, but as for these OTHER PEOPLE….” You’re missing the point.

None of us can change the world…yet we ALL can change the world.

See God in every person you encounter, for God is there. (I know, sometimes God is hard to see in certain people!!) It’s difficult; we are often stressed and rushed. But if we take the attitude that “these other people will NEVER do that!” then we’ve already lost.

Is there so much going on in our minds, in our lives, and on that blasted phone that we don’t have God present in every breath?

If we did, we might pass on that spark of peace to someone else, and you never know what effect that will have.

All any of us can “control” is ourselves – and that’s hard enough. We are misguided when we think that just one more regulation, one more law, one more company or organization, one more control, one more governmental program, more money, a bigger budget, etc. etc. etc. will make things better. These are lies and false promises, and I’m not being political here – this is spiritual warfare. “Good vs. evil” may be trite, so think of it as “God focused living” vs. “Hate focused living” if you like.

It’s not always easy. We can be going along peaceably, being kind, and then the customer non-service representative with some company sends us into a meltdown (I’m guilty). We can be accosted by a neighbor demanding we sign a petition / trim a tree branch / get rid of the dog. We can tune into media and be blamed for something we have no idea what they’re even talking about….

This is where we really need God. I can’t do much of anything about those situations – except try to inject some love and Christlike action into the situation. Will it change things? You never know. Maybe one time in a hundred it will…but that’s a start.

Change starts small. Let it begin with me.

My dog: A Blessing!

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Actually, she’s spoiled rotten. But I’m still going to arrange my schedule tomorrow to bring her to church for the Blessing of the Pets, because hey, it’s that time of year!

Today is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, known to most as Christians’ favorite garden statuary (with the possible exception of a statue of the Blessed Mother appearing in most Catholic yards) and as the guy who wrote that prayer about “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”

Interestingly, there’s no evidence that he wrote that prayer. But he did write the Canticle of the Sun, a lovely prayer / song praising God through the gifts of nature, such as Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Mother Nature.

I’m not going to go into Francis’ background here – there’s plenty of information on the internet and beyond. What resonates with me about St. Francis is that he saw God’s presence in all of creation and lived that way. He came from a wealthy background, saw the futility of it, turned to a simple life and found peace there. He even preached to the birds.

I don’t spend a lot of time on social media, but I do enjoy Quora. There, people ask various questions… and any member may answer. Some answers get upvoted and viewed a lot. One this morning asked the question “Where do dogs go when they have passed? Do they go to heaven?”

Someone answered with a story about the heartbreaking loss of their dog Scooby – and then a few days later receiving an email from someone who knew him and his dog but was unaware that Scooby had died. Out of the blue, the writer felt compelled to share a dream she’d just had about Scooby that sent a clear message: “I’m ok, can you let them know?” – along with a certain toy and setting that she was unaware of but that the writer of the post recognized immediately.

I shared that post with a few pet lovers. We all agreed that it wouldn’t be heaven without our pets. After all, they give us unconditional love here on earth. We are blessed to have these loving, amazing creatures.

I hope I can manage to get home in time to get my SweetGirl off to church. She really doesn’t need a blessing, especially as she IS one…but it’s a nice way to honor what St. Francis saw hundreds of years ago – God’s hand in all aspects of God’s creation.

All Things Bright and Beautiful

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All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small
all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all!

About a week and a half ago, friend Stan Leece and fellow butterfly enthusiast Denise Duval gave a presentation about raising monarch butterflies to our DAR chapter. This was truly show and tell, as they brought in milkweed plants, caterpillars and even a caterpillar condo ready for sheltering hungry caterpillars while growing and chrysalis-izing (or whatever you call it when they spin a chrysalis).

Stan shared the wealth and sent interested members home with milkweed. I took two plants, one for myself and one for my sister-in-law. My daughter had scheduled Stan for the meeting and so was already well versed in his caterpillar escapades, but this was new to my son – who wound up with my milkweed plant to grow on his apartment balcony. So, off to Hebert’s Garden Center I went in search of more milkweed. I figured “oh, I’ll just get a plant for myself, and let nature take its course. I don’t have time to make a caterpillar condo…”

Bowls and finished “Diller Domes”

I should have known better. Just because I didn’t have a “‘diller dome” didn’t mean I couldn’t make one. Especially as Family Dollar had exactly what I needed: A pair of clear, cheap plastic bowls for each dome. A bit of hot glue, a couple of empty (washed) pill containers to hold milkweed clippings in water, a heated screwdriver for making ventilation holes and some binder clips later and I had diller domes for all budding butterfly enthusiasts in my neighborhood. I was ready for resident caterpillars.

The milkweed had plenty of tiny eggs, and within a day, I found a caterpillar on the plant. I scooped him up and moved him into his new home, and he was quickly followed by two more caterpillars. They began munching happily. (Well, I guess they were happy. They didn’t seem otherwise…) And sleeping. And pooping.

I quickly understood why Stan had said “you WILL run out of milkweed. Don’t panic!” I also understood the children’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Good grief!! These little fellows were VERY hungry! They nibbled away methodically.

The biggest one eventually formed a J. I knew he’d be turning into a chrysalis soon, but didn’t realize the little sneak would wait until I was out of the house. I’d been gone an hour and a half, and when I came back I had two caterpillars and one chrysalis!

I sent Stan a photo. Yikes, that was quick! They’re fast, he said. And he was right.

Saturday, I was doing housework and checking on the other two caterpillars. They’d become J shaped overnight, affixing themselves to the top of the diller dome. I walked in to see the bottom of one turning green! He spun his chrysalis as I watched – and then the other one began as well!

Have you seen some of those shapewear ads on social media? You know, the one with a Rubenesque woman wiggling into spandex shapewear? Well, that’s what the caterillars reminded me of. The green sheath worked its way up those caterpillar bodies while they squirmed. The exoskeleton dropped off as the spinning was complete, but they kept wiggling for a bit, settling into their sleeping bags. I could still see their stripes for a while.

Sunday morning’s sunlight showed very little of the former caterpillar through the semi-translucent casing. I now have three beautiful jade-colored chrysali in my kitchen. In a couple of weeks (or less) they will be monarch butterflies.

I can’t help but think that God had a great time dreaming up this entire process.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colours,
He made their tiny wings.

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
— Cecil Frances Alexander, 1848

Seek Good.

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If the prophet Amos were around today and on social media, he’d probably be canceled. He lived in a time when the people of Israel were fat and happy, and pretty much living the high life. As long as they went through the motions of what God had told them to do, they could pretty much do whatever else they wanted. Amos called them out on it.


Seek Good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts…” Amos 5: 14-15a

A bit of good in the morning.

Some things never change. It’s been….oh, about 2700 years (give or take a decade or two) since the time of Amos, and we’re still dealing with the same stuff. We live in pretty cushy times, at least in our corner of the planet. While Christians and Jews (and anyone who truly values and lives by love and compassion) would all no doubt agree with Amos’ extortion to “hate evil, love good,” we don’t always agree on what’s evil and what’s good.


This isn’t to say we don’t know right from wrong; we do. But we’re busy, distracted creatures and so we tend to rely on institutions and “experts” to interpret things for us. We are told by media (traditional and social) and pundits how to be good. They may or may not have good advice, but how many follow along without truly questioning? How often do we really question whether or not there are diversionary tactics in play?


Life isn’t always as simple as “X is good, and Y is bad,” and most rational people would agree with that. Why, then, are so many quick to agree with statements and stances such as “guns are bad,” “unvaccinated people should be shut out of society for the good of all,” and “mask refusers are haters who want to infect us!” Oh, and let’s not forget “save the planet! Eliminate plastic waste!” Seriously, a quick perusal of Twitter or Facebook will show you all of these, and more, with “likes” piling up – often from those folks we thought were rational and could have at least a conversation on any one of those hot-button topics.


Such statements and responses aren’t hating evil. It’s more like division….and doesn’t Evil just love division?


Evil can masquerade as righteousness, charm and smile and make you think you are doing The Right Thing while you fall right into line. None of us are immune, and we must constantly seek good – especially when there’s no real cut and dry good vs. bad.


Besides, people have reasons for believing as they do. Wouldn’t it be interesting to have an actual conversation with an exchange of information? A friend recently told me (in reference to something related to CoVid) “I don’t know where you get your information, but….” I provided her with some of the information upon which I had based my decision – not to try and change her mind, but simply to show that yes, there is a lot of information out there and I wasn’t just being clueless or a selfish jerk. We can have different opinions based on the facts – but we are often exposed to different facts.


Amos summed it up simply. Hate evil. Do good. Maintain justice. (Real justice, not qualified justice.) Seek God, and seek knowledge and information with open minds and hearts.


Like Amos, our eyes will be opened to the hypocrisy in our world and in our country. We all wonder “how can we fix this?” The most important step is to bring God not just back into our lives, but back into our society. Amos saw this 2,700 years ago. We need to see this today.


Dive a little deeper. Be willing to have conversations. Recognize that it is the duty of each one of us to do what we can to bring God back into society. If you are at a meeting, request to start the meeting with a prayer. Give thanks before shared meals, even (especially) in public. Don’t let a few atheists get in the way of your civic display of faith. Support freedom. Be compassionate.


Even though it may be hard to discern, seek good.

First Christmas without….

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There are many articles out there for dealing with grief during the holidays, as the holiday season is traditionally a season spent with family, loved ones, friends, and – well, tradition.  Everybody knows it’s tough facing Christmas or Thanksgiving without a loved one. This year has special meaning for me, as it will be our first Christmas ever without Pop. Sadly, I could name quite a few others who are going to experience their first Christmas without…. Someone they love.

I’ve found myself thinking back to the years I spent working as a Social Worker (LCSW – I keep my license current, though am not in full time practice) and things I learned from patients. (I worked mostly in oncology.)  I’ll share some inspiration I learned from those grieving (and a few ideas of my own):

~  Take the word “should” right out of your vocabulary. And don’t feel guilty about it.

~  Change things up. (If you don’t like turkey, maybe this is your chance!) In south Louisiana, food is sacred and this might be the year to switch to pork roast or turducken or brisket. What, you don’t know who’s going to make the rice dressing now that MawMaw isn’t here? Gather family members and learn how to cook it together. I remember a family who couldn’t imagine Christmas without MawMaw because she always cooked. It was an opportunity for them to gather at MawMaw’s kitchen and cook together (they’d been banished from her kitchen before as she insisted on doing everything).

~ Make a donation in honor of your loved one. If you find yourself teary-eyed while shopping and thinking how much “they” would like something, donate the money you would have spent to a worthy cause. Or be a “secret Santa” for a community or church giving tree.

~ If you can’t face a holiday dinner, consider volunteering at a local food bank or community kitchen.

~ If you do have the holiday dinner, remember your loved one and drink a toast to them. Have a slice of their favorite pie for them. They aren’t gone, they’re just quiet, in another room (and it’s a much nicer room that we can’t see on this earth).

~ Gratitude goes a long way. Find things to be grateful for, and start with the life of that loved one.

~ Cherish the memories, and cry when you feel like it.

~ Worship, whether with a community, with family, or just alone if you can’t face a crowd.

~  Remember that everyone grieves differently, in their own way, in their own time.

~Above all, try to focus on the hope of this season. Each year at Christmas, we are reminded that in spite of the fact that humanity is broken, sinful, and generally messed up, God still gave us the gift of his son Jesus. No matter what trials befall in this life, we have the promise of redemption. The miracle of the Incarnation is indeed a miracle; God didn’t have to do any of this. But what better way to show Divine Love than to take on human form, walk among us, and show in unmistakable ways how much we are loved?

We know this world is upside down, and the loss of a loved one only makes the feeling heavier.  We felt Pop’s absence at Thanksgiving, and will feel it even more sharply at Christmas. But I’ve been looking at photos of him from last Christmas and grinning.  I’ve been remembering being a child, waking him and mom up at 5 AM saying look what Santa brought and chuckling over his and mom’s bleary-eyed excitement for my brother and me. We had him for decades, and no amount of grief can ever take away my gratitude for having him as my father.

May God bless you and yours this beautiful Christmas season.

First and foremost?

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My husband shared a webpage this morning that surprised us both. A page from his alma mater’s website stated, as a headline: “Solidarity with Black Lives Matter.” It went on to state “First and foremost, Black Lives Matter. We stand in solidarity.”

This comes from a university that has many students of multiple races. Black lives matter, before any other lives.

Is this not the very essence of racism? To place one race above all others? To value one race, first and foremost, above all others?

I don’t know what disgusts me more: Is it the fact that a public university stands with an organization that is dedicated to “keep dismantling the organizing principle of this society?” (BLM co-founder Alicia Garza, Maine Beacon, 6/28/19). (what does “stand with” really mean, anyway? You stand next to them? You make donations? You riot protest with them? Or you just say something because…well, you want to say something?)

First and foremost, all lives matter. There are those who might find my comment racist, “code,” or “dogwhistle” or some other insanity. But all lives do matter. We are all made in the image of our Creator, and therefore, all lives matter. Have we made mistakes as a society, as a country? Of course. And the greatness that is America means that we learn from those mistakes and try to right them. In a free society, we can do that.

To state that one race, first and foremost, is above all others goes against our belief in justice, equality, and freedom. It goes against all Christian beliefs and ethics. It goes against the beliefs of millions of non-Christians as well.

The mistake that many make is to assume that BLM is merely a movement to remind us that “yes, black lives matter!” And they DO matter; that should go without saying (yet I say it here to clarify). But the organization Black Lives Matter is founded by those drenched in Marxism and steeped in communist philosophy. Their goal is not to ensure equal opportunity and equal representation for anyone; it is to crush America and diminish other races. If you doubt that, you slept through much of 2020 and were watching Hallmark movies (or CNN, or MSNBC) instead of what was really happening as 140 American cities saw incredible damage, riots, fires and destruction at the hands of Antifa and BLM last year. Small businesses (owned by people of many races) were destroyed, all in the name of “dismantling the organizing principles of society” and in some warped idea of “justice.” Where is the justice for those who lost their businesses, their livelihoods?

I cannot reconcile a movement like this with Christianity. It makes no sense. I have a very hard time reconciling ULL’s (University of Louisiana, Lafayette) viewpoint on this. My husband only saw this today (on the English department page) because a friend sent it to him. A similar statement appears on the university’s history blog in June, 2020, so this isn’t exactly news – but it was news to us. We are saddened, as many of our family attended UL. There is a request for a donation on the kitchen counter. Or…there was one. It’s been filed in an appropriate place; we don’t support this type of thing.

First and foremost. Above all other lives, black lives matter the most. Everyone else – everyone – is a second class citizen. If that’s not what you meant, perhaps you should reword it. After all, you’re English majors…right?

September

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September sucked.

That’s really the only word for it. September has been over for a month now, and I can finally write a bit about it and say briefly why it was such a rotten month.

In September, I lost two people that I love dearly. (And because so many people have asked, no. It was not CoVid.) A longtime friend and mentor, Deacon Diane, at the beginning of the month, is with her Savior now. If not for Diane, I would not have made (and hopefully will continue to do so) nearly as much music in my life.

In the middle of the month, I lost my dad.

He was always there for me, even when he didn’t quite understand why I was doing what I was doing. His love and encouragement made me who I am. Pop exemplified a father’s love. He nurtured his family and started a successful business. He was a man of faith, and never gave up on his dreams. He taught me to do likewise.

Both of these individuals are superheroes in their own right. I miss them dearly, and thank God for their beautiful lives.

Another Prayer.

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Lord God, we ask your outpouring of grace, love, mercy and peace upon the families of Nicole Gee, Maxton Soviak, Kareem Nikoui, David Espinoza, Rylee McCollum, Jared Schmitz, Hunter Lopez, Daegan Page, Ryan Knauss, Darin Hoover, Johanny Rosariopichardo, Humberto Sanchez, and Dylan Merola; brave members of our Armed Forces who were murdered by a suicide bomber in Kabul.

We thank You for their lives, their courage, and their calling to be members of the United States Armed Forces. We thank you for their families and loved ones. Without men and women like this, our country would be in a less safe place. Have mercy, dear Lord, on their families whose anguish must be inconceivable to those of us who have never walked in their places. We ask for your love, support and grace for all families who lost loved ones in the bombing at the Kabul airport.

Lord God, we ask for protection for those Americans who still remain in Afghanistan. Shelter them from evil, and deliver them home safely. Let them know the grace and protection of the Holy Spirit. We ask, also, Your protection and deliverance for those Afghani citizens and all those who have aided and worked with Americans in Afghanistan. They are all in danger, and we beseech You to protect them and deliver them to safety.

Leaving. The question was not whether or not to leave, but how to leave. This departure was a disaster.

Lord, only You may judge and direct judgment upon those who do evil. Forgive me if I feel that I wouldn’t mind a bit if You unleashed your wrath upon those who ignore wise council and change plans for selfish and political purpose without consideration of those who lie in harm’s way. I wouldn’t mind, either, if You unleashed Your wrath upon the Taliban and ISIS.

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. 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. 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. – Ephesians 6: 10 – 13

Lord, this is a struggle beyond flesh and blood. I truly believe it is a struggle against evil. Please guide our leaders to good judgment, and forgive me as I really don’t find that possible right now – only You know their hearts; only You know who stands for You and who stands against You. Give strength to those who stand with You; may they put on the full armor of God so that they may stand their ground. Give strength to all of us us to know truth and to do everything we can to stand for You.

I do know and believe that anything is possible for You, and Your solution will probably look very different from anything I could imagine. I give thanks that those who have died because of faithfulness to You and / or faithfulness to America are already in Your glory and are at peace. You have already given rest to the fallen; please give the comfort of the Holy Spirit to all who grieve and rescue to all those who live in terror.

In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.